UCB Algorithmic Justice at UC-Berkeley: cultivating PIT scholars and career pathways

Abstract

The project will work towards building an interdisciplinary PIT undergraduate student cohort through programming including workshops, public lectures, panels, and lunches, as well as career support through a project matchmaking event, internship funding, and shadowing and immersions. The FIAT Justice Scholars program at UC Berkeley was designed to create a pipeline into Public Interest Technology careers for students, connecting multiple units across our campus to deliver quality programming including lectures, workshops, and career pathways events. At the onset of our project, we identified two major problems facing students: difficulty in finding intellectual communities and a marked lack of diverse representation in tech fields. Equity in PIT is especially difficult to develop because of these problems, perpetuated by gatekeeping, the centering of whiteness and masculinity, and overemphasis on technical capacity.