Upcoming Events

A State-Based Approach Generative Artificial Intelligence: Learning from New Jersey

Join InnovateUS’s Workshop led by Chris Rein to hear an overview of what the State of New Jersey is doing with respect to generative artificial…

The Outlook for Workforce and Education Policy

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris is speaking on a panel to discuss the future of federal policy and what voters are saying are their…

InnovateUS: Private Innovation in the Public Interest: Moving Beyond Corporate Engagement to Sustained Initiatives

In this 60-minute virtual workshop led by Anita McGahan, participants will learn how to overcome structural problems when organizations aren’t aligned, how to build relationships,…

Journal of Management Studies: Climate Change Debate Webinar

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Anita McGahan will be speaking on Climate Change hosted by the Journal of Management Studies.

InnovateUS: Private Innovation in the Public Interest: Turning Problems into Opportunities for Corporate Engagement

In this 60-minute virtual workshop led by Anita McGahan, participants will learn how to build alignment with the private sector, break down problems into actionable…

Editorial Checkup: Assessing the Media in an Unprecedented Year 

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Jill Abramson will discuss the performance of the press in relation to our democracy during the 2024 presidential election.

Closing Keynote: Cyborgs for the 21st Century

Burnes Center Laura Forlano is speaking at the HCID 2024 Conference – Design for All

InnovateUS: How to Bring Tech and AI Talent into Government

Join us for a 60-minute virtual workshop with Jennifer Anastasoff, where participants will receive specific advice for recruiting and hiring technical experts and will learn…

InnovateUS: Developing an Ethics Ecosystem for AI and Big Data

Join us for this 60-minute virtual training where John Basl will discuss the challenges in developing ethical artificial intelligence (A.I.) based systems in the current…

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI with David Lesher on Using AI to Foster Legislative Transparency

Calmatters Co-Founder David Lesher is a veteran California journalist and state policy expert. CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that…

Lawrence Ingrassia in conversation with Jill Abramson

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Jill Abramson in discussion with Lawrence Ingrassia on his new book A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly…

Private Innovation in the Public Interest: Triumphs and Disasters When Companies Engage with Public Agencies

In this 60-minute virtual workshop led by Anita McGahan, participants will learn why companies engage in pursuing public goals, illustrated by real-world case studies.

InnovateUS: How (and Why!) to Form New Collaborative Relationships to Tackle Civic ChallengesInnovateUS:

Join us for a 90-minute virtual workshop with Adam Seth Levine, Professor of Health Policy and Management in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at…

InnovateUS: Public Engagement and Institutional Listening Through Generative AI

Join us for a 90-minute workshop with Eric Gordon and Nigel Jacob where participants will learn about the importance of rethinking public engagement strategies in…

InnovateUS: Exploring the Potential of AI for Government Procurement Processes

Join us for this 90-minute workshop with Dan Chenok, Executive Director of the IBM Center for The Business of Government, where participants will learn how…

InnovateUS: Applying the Opportunity Solution Tree Framework in Government to Drive towards Better Outcomes

Join us for a 60-minute virtual workshop with Stephanie Cain, a Design, Research, and Product consultant who works with government organizations. This training will focus…

AI for Impact Co-Op Solutions Incubation Workshop

Co-Ops from EAI and the Roux Institute will present their AI solutions for Health and Life Sciences

InnovateUS: Interactive Workshop: Producing Better AI Results through Prompt Engineering

Join Michael Baskin, Chief Innovation Officer for Montgomery County Maryland, in an hour-long workshop to learn how to get the most out of responses from…

InnovateUS: Evaluating Effectiveness and Efficiency through Benefit-Cost, Cost-Effectiveness, and Risk Analyses

InnovateUS: Incorporating Design, Collective Imagination, and Future Speculation in Public Sector Work

InnovateUS: Emerging Technologies and The Future of Work

InnovateUS: Exploring the Potential of AI for Government Procurement Processes

Catalyzing Interdisciplinary Innovation in Public Health Technology

InnovateUS: Applying Trauma-Informed Design to Improve Government Services

25th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research, Internet of Beings: Transforming Public Governance

Athens Democracy Forum

Transforming Public Services: Intercontinental Perspectives on Addressing Sustainability

Assistant Professor Sofia Bosch Gomez will participate in the International Design in Government Conference in Helsinki in October 2024 as part of the panel “Transforming…

ATHENS DEMOCRACY FORUM 2024: A MOMENT OF TRUTH

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Jill Abramson will discuss the state of democracy at the Democracy Forum in Athens.

