Launched in January 2023, the Trust in Research Undertaken in Science and Technology (TRuST) network is a project exploring the concept of public trust in medical, technological and other scientific research that affects and benefits our everyday lives.
Studying trust is vital as it is so foundational to how we live and work together, and it is critical to the spirit of collaboration, innovation, and community that drives the research undertaken at the University of Waterloo. Recent events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting sociopolitical fallout, have thrown the issue of public trust in science sharply into focus.
This is why it is also crucial for us to engage broader communities for understanding, insight, and experience, as the very idea of trust cuts across fields of study, sectors, and societies. Trust is a relational idea that allows us to work together to address the challenges we face today and in the future.
Building on the vision of Waterloo at 100 some 34 years in the future, we take the opportunity to examine the concept of trust relating to the thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the Waterloo Region community and beyond who will be impacted by what is accomplished here at the University.
President Vivek Goel’s Waterloo at 100 vision demands the evaluation of foundational concepts in an ever-changing world that constantly generates new ideas, understandings, technologies, challenges, and responsibilities. Forging new collaborations at this time of flux is vital and TRuST will be a key tool in helping us do this at the University and beyond. The first step to earning public trust in science is reflecting on the practices of research and scholarship itself in a critical way, to see how we might improve and move forward more inclusively, more thoughtfully, and more collaboratively.
As we begin this research and grow our network, we are excited for the new collaborations, research, and opportunities to listen and talk about trust.
Professor Donna Strickland and Professor Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher,
Inaugural Co-Directors for TRuST,
September, 2023
Dr. Donna Strickland
Dr. Ashley Rose Mehlenbacher
Our Goal
To further understand trust and lack of trust in science and technology and to support ethically earning and sustaining trust in these domains.
Our Mission Statement
We're a network of people dedicated to better understanding why people do or don't trust scientific and technical information. It's a big issue, we know, and so we believe it is important to study the topic in all its complexity and richness. We approach this problem through a transdisciplinary approach, through practitioner experience, and a lot of asking questions and even more listening to a wide range of perspectives.
TRuST Scholarly Network
News
Transparent, Detailed, Ethical – An Introduction to the Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Framework
TRuST’s Dr. Kari D. Weaver recently presented Transparent, Detailed, Ethical – An Introduction to the Artificial Intelligence Disclosure (AID) Framework. The AID Framework tool provides a transparent, consistent, and targeted approach to attribute the use of AI in teaching and research work. AI disclosure builds a culture of academic and research integrity, enhancing trust in AI supported work across academia. The presented workshop addressed the current state of artificial intelligence disclosure, academic integrity in relation to artificial intelligence use, and introduced the elements of the AID Framework, provided example AI disclosure statements using the AID Framework, and addressed key concerns and questions of participants.
Do we trust ourselves? Is the human the weak link?
Generative artificial intelligence tools are becoming ubiquitous in applications across personal, professional and educational contexts. Similar to the rise of social media technologies, this means they are becoming an embedded part of people's lives, and individuals are using these tools for a variety of benign purposes. This article examines how existing information literacy understandings will not work for artificial intelligence literacy, and provides an example of artificial intelligence searching, demonstrating its shortcomings.
Debunking myths about GMOs
Nobel Laureate debunks the biggest lie you’ve been told about your food — and why it’s time to trust the science.
Events
Our next TRuST Speaker Series event will be held May 2025. Details to follow.