Description:

Speaker: Jasmine Lu

Jasmine is a Human Computer Interaction researcher and PhD student supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and two UChicago Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth PhD Grants. She is a part of the Human Computer Integration Lab and is advised by Pedro Lopes. Through her work, she explores how we can use computational approaches towards reducing, reusing, and recycling electronic waste. Her research interests include e-waste, critical making, sustainable computing, and living media interfaces. 

Abstract: Innovations across computing have enabled technologies to become ubiquitous, essential parts of our daily lives. However, the rapid development of new technologies has also enabled the rapid generation of electronic waste. In fact, e-waste is the largest consumer waste stream in the world with estimates of 82 million tons being generated by 2030. While much of the field of computing focuses on when devices are in use, we neglect to extend concern to interactions beyond device use to also include when devices often become e-waste. In this guest lecture, I discuss how e-waste gets generated, current solutions for recycling and their limitations, and a variety of methods towards developing more sustainable solutions.  Drawing on insights from my research, I connect e-waste with computing's broader impacts on the environment and discuss how we can build towards more sustainable computing futures.