InnovateUS: The Art and Science of Civic Entrepreneurship

InnovateUS: How to Build and Operate a World–Class Government Innovation Lab

InnovateUS: Using AI to Improve Government Services and Benefits Delivery

InnovateUS: Building Successful Public-Private Partnerships

InnovateUS: Questions and Answers: Using Research Knowledge to Support Policy and Practices

Topic SDS Author Meets Author Event

Mastering dX: De-risking Digital Transformation by Focusing on the “Right Problem”

Burnes Center Director Beth Simone Noveck and Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris will explore how to best approach digital transformation in the nation’s workforce…

InnovateUS: Artificial Intelligence in Local Government: Case Studies from Government Leaders and Innovators

AI and the Future of Workplace Democracy

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “AI and the Future of Workplace Democracy” with guest lecturers Orly Lobel and Seth Harris.

InnovateUS: Towards Deep Listening: Rethinking Public Engagement Through Generative AI

Ian P. Sharp Lecture featuring Beth Simone Noveck

Burnes Center Director Beth Simone Noveck is the lecturer for the closing session of Absolutely Interdisciplinary 2024, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society’s…

InnovateUS: All Your AI Questions Answered!

InnovateUS: Government and Higher Education: Partnering for AI Success

AI for Participatory Planning

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “AI for Participatory Planning” with guest lecturers Damiano Cerrone and Liza Gazeeva from UrbanistAI. Moderated…

TO BE RESCHEDULED: The Internet We Deserve with Shoshana Zuboff 

On April 9 at 2 p.m., hear from Shoshana Zuboff, the author of three major books, each signaling a new epoch in technological society. Her…

A Conversation with Audrey Tang, Digital Minister for Taiwan  

Mastering dX: Upskilling Your Workforce for the Age of AI

Burnes Center Director Beth Simone Noveck and Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris are joining Rick Maher to explore AI and its potential role in…

Author Q&A + Book Signing with Hamilton Nolan on “The Hammer”

The Power at Work Blog, run by Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris, is hosting a Q&A Book Signing with Hamilton Nolan, author of “The…

InnovateUS: Industry Series: Using AI to Enhance Government Services and Operations

The Internet We Deserve with Tom Wheeler

On Tuesday, March 26 at 2 p.m., hear from Tom Wheeler, former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) where he led the FCC’s efforts…

AI and the Future of Lawmaking

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “AI and the Future of Lawmaking” with guest lecturer Marci Harris.

InnovateUS: Knowledge Management Strategies: How to Learn from the Past and Invest in Your Future

Cyborg Book Launch with Authors Laura Forlano and Danya Glabau

Join the Burnes Center for Social Change and the College of Arts, Media, and Design at Northeastern University for a book conversation with Senior Fellow…

InnovateUS: Using Artificial Intelligence to De-Jargon Government Language

A Results Framework to Tackle Tough Problems in Education

Steve Kadish, Senior Fellow at the Burnes Center For Social Change, is speaking at SXSW Edu to public and nonprofit sector leaders about new tools…

Innovating American Politics: Reimagining Democracy for the Digital Age

Beth Noveck, Professor of Experiential AI and Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University, will join a panel discussion on reimagining…

InnovateUS: How to Apply Human-Centered Design to Government AI Projects

AI Cyber Lunch: “Beyond Deliberation: Deepening Participation with AI”

Beth Noveck, Professor of Experiential AI and Director of the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University, will discuss how AI could help us…

InnovateUS: How to Use Generative AI in Government: Text Tools

Fostering Social Impact Through Civic Design and Community Engagement

Join the discussion to hear how the panelists are advancing the frontiers of civic design through the use of technology and human-centered community engagement processes.

InnovateUS: Industry Series: Using AI for Intelligent Document Processing

AI and Democracy’s First Principles with Professor Danielle Allen and A.C. Grayling

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “AI and Democracy’s First Principles” with guest lecturer Sir Anthony Grayling.

Hot Topics in Public Health Seminar: “What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms”

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Dr. Jonathan Metzl is discussing his new book with Bouvé at Northeastern University.

InnovateUS: Trends in AI and the Impact for the Public Sector

“What We’ve Become: Living and Dying in a Country of Arms” with Jonathan M. Metzl

Burnes Center Director Beth Simone Noveck moderates a discussion with Jonathan Metzl, Burnes Center Senior Fellow, on his new book, “What We’ve Become: Living and…

Democracy Reimagined: AI as a Catalyst for Participatory Governance

Burnes Center Director Both Simone Noveck is delving into the transformative potential of artificial intelligence for reshaping governance and strengthening democratic processes on Feb. 8…

InnovateUS: Industry Series: Learn to use OpenAI’s GPT Tools in the Public Sector

The Internet We Deserve with Larry Lessig

On February 6, join Larry Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School, founder of the Center for Internet and…

Black Feminist Worldmaking: the 3rd annual bell hooks symposium

Workers by the Numbers: Analyzing the January Jobs and Unemployment Report

The Burne’s Center Power at Work blog is hosting a live seminar analyzing the January jobs and unemployment report.

