October 2026 Newsletter

How Do We Prioritize Human Needs in a Digital Society? Join Our Summit to Build Human Connection.

2026 SUMMIT
“The Need for Roots in a Digital Society”

We are just two weeks away from MISI’s 2026 Summit “The Need for Roots in a Digital Society”! Join us on Friday, November 6th for a day of impactful conversations with the panels “Touching Grass,” “Building Community and Belonging,” “Who Gets to Decide Justice in the Age of AI?,” and “A New Civics?” We are also looking forward to a thought-provoking keynote conversation with Marshall Ganz and Jillian Racoosin Kornmeier as they discuss what rootedness means in public life. The FREE event includes a workshop by The Strother School of Radical Attention, lunch, and a closing reception. Registration is filling up fast, so secure your spot today!

Register for the Summit

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Looking to get involved with MISI? We are seeking BU undergraduate and graduate students to join a passionate team of volunteers for our summit, The Need for Roots in a Digital Society, on Friday, November 6th. All skills, backgrounds, and interests are of need throughout the day (lunch to be provided). Fill out our interest form below with your availability.

Sign Up to Volunteer

BOOK TALK: HOW INSTITUTIONS LISTEN: CIVIC DATA, AI, & THE PATH TO PUBLIC TRUST

Celebrating the October release of his book, How Institutions Listen: Civic Data, AI, and the Path to Public Trust, MISI Director Eric Gordon will be in conversation with Nigel Jacob, former co-chair of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, and Anne Short Gianotti, BU Professor of Earth & Environment. They’ll explore the current state of public engagement in cities and how new technologies are transforming practices and exposing new vulnerabilities. In partnership with BU’s Institute for Global Sustainability.

RSVP to the Book Talk

MISI AT WORK

MISI Director Eric Gordon with fellow panelists and moderator, Annie Lowrey, Roopika Risam, and Lisa Pierpoint from the 2026 Boston Book Festival “Seeds of Power: What Data Reveals About Our Lives” panel on October 17th.
Learn more about Eric’s work – chatbots, trust, and his latest book – in his most recent publication (Tech Policy Press) where he states why “Governments Can Use AI to Repair Public Trust. If They Listen to People First.”
MISI postdoc, Sarah Halford, whose focus is on our PaCT initiative, wrote about the value of qualitative methods for trust research in her latest essay “What We Miss When We Study Public Trust with Surveys Alone.” Read here.
Amanda Finn, MISI postdoc and Civic Science Fellow, joined the Firme Physiology YouTube channel to discuss science, activism, and Latinidad in Academia.
Listen now!

Trust and Storytelling Fellows

Last Friday, the fellows came together to talk about vulnerability as it relates to their individual projects while smaller group conversations opened the floor to a flow of ideas as they shared experiences about successes and failures alike. We observed trust building happening in real time and hear that projects are beginning to take shape and move forward. These conversations are what MISI and the fellowship are all about!

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