Conference/Workshop: Shaping Future STS Research on Societal Science Issues

University Of Southern Indiana, Evansville IN

Investigators

Abstract

This conference grant will bring Science, Technology and Society (STS) scholars together to address equitable consequences of current contemporary societal science issues, questions, and challenges. Outcomes will be distributed through a broadly shared report to the STS research community. A set of readings that translate cutting edge STS research into accessible and interesting articles for undergraduate students, and development of a master syllabus for teaching undergraduate courses on societal science issues will be developed. These materials will be freely available and of interest to policy makers, citizens and educators. The workshop brings together senior STS scholars with an established track record of research along with newer STS scholars (graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, assistant professors) to help shape future STS research. The workshop is organized around several topical areas: emerging public environmental problems, effective communication of science and its public understanding, governance, and possibilities for opening more policy options and broader democratic participation, environmental inequality and injustice, and how new socio-technologies and societal visionaries become integrated into existing systems. Workshop participants will be recruited in each area of research to summarize what is known, open discussion of unanswered questions, and contribute to the report and pedagogical products. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.