InnovateUS: Make Bureaucracy Work for You

InnovateUS: Make Bureaucracy Work for You

InnovateUS: How to Use Generative AI in Government: Image Tools

InnovateUS: How to Use Generative AI in Government: Image Tools

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI: “AI and the Media” with Jill Abramson and Ethan Zuckerman

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “AI and the Media” with Jill Abramson and Ethan Zuckerman.

InnovateUS: Empowering Data Quality: A Metrics-Based Approach for Agency Excellence

InnovateUS: Empowering Data Quality: A Metrics-Based Approach for Agency Excellence

InnovateUS: How to Use Generative AI in Government: Text Tools

InnovateUS: What You Need to Know about Writing a Prompt for AI Tools

Power at Work Blog: How Many Union Members in America?

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris moderates a conversation analyzing the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Union Member Survey.

How the History of the Internet Could Inform the Future of Democracy and AI

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents a conversation with Vint Cerf, co-creator of the Internet, about the impact of artificial intelligence…

InnovateUS: Redesigning Organizations: Moving Towards Collaborative Decision-Making

Power at Work Blog and Union Built PC: using Technology to Manage Union Grievances

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Seth Harris moderates a conversation exploring unions’ and union lawyers’ insights into the grievance process and consider how technology can enhance…

Harnessing AI to Improve Government Service and Customer Experience

Burnes Center Director Beth Simone Noveck testifies in front of United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs about ways to use AI…

InnovateUS: How to Be a Responsible AI Evangelist for Your State

InnovateUS: How to Use Generative AI in Government: Image Tools

InnovateUS: How to Use Generative AI in Government: Image Tools

InnovateUS: Human-Centered Design Series: Human-Centered Design in Government

InnovateUS: Human-Centered Design Series: Human-Centered Design in Government

InnovateUS: How to Use Generative AI in Government: Text Tools

InnovateUS: How to Use Generative AI in Government: Text Tools

Humanics: Integration for Impact

InnovateUS: Human-Centered Design Series: Putting the 5 Key Phases into Action

InnovateUS: Human-Centered Design Series: Putting the 5 Key Phases into Action

InnovateUS: Planning Workshop with States on Responsible AI (invite only)

InnovateUS: Bringing AI and Tech Talent into Government

InnovateUS: Bringing AI and Tech Talent into Government

InnovateUS: Human-Centered Design Series: Introduction to Human-Centered Design for the Public Sector

InnovateUS: Human-Centered Design Series: Introduction to Human-Centered Design for the Public Sector

2023 Ideas We Should Steal Festival

The University of Toronto and Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society’s weekly SRI Seminar Series welcomes Beth Simone Noveck, a professor at Northeastern University,…

Combining Human and Machine Intelligence to Enhance Democracy

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “AI and the Future of Organizations” with guest lecturer Sir Geoff Mulgan.

InnovateUS: What Works? Using Tools to Find Solutions to Public Policy Problems

InnovateUS: What Works? Using Tools to Find Solutions to Public Policy Problems

AI and the Future of Youth Democracy

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “AI and the Future of Youth Democracy.”

SRI Seminar Series: Beth Simone Noveck, “Unlocking collective intelligence: AI’s role in enhancing democracy”

The University of Toronto and Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society’s weekly SRI Seminar Series welcomes Beth Simone Noveck, a professor at Northeastern University,…

AI for Citizen Engagement

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “Algorithms for Engagement” with guest lecturers Ariel Procaccia, Róbert Bjarnason, and Colin Megill.

