Author: Luis Kun

The IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) is pleased to announce that Dr. Kalyan Sen has been elected SSIT President-Elect for 2025–2026.

On 16 September 2025, the SSIT Board of Governors approved the initial slate of Member-at-Large candidates presented by the Nominations and Appointments (N&A) Committee. It is now time for any petition candidates to be considered for inclusion on the final slate.

The SSIT Nominations & Appointments Committee is opening a second call for the position of President-Elect.

Prof.  Moshe Y. Vardi, an IEEE-SSIT Distinguished Lecturer, has received the IEEE Computer Society Computer Pioneer Award in Honor of the Women of ENIAC.

SSIT is seeking candidates for President-Elect (2025 – 2026) and 3 Board of Governors Members-at-Large (2026-2028). All positions are voting…  Read More

It is with great sadness that I am announcing the passing of our dear colleague and friend Banu Onaral on December 18, 2024.  

Aging provides us the ability to look back and compare different time periods in our lifetime while using technology as a “point of reference.”

Most Congressional leaders are lawyers who lack a science and technology (S&T) background, yet we expect them to make decisions in regard to S&T legislation.

Dr. Kiani is a wonderful example of practicing what she preaches. First, she believes in talking with very young/K12 girls to get involved in STEM and she is very active in the IEEE-USA efforts. The implementation of the Nepal project is an example of “walk the talk.”

Dear colleagues, the February 2024, IEEE Series / TAB meeting gave me the opportunity to learn about an IEEE program that I was previously unaware of.   It is called IEEE REACH, which is a short for Raising Engineering Awareness through the Conduit of History. 

In June 2013 Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama signed a historic agreement to begin cooperation on cybersecurity. The mutual understanding developed through previous work in 2011 was to define critical terminology for a cyber conflict. I was part of the U.S. team that held the Russia-U.S. Bilateral discussions on cybersecurity. The aim was to build collaborative relationships between many nations in defining a common vocabulary so that mistakes would not be made because of misinterpretations of a certain word. It took us months just to agree on 20 terms

If we had a system in the United States where 50% of the time was dedicated to a single academic program for everyone, and the other 50% to social development, society would reap the benefits.

We invite you to join us at Digital Platforms and Societal Harms, taking place 2 and 3 October at American University in Washington, D.C. and with keynote panels also available in hybrid mode to enable online attendance.

It was a wonderful experience for me to live all of these events and realize later how everything is really connected. Where will new generations of kids get their “social skills” developed, considering that most of their social relations and interactions happen virtually through their phones or computers while avoiding in-person interactions?

The Society on Social Implications of Technology is one of seven IEEE technical societies that make up IEEE Division VI.

When you actively participate in an area in which you are “passion-driven,” others notice, and opportunities will open for you. For young people, I suggest
find your passion, volunteer, and get involved. 

Governmental Affairs: Article by Luis Kun in May-June 2008 issue of EMB Magazine on Science, Technology, and Censorship.

The intention of this blog-segment is to bring up a current problem caused by technology and discuss not only its…  Read More