Panel discussion: a collective questioning about quantum ethics

Click here to hear a recording (podcast) of the event! Event time: Thursday, September 26, 2024 – 4:00pm to 5:00pm Audience: Faculty, students, staff, researchers, community members, general public. Location: Southern Connecticut State University – Engleman Hall – Room A120 See map Panelists Colleen Bielitz Assoc. VP for Strategic Initiatives & Outreach, SCSU Florian Carle Managing Director, Yale Quantum Institute Matthew Enjalran Professor of Physics, SCSU Rye Howard-Stone Lecturer of Contemporary Issues in Computer Science and Engineering, UConn Sarah M. Roe (moderator) Director, Research Center on Values in Emerging Science and Technology, SCSU The panel will be followed by a reception to continue the conversation. As quantum technology advances rapidly, it is crucial to consider its ethical implications. While quantum applications hold the potential to transform industries, they also pose significant moral challenges. Quantum computers, for instance, could dismantle current encryption methods, jeopardizing data privacy and cybersecurity. Their ability to solve complex problems at unprecedented speeds might create unfair advantages in sectors like finance or defense, further deepening existing inequalities. By addressing these ethical concerns early, we can ensure that quantum technology develops in ways that uphold fairness, privacy, and security for all. Join us for a discussion hosted by the Research Center on Values in Emerging Science and Technology and the Yale Quantum Institute, with co-sponsorship Details
RC-VEST Discussion: Race & Medicine

April 10th 1:10-1:50pm EN C008 Free lunch bring your friends! Discuss and reflect about how race, medicine, and healthcare coverage are connected. A panel of students, staff and faculty will start the conversation! Please email Dr. Roe (roes1@southernct.edu) if you have any questions. Thank you to our panel and all who attended!
RC-VEST Documentary Screening “The Color of Care”

April 3rd 1-2:20pm (pop in any time) EN 121 A&B Free lunch! Bring your friends! Learn about race, medicine, and healthcare coverage in our communities. Contact Dr. Roe (roes1@southernct.edu) if you have any questions.

Patenting Mathematical Formulas: What’s The Harm? A thought-experiment in algebra

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Eric Gossett

ABSTRACT

Patenting of software-related inventions is on the increase, especially in the US. Mathematical formulas and algorithms, though, are still sacrosanct. Only under special conditions may algorithms pass as statutory matter: if not solely a mathematical exercise, or linked with physical reality, or otherwise limited to specific uses. In this article it is argued that blank acceptance is to be preferred. On one condition only: formulas and algorithms should be protected including the proof that supports it. This argument is developed by conducting a thought-experiment. After analyzing the development of algebra from the 16th up to the 20th century (in particular , the solution to the cubic equation), we ask ourselves what the effects would have been on the development of mathematics as a science if a patent regime had been in force protecting some or all elements of (‘cubic’) algebra.