Technology-focused Advocacy: Find Your Voice/Catalyze Change

When:
September 11, 2019 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm America/New York Timezone
2019-09-11T16:00:00-04:00
2019-09-11T18:00:00-04:00
Where:
MIT Lincoln Laboratory - Cafeteria
244 Wood Street
Lexington
MA

Life Members

Today, technology and politics are so inextricably intertwined that understanding technology is essential to address many of today’s most vexing, complicated issues. Technologists are needed not only to supply technological context for these issues, but also to provide their problem solving expertise. Examples of public policy areas in critical need of technological input include cybersecurity, immigration, energy policy, manufacturing, artificial and augmented intelligence, robotics, and autonomous vehicles. In addition, engaging in policy development allows technologists to understand and apply larger context to their lives’ work.

We will discuss technology-focused policy development and advocacy, using development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy at the IEEE and IEEE-USA as a test case. Specifically, we will discuss the world-wide impacts that AI are expected to have and the ethical challenges that incorporating AI into society raises. We will also discuss the elements of a long-term ethically-based AI strategy that will foster a robust AI industry (including a well-qualified AI workforce), support AI-related R&D, ensure public safety and public acceptance of AI, and, especially in the case of IEEE-USA, that will promote an AI-friendly environment in the U.S. to ensure the continued leadership of the U.S. in AI.

Maura K. Moran, a partner at Cambridge Technology Law, Cambridge, MA, advises on Intellectual Property (IP), technology transfer, licensing, and strategic alliances. She conducts patent prosecution for software, robotics, and AI-related technologies, and is registered to practice law in MA and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Maura was the 2016 – 2017 Vice President for Government Relations for IEEE-USA, which advocates to the U.S. Government on behalf of the more than 180,000 U.S. members of the IEEE. During her term, she led IEEE-USA’s first Transition Team Outreach Initiative for alerting Presidential and Congressional campaign transition teams as to the issues that are important to IEEE‘s U.S. members. Maura was also a candidate for IEEE-USA’s 2019 President-Elect. Through IEEE-USA, Maura has co-authored multiple position statements, amicus briefs (in support of certiorari and on the merits), and comments to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Maura is active in IEEE’s Boston Women in Engineering Chapter, the IEEE Boston Robotics and Automation Society Boston Chapter, the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, and the Venture Café, which supports the global innovation community through programs, mentoring, and networking.

Maura holds a B.S. Mathematics from the University of Dayton, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, and has completed graduate coursework in Electrical Engineering at Northeastern University. Maura has practiced law with major law firms and through her own firm. She has served as inside counsel for ZOLL Medical Corporation, FINsix Corporation, ADE Corporation (now acquired by KLA-Tencor Corporation) and Digital Equipment Corporation (now acquired by Hewlett Packard).

The meeting will be held at MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Main Cafeteria, 244 Wood Street., Lexington, MA at 4:00 PM.

Refreshments will be available at 3:30 PM. Please use the Wood Street Gate to the Laboratory. Follow signs from outside reception to the Main Cafeteria (elevators are available via reception). For directions go to http://www.ll.mit.edu/.