WAIM Summer Conference 2022
The WAIM network announces the WAIM Summer Conference 2022, back in person after a COVID-gap. The conference will be held at the Line DC Hotel (1770 Euclid Street Northwest, Washington, DC, USA) Monday 6 June 9AM-7PM and Tuesday 7 June 9AM-1:30PM.
The network aims to promote disciplinary convergence in relation to work in the age of intelligent machines. The use of intelligent machines—digital technologies that feature data-driven forms of customization, learning, and autonomous action—is rapidly growing and has and will continue to impact most if not all industries and work domains. Convergence is defined by the National Science Foundation as “the deep integration of knowledge, techniques, and expertise from multiple fields to form new and expanded frameworks” (NSF 17-065). By embracing research concepts and approaches from other disciplines, researchers transform our emergent conceptual foundations and concomitant strategies in relation to the transformation of work via intelligent machines.
Monday will feature a set of panels bringing together leading researchers from diverse approaches to demonstrate the value of convergent research on work and intelligent machines, with lots of time for discussion in between. See below for the planned schedule.
Tuesday will be given over to paper development workshops bringing together authors and a mentor for discussion around work in progress papers and grant proposals. These groups will provide both feedback for developing and refining convergent ideas, as well as a place to make sense of how to navigate the world’s “new normal” as a researcher. You can see the schedule for Tuesday here. All are welcome to take part in the discussions, and you can find the papers linked from the page. We will also organize a “unconference” format for open discussion Tuesday (more on that on Monday).
Attendance at the conference is free (though we have reached our capacity for in person attendees). You can register to participate remotely here.
Schedule for Monday 6 Jan
| 8:30-9:00 | Breakfast/Coffee | |
| 9:00-9:30 | Opening Comments | |
| 9:30-10:30 | Keynote 1 | Saiph Savage, Northeastern (Moderator Jeffrey Nickerson) |
| 10:30-11:00 | Coffee break | |
| 11:00-12:30 | Panel 1 | Illuminating the Human-Technology Frontier: Bledi Taska (Emsi Burning Glass), Nick Diakopoulus (Northwestern), Sarah Leibovitz (University of Virginia), Moderator Jeffrey Nickerson |
| 12:30-1:30 | Lunch Break | |
| 1:30-2:00 | Panel 2a | Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier, Andruid Kerne, NSF |
| 2:00-3:15 | Panel 2b | WAIM Fellows Presentations (15 minutes each), Moderator Kevin Crowston |
| 3:15-3:45 | Coffee break | |
| 3:45-5:00 | Panel 3 | The Future Work of the Future of Work: MC Binz-Scharf (CUNY), Katie Pine (Arizona State University), Joel Chan (University of Maryland), Moderator Ingrid Erickson |
| 5:00-5:45 | Keynote 2 | Youngjin Yoo (Case Western), Moderator Ingrid Erickson |
| 5:45-6:00 | Closing Comments | |
| 6:00-onward | Reception |
Tuesday's workshop schedule is here.