Celebrating the Life and Legacy of the Hon. Nonnie S. Burnes ’77–’78

To honor the 45 years since Nonnie graduated from Northeastern Law, and the countless lives she’s changed since then, please join us to celebrate her…

What is Design Research? Interdisciplinary Perspectives

This is an opportunity to have an open conversation about different perspectives and approaches to design research, and a chance to learn more about the…

To Post or Not to Post: The Highs and Lows of Government Social Media

Join Pearl Gabel, former Digital Director for the State of New Jersey, former Director of Video for the City of New York, and current Founder…

To be rescheduled: Sarah Collins Rudolph: Surviving the Birmingham bombings

Sarah Collins Rudolph was 12 years old and standing close to her 14-year-old sister and three other Black girls when an explosion rocked Birmingham’s 16th…

The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives

Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series presents “The Civic Bargain: How Democracy Survives” with guest lecturers Brook Manville and Josiah Ober. Attendees…

Modernizing Unemployment Benefits: A Hands-On Workshop for States

In this 90 minute virtual training with leaders from the New Jersey Office of Unemployment Modernization and the New Jersey Office of Innovation, participants learn…

Open Classroom — Newsroom Confidential: Politics and Media 2023, NU Policy School

Sarah Collins Rudolph was 12 years old and standing close to her 14-year-old sister and three other Black girls when an explosion rocked Birmingham’s 16th…

How to harness Smarter Crowdsourcing for stronger EU policies and democracy

A 1-day opportunity for EU policy-makers and civil society change-makers. Featuring Burnes Center Research Fellow Anirudh Dinesh

Newsroom Confidential: What Role Will the Media Play in the 2024 Election?

Burnes Center Senior Fellow Jill Abramson will moderate a conversation about the 2024 Election, hosted by the NU School of Journalism.

Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better

Join Jennifer Pahlka, former U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer under President Obama, for a 90-minute virtual workshop, where Pahlka will discuss how government is failing…

 Food Politics 2023: The Key Issues 

Join guest lecturer Marion Nestle for a presentation on food politics in 2023.

The Future of Work: Challenges and Opportunities for the Public Sector

Join Chike Aguh, former Chief Innovation Officer at the US Department of Labor, for a 60-minute virtual workshop, where participants will learn about the problems…

Assessing the Impact: Evaluation of Public Programs

InnovateUS: How to Write a Generative AI Policy for Your Jurisdiction

The Second Annual State of Open Data Policy Summit

As part of the second annual State of Open Data Summit, Burnes Center Director Beth Noveck will will lead a conversation with leading open data…

InnovateUS: Persuasive Memo Writing

Democracy Impact Studios: Countering Election Subversion

The Burnes Center will host the second of three discussions that will bring together diverse experts in a range of disciplines and fields to surface concrete…

InnovateUS: AI in Government: Bring Your Questions, We’ve Got Answers!

InnovateUS: What the Heck is ChatGPT? How Generative AI will Impact Government

American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) National Capital Area Chapter Annual Meeting

Burnes Center Director Beth Noveck will deliver the keynote address at the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) National Capital Area Chapter Annual Meeting.

InnovateUS: Expanding Partnerships: Designing Missions for Impact

Join Christian Bason, CEO of the Danish Design Center for a 90-minute virtual training to learn how to forge cross-sector partnerships and engage diverse stakeholders…

InnovateUS: Making the Most of New Technologies While Avoiding the Risks and Pitfalls

Join Santiago Garces, Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Boston, for 90-minute virtual training about the uses and advantages of new technologies – including…

Generative AI & Northeastern University: From the Classroom to the Economy

Leading Northeastern University experts will discuss the fast-changing world of Generative AI and how it will change the nature of our work; the technology we teach;…

Democracy Impact Studios: Countering Election Subversion

The Burnes Center will host the first of three discussions that will bring together diverse experts in a range of disciplines and fields to surface concrete…

National Association of Attorney Generals (NAAG) 2023 Symposium

Burnes Center Director Beth Noveck will participate in “Regulating Algorithms: The How and Why” during the 2023 NAAG Symposium in Philadelphia, PA. 

InnovateUS: Using Behavioral Insights for the Public Sector

Workers by the Numbers: Analyzing the March Jobs and Unemployment Report

The Power at Work Blog will host a live analysis of the March Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs and unemployment report.

Cloud Platforms: How Digital Platforms are Overtaking the State and How We Can Regain Control

InnovateUS: Using Rapid Evidence Review to Find Solutions in Government

Book talk: Solving Public Problems

InnovateUS Workshops for Public Servants

The Burnes Center’s InnovateUS program offers both an at-your-own pace curriculum focused on learning how to use data, technology and equitable engagement.

Meet up for faculty, students and staff working on technology and democracy. 

