Three researchers from the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology were selected to present their work at the Aarhus Conference, an event held every ten years by Aarhus University in Denmark. The conference, which began in 1975, is known for its focus on significant global issues in computing and its highly selective acceptance process.
This year’s conference, titled “Computing (X) Crisis,” took place in August and included presentations and workshops that examined how computing affects people during times of crisis. Only 15 papers were chosen for presentation out of more than 100 submissions.
Assistant Professor Cindy Lin, Associate Professor Lynn Dombrowski, and Professor and Chair Shaowen Bardzell co-authored the paper “Whose, Which, and What Crisis? A Critical Analysis of Crisis in Computing Supply Chains.” Lin was the lead author. Their research proposed a new framework for understanding how crises impact computing supply chains.
Bardzell explained her motivation for participating: “I knew I was going to go no matter what because I enjoyed it so much 10 years ago. I was fortunate to come together with Lynn and Cindy. We spent six months reading, thinking, and debating together every week, and it was a pleasure to write it together.”
The team combined their individual research interests—Lin studies the environmental effects of data centers, Dombrowski focuses on labor practices, and Bardzell investigates the effects of chip manufacturing on agriculture in Taiwan—to analyze who defines a crisis in computing and who is affected by it.
Dombrowski commented on their approach: “We wanted to think about what this word means in relation to computing. Who gets to take advantage of a crisis, or who can construct a crisis in relation to computing? What’s not being talked about when we use that word?”
Lin highlighted the importance of collaboration across generations in computing research: “We don’t often think about computing research as intergenerational colleagues working together. I feel like the three of us represent very interesting generations of computing research that’s tied to critically thinking about the social and political aspects of computing. Each of us has different ways of thinking about those things.”
The paper introduces the idea of “against crisis thinking,” which argues that crises in computing supply chains are not always obvious and that scholars should examine how the term “crisis” is used in public discussions. Lin stated, “Some players get to declare what is a crisis and whom it affects. They create solutions to resolve the crisis, but they might not address what a chronic experience of a crisis may be.”
Bardzell reflected on the significance of presenting at such an exclusive event: “Academia can appear as a cutthroat environment where you’re trying to establish your brand and be known for XYZ. At Aarhus, there was a strong sense of community and working alongside each other, and we’re better because of the people who work alongside us.”
Lin also noted the difference between this decennial conference and annual academic gatherings: “There’s something special about reflecting every 10 years. It shows how much has changed but also how much things have remained the same.”
