The Grefenstette Center for Ethics proudly supports faculty and student research and scholarship in the area of tech ethics. We encourage scholars to pursue any number of opportunities that we offer to learn more about the intersecting worlds of science, technology, and law and to engage more deeply in the ethical conversations happening at those intersections.
Interested scholars can earn a Micro-credential in AI & Digital Ethics, develop research projects as a Faculty Scholar or Student Fellow, present original research at our annual Tech Ethics Symposium, and invent meaningful policy and tech solutions to address the harms caused by the proliferation of online hate. Read more about how to get involved in the work of the Grefenstette Center below.
Ways to Get Involved
The Grefenstette Center is proud to announce a new AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential! This three-course micro-credential program is open to all undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students. The micro-credential is comprised of two required courses - offered each semester by the Grefenstette Center - and a selection of electives that count for the third. This program can be completed fully asynchronously online, allowing people from all walks of life to gain a credential that can be applied in professional and educational contexts.
Read about the eligible courses below and apply for the AI & Digital Ethics Micro-credential.
Artificial Intelligence Ethics (GREF 210) What does it mean to think ethically about technology, and especially about AI? What is the relationship between humans and technology, and what should it be? This course, hosted by Duquesne’s Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law, will examine a wide variety of topics in artificial intelligence, including algorithmic bias, machine learning, and transhumanism. The course will empower students to thoroughly appraise the ethical concerns in science and technology through a Catholic lens. Offered Fall and Spring.
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare (GREF 230) How is AI transforming healthcare? What will AI mean for doctors, nurses, hospitals, and the healthcare industry in general? What implications will this have for ethics, policy, and management decisions? This course explores the impact of AI in healthcare by examining current and future transformations of healthcare through emerging AI technologies. Aimed at assisting students looking to enter the healthcare industry, the course will examine the employment of AI in making medical decisions, the ethical implications of current and future AI usage, the proper management of AI in healthcare organizations, the effects of AI in the delivery of healthcare services, and the future of AI adoption in the healthcare industry. Offered in Spring.
Technology, Society, and Power (GREF 250) How do we approach a world filled with technology? Every power structure in society relies upon technological innovation, a fact made even more true since the advent of generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT. But what is the true role of technology, and what is the social value of artificial intelligence? How has tech transformed our lives, and how will it change society in the future? This course, hosted by Duquesne’s Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law, will examine the broad scope of ethical and moral impacts of technology in the modern world. This will include historical intersections of technology and social construction, as well as modern discussions of AI and its impact on climate, warfare, government, corporation, and wealth. This is a fully-online, asynchronous course, and is meant to partner with GREF 210 (AI Ethics), and counts towards the “AI & Digital Ethics” Microcredential. This course fulfills the Social and Historical Reasoning Bridges Competency.
Online hate is on the rise, leading to real-world devastating effects on individuals and communities around the world. Hacking4Humanity is a tech and policy hackathon that offers students a new way to engage with real-world social problems that can be improved with novel technical and policy solutions. Any undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at a college or university in the Pittsburgh region can participate! Students compete in teams of 1-4 people in either the Policy track or the Tech track, with multiple cash prizes available in both tracks! Prizes will be announced closer to the event.
Hacking4Humanity 2025 took place January 24- Feb 7, 2025, beginning with a Zoom Kickoff on Friday, January 24. Final Policy and Tech presentations were held at Duquesne University on Friday, February 7.
This year's finalists will travel to the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg in March 2025 to present their work in front of high ranking officials in the Shapiro administration ... and maybe even meet the Governor himself!
View the winners of Hacking4Humanity 2025 and watch the livestream recordings
Details of Hacking4Humanity 2026 coming soon!
Each Fall, Duquesne University hosts a national conference on one aspect of technology ethics. All undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit posters on any aspect of responsible AI or technology ethics! The Symposium will cover the cost of printing for all accepted posters, and the best posters in each category (undergraduate and graduate) will receive cash prizes, as well as extra prizes for crowd favorites!
View the 2024 Tech Ethics Symposium program booklet
View livestream recordings and winners from past Symposia
2025 Tech Ethics Symposium details coming soon!
Interested in the ethics and responsible use of technology? Want to gain real-world
experience outside of a classroom setting? The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law is proud to
offer an undergraduate scholarship program for four Duquesne University students each academic
year!
Undergraduate Student Fellows work closely with Center staff and affiliated faculty
to build their research interests, present a poster at the fall Tech Ethics Symposium,
participate in the spring hackathon, and engage in monthly conversations on tech ethics
throughout the year! No previous experience with tech or tech ethics necessary. Students
from ALL disciplines are welcome!
The Grefenstette Center is now accepting applications for the Undergraduate Student
Fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year! Apply today! The application deadline is Friday, May 30, 2025.
Learn More About the Undergraduate Student Fellowship and Apply!
The Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law at Duquesne
University invites scholars and researchers in the United States to apply for the
Grefenstette National Research Scholars program for Academic Year 2025-2026. The National
Research Scholars program is a small community of scholars from all backgrounds and
traditions who come together monthly and discuss their research on the intersections
of technology, society, and faith, broadly construed.
We seek seven scholars from all research areas to contribute to the conversation around
the responsible use of digital technology and its intersection with religious and/or
theological studies. Scholars may come from the academy or from industry (including
tech and religious ministry), as long as the individual has a research interest and
a plan to develop their research. PhD or terminal degree in one’s field is preferred
but not required. Areas of study include but are not limited to critical AI/critical
technology studies, responsible AI studies, ethics, religious studies, sociology of
religion, intersectional approaches to technology and society, and theology.
The goal of the program is to cultivate a research cohort, to provide peer support,
and to generate new and innovative research paths in the intersection of technology
and religious studies, especially given the recent development of generative AI. All
Scholars will receive a stipend of $2000 for the year, participate in monthly discussions,
and be part of a year-end virtual public roundtable.
The Grefenstette Center is now accepting applications for the National Research Scholars
program for the 2025-2026 academic year! Apply today! The application deadline is Friday, May 30, 2025.
Learn More About the National Research Scholars Program and Apply!