InnovateUS: Conducting Effective and Equitable Community Engagement

Postponed: Movie Screening of ‘She Said’ and discussion with Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times

AI Procurement in Government

In collaboration with Google, the Burnes Center and the GovLab are running a series of workshops for people inside government who hope to use artificial…

InnovateUS: Human-Centered Design for Public Servants

Second Burnes Center Meet-Up on Labor Issues

InnovateUS: Defining Your Problem

Masterclass Series – Solving Public Problems: Innovation for the Workforce Ecosystem

This Masterclass will be facilitated by Beth Noveck, PhD. Dr. Noveck is New Jersey’s first Chief Innovation Officer and professor at Northeastern University, where she…

Writing for Social Change

Northeastern University faculty are invited to learn more about “How to Turn Topic and Policy Papers into Engaging Narratives” in this two-hour workshop. Open to…

A Snapshot of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Procurement Challenges

Masterclass Series – Solving Public Problems: Innovation for the Workforce Ecosystem

This Masterclass will be facilitated by Beth Noveck, PhD. Dr. Noveck is New Jersey’s first Chief Innovation Officer and professor at Northeastern University, where she…

Masterclass Series – Solving Public Problems: Innovation for the Workforce Ecosystem

This Masterclass will be facilitated by Beth Noveck, PhD. Dr. Noveck is New Jersey’s first Chief Innovation Officer and professor at Northeastern University, where she…

InnovateUS: Results Framework: Getting Important Work Done

Chokepoint Capitalism Book Talk

Open to the public! The Burnes Center will cosponsor a talk by Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin about their newest book, Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big…

Social Media for Social Change with Cory Doctorow

On December 5th at 12 pm at 271 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, The Burnes Center for Social Changeand the Department of Journalism are hosting…

Solutions Journalism Convening

On November 17, 2022, Burnes Center is convening leading practitioners and teachers of solutions journalism to discuss how to advance and deepen the field of…

Op-Ed Workshop with Bruce Schneier

In today’s age of constant media babble and a vast explosion of online and print publications have transformed the traditional pathways of publication, prestige, and…

Oakland City Challenge: Budgeting

In this session, we will focus both on developing a budget for your pilot and a budget for scaling your project. This will include an…

Oakland City Challenge: Persuasive Pitches

To implement your projects, you will need to persuade people at every step of the process. Decks and pitches can help you gain support for…

Solving Public Problems Accelerator: Diagnosing Your Data Needs

The goal of this session is to discuss your data needs and ways that data can be used to improve your understanding of your problem…

Solving Public Problems Accelerator: Convening Global Social Innovators

A four-day convening at the Bellagio Center in Italy will bring together finalists in the Solving Public Problems Accelerator program.

Oakland City Challenge: Designing Your Pilot and Measuring Impact

This session will focus on articulating the pilot you want to launch in 2022 and addressing how your pilot will test your solution, what steps…

InnovateUS Summer Series: Effective Measurement and Pilots

With the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Burnes Center is running a coaching program to support global social innovators working to improve education, learning,…

Oakland City Challenge: Fast Field Scanning and Powerful Partnerships

The goal of this session is to discuss your strategy for implementing your social innovation project. In particular, we will discuss: 1) fast field scanning,…

Creating a Performance Context with Strategic Outcomes, Strategic Foresight, Strategic Planning, and Enterprise Risk Management

The Burnes Center’s InnovateUS program offers both an at-your-own pace curriculum focused on learning how to use data, technology and equitable engagement. The Center is…

Resolviendo Problemas Públicos con Inteligencia Colectiva

Beth Simone Noveck is joining this virtual discussion organized by Ideas Labs, where she will be presenting findings from The Burnes Center’s City Challenges program.…

InnovateUS Summer Series: Persuasive Memo Writing

In this one-hour virtual training, we will cover strategies for persuasive memo writing in order to help you write the killer memo to advance your…

InnovateUS Summer Series: Powerful Partnerships

In this one-hour virtual workshop, we will discuss different examples of partnerships, the advantages of cross-sector partnerships, and how to manage implementation challenges and risks.

InnovateUS Summer Series: Behavioral Insights

In this virtual workshop, you will learn about behavioral science concepts and explore tools that can help you develop and test policies and services that…

InnovateUS Summer Series: Defining Problems with Data

In this one-hour virtual workshop, we will describe how data can be used to help define and solve problems. You will walk away with an…

InnovateUS Summer Series: Defining Problems with People (Human Centered Design) – Interviewing and Journey Mapping

Human-centered design puts the end user of a product or service at the center of the development process. People practicing human-centered design observe and interview…

InnovateUS Summer Series: Innovation 101

In this 2-hour workshop, participants will develop their innovation literacy by exploring the concept of innovation, reflecting on their own examples and learning about how…

Solving Public Problems Education Accelerator Coaching Program

With the support of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Burnes Center is running a coaching program to support global social innovators working to improve education, learning,…

Oakland City Challenge Design Workshops

In collaboration with the City of Oakland and the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation, the Burnes Center and Mills College at Oakland ran an open…