Bringing Community Voices into Responsible Tech Deployment and Strengthening Urban Resilience
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Science Impact Collaborative (MIT SIC), based in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, is a center for research, education, and public service focused on promoting public-interest technology and a just energy transition.
SIC Leadership
Lawrence Susskind
Director, Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental PlanningJungwoo Chun
Assistant Director, Lecturer of Climate, Sustainability and NegotiationBruno Verdini
Associate Director SIC / Senior Lecturer MIT DUSP & MIT Sloan / Executive Director MIT-Harvard Mexico Negotiation Program / Visiting Professor Asia School of Business
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Public Interest Technology (PIT)
Public Interest Technology (PIT) sits at the intersection of technology deployment, policy, and governance. We focus on how technology can benefit the public without excluding anyone or unfairly risking vulnerable groups. We inform how governments should collaboratively regulate, develop, and oversee technology systems. The Public Interest Technologist, an online publication, encourages the MIT community to collaboratively consider the socially responsible deployment of diverse technologies.
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Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure
Cybercriminals are hijacking data in cities, towns, and hospitals, demanding ransom payments. The MIT Cybersecurity Clinic has served over 40 municipalities and healthcare facilities, assessing their cyber-risks. The Clinic has trained and certified more than 150 students across campus as pre-professional cyber-risk assessors and planners. This clinical approach at MIT has also resulted in the creation of the International Consortium of University-based Clinics.
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Enabling a Just Energy Transition
We are committed to implementing innovative clean energy solutions to address climate change while prioritizing procedural and distributive justice. Our efforts include facilitating meaningful public engagement and delivering public benefits. The MIT Renewable Energy Clinic supports New England communities by providing public assistance for collaborative energy infrastructure planning.
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Capacity-building in Transnational Natural Resource Management
In collaboration with the Mexican Ministries of Energy, Environment, and Foreign Affairs, we seek to enhance the capabilities of government and private-sector managers to further develop their skills and strategies for managing water, energy, and natural resources at local, national, and international scales.
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Informing Policies: Siting and Permitting of Clean Energy Projects
In collaboration with the Mexican Ministries of Energy, Environment, and Foreign Affairs, we seek to enhance the capabilities of government and private-sector managers to further develop their skills and strategies for managing water, energy, and natural resources at local, national, and international scales.