Society + Technology at UW and the Center for an Informed Public are co-hosting Op-Eds for Academics, a hands-on workshop focused on building public writing skills, taking place twice: on Tues., March 3, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM at the School of Law, William H. Gates Hall, 115 ABC – Perkins Coie Room (Register | In-Person Workshop) and online on Thurs., March 5, 2026, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Register | Online Workshop). The identical workshops are designed to provide the UW’s cross-disciplinary community of experts focused on the social, societial, and justice dimensions of technology with the opportunity to gain skills in translating academic work into public commentary.
Co-hosts and co-facilitators: Monika Sengul-Jones; mmjones@uw.edu (Society + Technology at UW) and Ali Durran; adurran@uw.edu (Center for an Informed Public), University of Washington, Seattle
Co-sponsors: Center for an Informed Public and Society + Technology at UW, hosted by the UW Tech Policy Lab
Slides
How To Resources
https://www.theopedproject.org/resources
Example Op-Eds from the UW community
Featured example:
Nassim Parvin (Information, UW Seattle) | Driverless Cars Aren’t Much of a Revolution
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/driverless-technology-is-portrayed-as-safer-but-at-whose-expense
The academic research paper that the op-ed draws upon for evidence:
JafariNaimi, N. (2018). Our Bodies in the Trolley’s Path, or Why Self-driving Cars Must *Not* Be Programmed to Kill. Science, Technology, & Human Values. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162243917718942
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0162243917718942?casa_token=qhby97zDIYkAAAAA%3AHpeyqCjFPO2uyUTXkXRVM9bxAi6wmg6th9_asC01V1Y4733aYL7otpVgxhfWhd3NhfrUP5g2tvy2
More from UW
Jessica Beyer (Political Science, UW Seattle), Whitney Phillips, and Gabriella Coleman
https://www.vice.com/en/article/trolling-scholars-debunk-the-idea-that-the-alt-rights-shitposters-have-magic-powers-motherboard/
Nora Kentworthy (Nursing, UW Bothell) and Mark Igra | Crowdfunding Fails Most of Those in Need
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-07-20/crowdfunding-fails-most-of-those-in-need
Rachel Moran-Prestridge (CIP, UW Seattle) | Local information providers can cultivate curiosity to build community trust
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/local-information-providers-can-cultivate-curiosity-to-build-community-trust/
Margaret O’Mara (History, UW Seattle) | The End of Privacy Began in the 1960s
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/opinion/google-facebook-privacy.html
Matt Powers (Communication, UW Seattle) | Journalism Has Become Ground Zero for the Vocation Crisis
https://theconversation.com/journalism-has-become-ground-zero-for-the-vocation-crisis-232963
Adrienne Russell (Communication, UW Seattle) | To Address Climate Crisis, Address the Information Crisis
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/to-address-climate-crisis-address-the-information-crisis