RESEARCH
From late October 2022 to July 2023, I worked as a full-time project and research assistant for the Ethics Institute housed at Northeastern University. During my time there, I worked on a variety of projects, a many of them being research focused. Most of the work I do is in collaboration with the Ethics Institute, with Northeastern's Environmental Ethics Working Group, or with both.
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My reserach interests lie primarily in applied ethics, with applied animal ethics and tech ethics being strong subjects of mine as of late. I am also interested in normative ethics more broadly and dabble in some metaphysics, critical theory, and feminism. Although each of these subjects is incredibly interesting in their own right, their interactions with one another fascinate me the most.
PUBLICATIONS
BOOK REVIEW: MARTHA NUSSBAUM, JUSTICE FOR ANIMALS: OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
July 2023
Ronald Sandler, Ryan Baylon & Anya Ghai (2023) Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility. Ethics, Policy & Environment 26(3), 496-500. DOI: 10.1080/21550085.2023.2242746
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EMBEDDED VALUES ANALYSIS MODULES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
June 2023
Matthew Kopec, Meica Magnani, Vance Ricks, Roben Torosyan, John Basl, Nicholas Miklaucic, Felix Muzny, Ronald Sandler, Christo Wilson, Adam Wisiewski-Jensen, Cora Lundgren, Ryan Baylon, Kevin Mills & Mark Wells (2023). The effectiveness of embedded values analysis modules in Computer Science education: An empirical study. Big Data & Society, 10(1), 1-13. DOI: 10.1177/20539517231176230
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ERIC KATZ ON "DE-EXTINCTION": ONTOLOGY, VALUE, AND NORMATIVITY
May 2022
Ronald Sandler, Espen Dyrnes Stabell, Ryan Baylon, Cora Lundgren, Philine Weisbeek, Benjamin Yelle & Markus Zaba
(2022). Eric Katz on ”De-Extinction”: Ontology, Value and Normativity. Ethics, Policy & Environment, 25(2), 104–108. DOI: 10.1080/21550085.2022.2071554
PROJECTS IN PROGRESS
WHAT WE OWE WILD ANIMALS
February 2023 - Present
While working at the Ethics Institute, I have been researching the so-called 'Problem of Wild Animal Suffering,' trying to figure out what, if anything, humans owe wild animals suffering from disease, prediation, or starvation.
So far, I have presented my research to the Eastern Michigan Undergraduate Philosophy Conference. The draft presented can be found here.
I am currently working to refine my work and publish an updated draft to an academic journal.
THE RAT PROJECT
September 2022 - Present
Over the Fall semsester, I have been working with professor Mark Wells to study city rat policy within Boston to consider what rat policy should look like granted that rats themselves are stakeholders in these decisions. We are also studying the lingusitic function of the word "pest" both in human and nonhuman cases, and how it impacts perceptions of those with the label.
So far, I have talked with the Rat Czar of Somerville where he talked me through the city's rat policy and its gaps. We have also started an initial literature review on the philosophy of pests.
Our final goal will be a publication or whitepaper.
LLM EXPLAINERS FOR EDUCATORS
June 2022, January 2024 - Present
The AI and Data Ethics Working Group (AIDE) is currently working on developing clearly written, in depth, and emperically backed explainers for the mechanisms and uses of LLMs (such as ChatGPT) for educators when developing curriculum.