IEEE ISTAS Conference History

IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS),  the flagship event of IEEE Society for Social Implications of Technology (SSIT), is a multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary forum for engineers, policy makers, entrepreneurs, philosophers, researchers, social scientists, technologists, and polymaths to collaborate, exchange experiences, and discuss the social implications of technology.

Please find below an overview of past ISTAS events:

Year Dates Location Theme Chair(s)
2021 Oct. 28-31 Virtual (Waterloo), Canada Technology Stewardship and Responsible Innovation Heather A. Love / Rozita Dara (Chairs), Brandiff Caron, Ketra Schimitt (Technical Program Chairs)
2020 Nov. 12-1 Virtual (Phoenix), Arizona, USA Public Interest Technology Katina Michael (Chair), Roba Abbas (Technical Program Chair)
2019 Nov. 15-16 Boston, Massachusetts, USA Technology, Sustainable Development and Ethics Paul Cunningham (Chair), Miriam Cunningham (Technical Program Chair)
2018 Nov. 13-14 Washington DC, USA Technology, Ethics and Policy Paul Cunningham (Chair), Miriam Cunningham (Technical Program Chair)
2017 Aug. 9-11 Sydney, Australia From Good Ideas to Practical Solutions Paul Cunningham (Chair), Miriam Cunningham (Technical Program Chair)
2016 Oct. 21-22 Kerala, India Ethics and Pervasive Computing Technologies Charles Despins, Jaafar Elmirgani
2015 Nov. 11-12 Dublin, Ireland Culture, Ethics and the Knowledge Society Paul Cunningham (Chair), Miriam Cunningham (Technical Program Chair)
2014 May 23-24 Chicago, USA Ethics – a challenge to the scientific and engineering community Keith Miller, Joe Herkert
2013 June 27-29 Toronto, Canada Smart World – living in a smart World – people as sensors Steve Mann
2012 Oct. 27-29 Singapore Technology and Society in Asia Dr Michael Arnold
2011 May 23-25 Chicago, USA Interactions of Technology Society Michael Loui, Mary-Sheila Tracy
2010 June 7-9 Wollongong, Australia Social Implications of Emerging Technologies Mark Gasson
2009 May 18-20 Tempe, Arizona,USA Social Implications of Sustainable Development Joseph Herkert
2008 Jun 26- 28 New Brunswick, Canada Citizens, Groups, Communities and Information and Communication Technologies Dr. Susan O’Donnell, Dr. Clinton Andrews
2007 June 1-2 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Risk, Uncertainty, Vulnerability, Technology and Society Dr. David M. Hassenzahl
2006 June 8-10 New York, USA Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Roberta Brody
2005 June 8-10 Los Angeles, California, USA Weapons and Wires: Social Implications of ICT and Global Security Philip Chmielewski
2004 June 17-19 Worcester, Massachusetts, USA Globalizing Technological Education Lance Schachterle, Rick Vaz
2003 Sept. 26-28 Amsterdam, The Netherlands Technology, Crime Prevention, and Security Hin Oey
2002 June 6-8 Raleigh, North Carolina, USA Social Implications of Information and Communication Technology Joseph Herkert
2001 July 6-7 Stamford, Connecticut, USA Ethical and Social Issues Criteria in Academic Accreditation Jerry Engel, Brian O’Connell
2000 Sept. 6-8 Rome, Italy University as a Bridge from Technology to Society Valerio Cimagalli, Marco Balsi
1999 July 29-31 South Bend, Indiana Wiring the World: The Impact of Information Technology on Society David Morton
1998 June 12-13 South Bend, Indiana Wiring the World: The Impact of Information Technology on Society Karl Perusich
1997 June 20-21 Glasgow, Scotland Technology and Society at a Time of Sweeping Change Simon Burne
1996 June 21-22 Princeton, New Jersey, USA Technical Expertise and Public Decisions Clint Andrews
1993 Oct. 22-23 Washington, DC, USA Technology: Whose costs? Whose benefits? Bill Kelly
1991 June 21-22 Toronto, Canada Preparing for a Sustainable Society Walter Zessner
1989 Oct. 20 – 21 Los Angeles, USA A Delicate Balance: Technics, Culture and Consequences Chantal Toporow