TECHNOSCIENCE

Newsletter of the Society for Social Studies of Science

Fall 1998, Volume 11, Number 3 
Managing Editor: Jongwon Park, Executive Editors: John Hultberg, Merle Jacob

 Editorial
 Employables
 Calls for Papers
 Workshops and Conferences
 Program Announcement
 Grants and Fellowship
 Prizes
 Positions
 Publications
 Electronic Communications
 General Announcement
 Fieldnotes: Whose style? Whose substance? Sokal Vs. Latour at the LSE: A report on the 2 July 1998 Debate by Steve Fuller
 Conference Reports: "Embracing Complexity" by Ron Eglash and "Between Science and Economy" by Carsten Reinhardt
 4S Financial Report
 4S/ESAC Joint Meeting: Science, Technology, and the Rise of Nature
 
 

EDITORIAL

Dear STSers.

Another quarter and as usual Technoscience comes to you chock full of news. Our fieldnotes column this issue features a report from the battlefields of the 'Science Wars' from Steve Fuller who was kind enough to provide us with an account of the Latour-Sokal showdown. In addition we have news for you about some new publications, etc. from members of the community.

One of the perks of editing Technoscience is that once every quarter, we are forced to reflect on what is news to the STS community and what are some of the more pressing concerns. While, we feel confident that we do not and cannot always get this right, the lack of complaints and the few encouraging remarks now and then show that some times we hit the spot. Emboldened by this glorious record and the thought that we are writing on the eve of the meetings of the 4S and EASST, we have ventured to create a list of five of what we propose as priority issues for the future of STS. Our plan is to take our list of five to Lisbon and check out how much it is reflected in the sessions, plenaries and the more important bar and pub discussions. We would like to hear what others think about this list and whether you have a list of your own. Okay people here it comes:

  1. Professionalisation of STS
  2. The changing context of science (i.e. the practice of science outside the university and its implications for research and education)
  3. Increased visibility for STS in the public arena through participation in policy debates, etc.
  4. The broader implications of science studies in society
  5. Moving the research agenda of STS beyond the boundaries of Europe and the United States

From matters of the future to the present. It has become a regular feature of this particular part of Technoscience that we include some renewed appeal for people to send in notices about their availability for employment. It is important to keep this column going because it is one of the few real services that a Newsletter of this kind can provide. Of course, one could always argue that in this respect, no news is good news but other indicators show the opposite. Given all this we would like to end this piece with a couple questions, ’Do you feel that Technoscience is an effective forum for advertising availability for employment?’ ’What do you propose can be done to increase the Newsletter’s utility in this respect?’

You can contact us at:

John Hultberg, Associate Professor, College of Health and Caring Sciences, Medical Faculty, Gšteborg University, Box 418, S-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden, Tel: 46-31-7735714, Fax: 46-31-7735700 Web: http://viktor.ufhs.gu.se/john E-mail: john.hultberg@ufhs.gu.se

Merle Jacob, Research Fellow, Department of Theory of Science and Research, Gšteborgs University, PO Box 200, 405 30 Gšteborg, SWEDEN, Tel: 46-31-773-1920 Fax: 46-31-773-4723 E-mail: biosphere@vest.gu.se Opinion pieces, conference reports, ideas for debates, and critical commentaries should be sent to us directly.

More routine announcements should be sent to the managing editor, Jongwon Park, School of Public Policy, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332-0345, USA. Fax:404-894-0535. E-Mail: Technoscience@mgt-sun2.iac.gatech.edu

As you will see on the back of this issue, it is now possible for non-US residents with a VISA credit card to apply for membership to 4S by e-mail. It is also the address that members should use to make inquiries about their subscriptions and notify the society about changes of address: acadsvc@aol.com. Subscribers to 4S automatically receive Technoscience (3/yr) and the society journal, Science, Technology & Human Values (4/yr).

To find out the latest on the burning issues and breaking news in the world of science studies, subscribe to the sci-tech-studies network. To do so, send a message of 'subscribe sts YOURNAME' to mailserv@cctr.umkc.edu. To send a message to the network, post it to sts@cctr.umkc.edu. Readers of Technoscience are hereby permitted to reprint any articles in this (and other issues) for educational purposes.


