Lincoln Center highlights student scholars applying ethics across disciplines

The Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at Arizona State University is highlighting three inspirational student scholars who embody how ethics can be applied across a variety of disciplines.

One of those students is senior Yatee Kapoor, who is pursuing dual degrees in computer information systems and accounting. She has been a part of the Lincoln Center since her freshman year, focusing on research within the responsible and sustainable AI space. 

Liz Grumbach, assistant director of research at the Lincoln Center, served as a member of Yatee’s thesis committee.

“It’s been inspiring to watch Yatee’s work on sustainable artificial intelligence develop over the years she’s spent working with our Lincoln Center team," said Grumbach. "From her time spent at the Chautauqua Institution as one of our summer scholars to her final thesis defense, her engagement with emerging issues in the field has supported our mission to build more ethical and responsible futures.” 

Yatee’s thesis, “Building Responsible and Sustainable Artificial Intelligence Systems,” was published in November. Through the Lincoln Center, she was able to meet professors and other scholars and peers who are passionate about the same topics. Her advice for fellow students is not to be shy about asking for guidance on their interests.

Mannan Anand has also been with the Lincoln Center since his freshman year. Last year, he had the opportunity to enroll in CoRAL, the Complex Data Reasoning and Analysis Lab, with Assistant Professor Vivek Gupta. Along with his co-authors, he continued work on a research paper that began as a class project investigating AI in a legal setting. 

This year, the paper was published in the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (EACL). At the end of March, Mannan was chosen to present the paper on his team’s behalf in Morocco as a conference associate. 

Following graduation, Mannan will be joining Dell Technologies as a solutions architect, where he will translate high-level business goals into concrete technical solutions. His advice for students is that it is okay to explore and not know the answers immediately.

“A central part of the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics’ mission is to engage students in ethical inquiry across the curriculum,” said Joan McGregor, Lincoln Center director. “This commitment reflects the center’s core values: integrity, interdisciplinary collaboration and a dedication to the public good by ensuring that ethical reflection is not isolated but embedded in the diverse domains where students learn and work.”

The last student being spotlighted is Arianna Orr, a junior at the Lincoln Center studying philosophy. She has been the undergraduate research assistant for the Reparative Archives Working Group. Her Lincoln Center research project, titled “Dimensions Colliding: We Asked for a Third Space and All We Got Was This AI-Generated T-Shirt,” will be presented at the annual Association for Computers and the Humanities Conference this summer.

“The Lincoln Center has provided me so many opportunities to grow as a researcher, student and person," Orr said. "Without the Lincoln Center, I would not have discovered my love for research or have the opportunity to contribute research to my first conference."

Her advice for fellow students is to say yes to every new opportunity.

Find out more about becoming a Lincoln Scholar here.