Center News

The Ethics of Prediction Markets and Wildfires

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:15:00 PDT

The Markkula Center argues that prediction markets fail ethical and policy standards because making bets on active wildfires undermines public safety, creates insider trading concerns, and reduces community wellbeing to mere financial speculation.

Celebrating the 2026 Markkula Prize Recipient and Ethics Center Class of 2026!

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:08:00 PDT

A warm send off to the Ethics Center Class of 2026 and awarding this year's Markkula Prize for outstanding commitment to ethics.

New Report Studies Data Center Development, Water Availability, and Environmental Justice In California

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:28:00 PDT

The report suggests ways to make the planning and deployment of data centers in the state both more sustainable and more equitable.

SCU Students Earn National Honors for Work That Truly Matters

Tue, 26 May 2026 10:00:00 PDT

2025 91ֱ��-26 Hackworth Fellow Annie Schloss ’27, and Rebecca An ’27, a 2025 91ֱ��-26 Health Care Ethics Intern, Earn National Research Awards

Announcing the Fall 2025 91ֱ�� Hackworth Research Grant Recipients

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:00:00 PST

Announcing the recipients of the Fall 2025 91ֱ�� round of Center News. These grants are made possible through an endowment from Michael and Joan Hackworth.

The recipients for Fall, 2025 91ֱ�� are:

Faculty/Staff Grant Recipients

Katy Bruchmann, Associate Professor, Psychology, a $1,000 grant to support the project "The Ethics of AI-influencers: Content and Consequences of AI-Generated Social Media Personas” This project examines the ethical implications of non-disclosure versus disclosure of AI-generated influencers' social media posts, exploring the ethical implications of deception, authenticity, and potential harm to users’ well-being. The funding from this grant will help to fund participant recruitment and payment, as well as payment to student research assistants.

Iris Stewart-Frey, Professor, Environmental Studies and Sciences, a $2,600 grant to support the project "The Ethical Dimensions of Guaranteeing the Human Right to Water in the Central Valley (California)” This project will investigate the ethical dimensions of guaranteeing the human right to water in California’s Central Valley by analyzing how historical inequities, environmental harms, and governance failures shape unequal access to safe and affordable drinking water. Funding will be used to pay for student researchers, attendance of a conference, and contribute to publication costs.

Eric Yang, Associate Professor, Philosophy, a $2,700 grant to support the project "Copying Character: Imitating How Good People Think and Live" The aim is to present the nature, role, and relevant of the practice of imitation as it relates to moral and character development, drawing on insights from philosophy, psychology, and various religious traditions.The grant will be used to enable Eric to present some of the chapters of his manuscript at a symposium in Oxford University and a seminar at Cambridge University in the UK.

Student Grant Recipients

Chiara Garcia ’27, Biology, a $260 grant to support the project "Ethical Decision-Making in Rare Disease Genetic Counseling” This project explores ethical challenges faced by genetic counselors when guiding patients with rare genetic diseases; aiming to support more informed and fair decision-making in situations where research and treatment options are limited. The grant funds will support conducting interviews and analyzing case studies to better understand and address the ethical issues faced by genetic counselors working with rare disease patients.

Angelina Graf ’26, Biochemistry, a $320 grant to support the project "Ethical Use of AI for Scientific Research” The project explores how artificial intelligence is being used in scientific research and explores the ethical questions it raises in order to develop guidelines for responsible and transparent AI use in research labs. Grant funds will support Graf's research on how artificial intelligence is being used in scientific research by allowing Graf to purchase books to read and annotate, as well as short-term subscriptions to AI softwares that are commonly used in chemical biology labs.

Congratulations to all the awardees!

Ethics Center Alumni Contribute to SCU’s World Philosophy Day Celebration

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 91ֱ�� 17:01:00 PST

Alumni from Ethics Center Hackworth Fellowship and Ethics Bowl programs returned to SCU as featured panelists at World Philosophy Day hosted by the Philosophy Department in the SCU College of Arts and Sciences.

