{"id":2851,"date":"2026-10-26T14:55:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T18:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/misi\/?p=2851"},"modified":"2026-10-26T14:55:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T18:55:27","slug":"october-2026-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/misi\/2026\/10\/26\/october-2026-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"October 2026 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How Do We Prioritize Human Needs in a Digital Society? Join Our Summit to Build Human Connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2026 SUMMIT
“The Need for Roots in a Digital Society”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We are just two weeks away from MISI’s 2026 Summit “The Need for Roots in a Digital Society”!\u00a0<\/strong>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\u00a0The Strother School of Radical Attention<\/a>, lunch, and a closing reception. Registration is filling up fast, so secure your spot today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Register for the Summit<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking to get involved with MISI?\u00a0<\/strong>We are seeking BU undergraduate and graduate students to join a passionate team of volunteers for our summit,\u00a0The Need for Roots in a Digital Society<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign Up to Volunteer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BOOK TALK:\u00a0<\/strong>HOW INSTITUTIONS LISTEN: CIVIC DATA, AI, & THE PATH TO PUBLIC TRUST<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Celebrating the October release of his book,\u00a0How Institutions Listen: Civic Data, AI, and the Path to Public Trust<\/a><\/em>, MISI Director Eric Gordon will be in conversation with\u00a0Nigel Jacob<\/a>, former co-chair of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, and\u00a0Anne Short Gianotti<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/em>In partnership with BU’s\u00a0Institute for Global Sustainability<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RSVP to the Book Talk<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MISI AT WORK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MISI Director\u00a0Eric Gordon<\/a>\u00a0with 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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Learn more about Eric\u2019s work – chatbots, trust, and his latest book – in his\u00a0most recent publication<\/a>\u00a0(Tech Policy Press) where he states why \u201cGovernments Can Use AI to Repair Public Trust. If They Listen to People First.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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MISI postdoc,\u00a0Sarah Halford<\/a>, whose focus is on our\u00a0PaCT initiative<\/a>, wrote about the value of qualitative methods for trust research in her latest essay \u201cWhat We Miss When We Study Public Trust with Surveys Alone.\u201d\u00a0Read here<\/a>.
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