Researching Technology’s Impact on the Human Condition
About the Tech for Humanity Lab
The Tech for Humanity Lab is a transdisciplinary laboratory at Virginia Tech, focusing on the impact of technology on the human condition. Our lab emphasizes issues of human security broadly constituting political, medical, social, economic and environmental securities. The lab utilizes transdisciplinary research, combining practices from political science, international affairs, law, computer science, humanities, engineering, business, biology, public health, and area studies.
Our mission includes investigating the impact of technological advances on a broad spectrum of security issues. Early research initiatives include surveillance, censorship, data manipulation and misuse, and misappropriation for the purposes of impacting human security across and within multiple disciplines. The lab provides access to resources including High Performance Computing; mobile and IoT technologies; servers, software and simulations for modeling infrastructures; augmented and virtual environments; and a range of digital devices. The lab places concerns of human security at its core and seeks to develop technical- and policy-relevant research that might guide future innovation in ways that minimize negative impacts and enhance a comprehensive approach to technology and human security.
Lab Meetings
Hume Colloquium Presentations
CCI Research Presentations
Aaron F. Brantly – Director
- ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRAM (GIA) SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
- HEAD OF RESEARCH, CENTER FOR EUROPEAN UNION AND TRANSATLANTIC STUDIES
- AFFILIATED FACULTY, HUME CENTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
- AFFILIATED FACULTY, NATIONAL SECURITY INSTITUTE
Nataliya D. Brantly – Lab Deputy Director
- ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS PROGRAM (GIA) SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
- PROGRAM DIRECTOR, EASTERN PARTNERSHIP RESEARCH PROGRAM CENTER FOR EUROPEAN UNION AND TRANSATLANTIC STUDIES
Latest Blog Posts
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The Practical Imperative of European Digital Sovereignty
CONTINUE READING: The Practical Imperative of European Digital SovereigntyBy Aaron Brantly The election of Donald Trump to the Presidency in the United States and the subsequent policy positions espoused by his administration should constitute a wake-up call to the entirety of Europe on the importance of quickly and effectively establishing digital sovereignty. Where once the United States sought to work within an established…
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An Overview of the U.S. Immigration Surveillance Infrastructure
CONTINUE READING: An Overview of the U.S. Immigration Surveillance InfrastructureBy Brooke Spens, Ishaanvi Saini, Abigail Yared, and Halima Islam Abstract In recent months, the proliferating surveillance capabilities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have made headlines ranging from the alleged use of cell-site simulators to Palantir data mining systems. Surveillance technologies contracted and deployed by ICE extend beyond typical immigration enforcement with some…
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Open-Source Hearing Aids: A Look into the Future of Medical Technology and Coding
CONTINUE READING: Open-Source Hearing Aids: A Look into the Future of Medical Technology and CodingBy Brooke Struyk Edited by Nataliya Brantly Abstract: Hearing loss affects a large portion of the global population, yet the prices for hearings aids continue to increase. With quality devices costing an upwards of $2000 per pair, and lasting between three to seven years depending on the model, access to these technologies has become more…
Tech for Humanity Lab
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