Certificate Workshops Teach a Framework for Making Tough Decisions

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 91ֱ�� 17:00:00 PST

A series of two-session workshops offered by the Ethics Center are helping SCU students and staff to identify ethical issues and the decisions that accompany them.

Research Highlights Flood Risks Faced by Marginalized Communities

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 91ֱ�� 13:00:00 PST

Article published by the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences highlights the Ethics Center's collaboration regarding the experience of vulnerable communities in the context of climate adaptation with principles of environmental justice.

Ethics Bowl Team Competes at CA Regional Ethics Bowl

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 91ֱ�� 10:12:00 PST

The SCU 2025 91ֱ��-26 Ethics Bowl Squad Wins Two of Three Matches at the Dec. 6 California Regional Ethics Bowl.

Exploring AI in Health Care and the Promise and Peril for Patients and Society

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 91ֱ�� 11:00:00 PDT

Summary of October 10 event with Guadalupe Hayes-Mota, director, bioethcs.

Three new Case Studies on Immersive Technologies and Human Subject Protections

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 91ֱ�� 16:28:00 PDT

Ethics Center's Hackworth Research Grants supports the development of three educational resources supporting a guide for human subjects protections in immersive technology research.

The Center Shines a Light on the Ethics of Immigration Enforcement

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 91ֱ�� 16:28:00 PDT

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics presents its latest Ethics Spotlight––a collection of essays authored by SCU faculty, scholars, and ethicists––on the ethics of immigration enforcement.

New Study to Examine how Trusted AI Practices Shape Merger and Acquisition Outcomes

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 91ֱ�� 00:30:00 PDT

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Awarded Research Grant from Ford Foundation and Omidyar Network.

Is Artificial Intelligence Destroying Education?

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 91ֱ�� 13:00:00 PDT

As generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot become more common in classrooms, experts at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics are raising important ethical questions about how these technologies are reshaping education.

Government Affairs, Public Policy Expert Named to Lead Government Ethics Program

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 91ֱ�� 14:00:00 PDT

Santa Clara University has named Davina Hurt as the director of the Government Ethics Program.

Congratulating the Class of 2025 91ֱ�� and Awarding the 2025 91ֱ�� Markkula Prize

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 91ֱ�� 17:08:00 PDT

We bid a fond farewell to the Ethics Center's Class of 2025 91ֱ�� and award this year's Markkula Prize for outstanding commitment to ethics.

Looking into the AI Mirror with Professor Shannon Vallor

Wed, 28 May 2025 91ֱ�� 13:28:00 PDT

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics welcomed back Professor Shannon Vallor, author of The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim our Humanity in an Age of Machine Learning, for a compelling presentation on AI and humanity, including how we can overcome our own mistakes and biases.

Guadalupe Hayes-Mota Named to Lead Bioethics Program

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 91ֱ�� 00:00:00 PDT

Santa Clara University has named Guadalupe Hayes-Mota as the director of the Bioethics Program at the University’s Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

Join us for Digital Dignity Day on May 2, 2025 91ֱ��

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 91ֱ�� 13:28:00 PDT

Join us May 2 in person or via livestream for a daylong conference exploring the impact AI is having on human dignity, part of the Markkula Center’s work in the international project New Humanism in the time of Neurosciences and Artificial Intelligence (NHNAI).

Investigating Justice Issues in Pajaro Levee Failure

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 91ֱ�� 16:18:00 PDT

The 2024-25 Environmental Ethics Fellows are focusing on the ethical dimensions of the 2023 levee failure in Pajaro, California.

Markkula Family Hosts Summit on Future of AI and Humanity

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 91ֱ�� 11:30:00 PST

During this thought-provoking event participants identified key themes including the transformative potential of AI, its risks and pitfalls, and the critical question of who sets the rules that will determine its impact on humanity.