EMPLOYABLE

Nacer Milloudi: born on 17/06/62, Algiers, Algeria, Married, One kid. Ph.D. in History & Philosophy of science, Social studies of science, STS Dept. UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA, MALAYSIA, 1996-98. M.A. in Arts, Specialty: Epistemology & History of Sciences, Social history of modern science, University of Paris 7, FRANCE.1990-92. B.A. sciences, Lycee, Algeria. 1982, Professional Experience: Training at the National Museum of National History, Paris, 1990-92, History Dept. at the University of Montreal, Canada under the supervision of Prof. Lewis Pyenson, 1993-94. Area of Interests: History of Modern Science, Social History of Modern Science, Imperial/Colonial Science, Scientific Knowledge: its historical locality, and social production. Language: French, English, Arab, Malay


CALL FOR PAPERS

THE 11TH BIENNIAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE SOCIETY FOR PHILOSOPHY AND TECHNOLOGY in conjunction with THE SOCIETY FOR PHILOSOPHY AND GEOGRAPHY. 14-17 JULY 1999, SILICON VALLEY/SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, USA. Call for papers, Conference theme: TECHNOLOGICAL SPACES. Papers invited on conference theme and on other topics concerning philosophy and technology. Two-page abstracts to be submitted by 15 October 1998 notification of abstract acceptance by 15 December 1998. Send abstracts to: Deborah G. Johnson, School of Public Policy, Ivan Allen College Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0345. Or by e-mail: johnsd@rpi.edu Check the SPT website http://www.spt.org for conference updates. As an international centre of high technology research, development and manufacturing, Silicon Valley is an ideal location for SPT/99. The conference theme, Technological Spaces, is meant to encourage both traditional and innovative investigations of the intersection of technology and space or place, variously conceived including: high-tech regions (like Silicon Valley); the world wide web as social/cyber space; scientific laboratories as technological workplaces; agricultural techniques; identity (gender, culture, etc.) and situated technologies; spatial metaphors in computing, etc. In keeping with the conference theme, SPT/99 is being co-sponsored by the Society for Philosophy and Geography. Special outreach is also being made to other science and technology studies organizations as well as potential colleagues in the Pacific Rim.

LIBERAL EDUCATION DIVISION ASEE ANNUAL CONFERENCE JUNE 20-23, 1999 CHARLOTTE, NC. The LIBERAL EDUCATION DIVISION (LED) seeks proposals for the 1999 Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education. Proposals for complete sessions (usually three presentations) are particularly welcome, but individual papers may also be proposed. The LED provides a forum for considering the ways in which the humanities and social sciences can contribute to engineering education and encourages all scholars interested in the interaction of science, technology, and society to explore the ways that the major insights of their fields can be used to shape the education of engineers. More information can be received from: kan8v@virginia.edu (Kathryn A. Neeley, Division of Technology, Culture, and Communication, University of Virginia).

CALL FOR PAPERS: SPECIAL ISSUE, Beyond Sociotechnical Systems, The Journal of Engineering and Technology Management is pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue addressing sociotechnical systems (STS). The goal of this special issue is twofold. The special bissue will present papers that go beyond STS as a rather vague description to develop more explanatory theories of technology-organizational outcomes. These papers would clearly explicate the what (what factors), how (how are the factors related), and why (why do these dynamics exist). It is expected that the description, "Sociotechnical Systems," will not be adequate for the new conceptualizations. The special issue will also present empirical papers if they advance our understanding of STS as a theory, rather than just an approach. Thus, empirical papers must include a cogent and comprehensive description of their definition of, or contribution to, STS theory. Submissions might address (but are not limited to) the following: * sociotechnical theory of the firm * the dynamics of cognition and sociotechnical effects * sociotechnical approaches to managing organizational knowledge * other names for sociotechnical systems * development and comparison of micro and macro sociotechnical theories * assessment of the need for sociotechnical approaches * the role of sociotechnical systems given a hypercompetitive environment * culture's consequences for sociotechnical systems * sociotechnical systems are dead, long live sociotechnical systems. Papers must be received by the appropriate editor no later than April 1, 1999. For further information contact one of guest editors: Terri L. Griffith, One Brookings Dr. Campus Box 1133 Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63141, griffith@wuolin.wustl.edu 314/935-6394 (voice) 314/935-6359 (fax), Deborah J. Dougherty, Rutgers University, Faculty of Management, 81 New Street, Newark, NJ 07102-1820, doughert@everest.rugers.edu 732-873-0057 (voice)

Call for Manuscripts: The new editor of Science Communication invites manuscripts for consideration from authors from all disciplines (e.g., social sciences, policy sciences, economics, and history) and organizations (e.g., universities, government, and the private sector). Preference is given to articles that bridge the gap between theory and practice and that focus on innovative interdisciplinary approaches to the communication of science. Articles that address issues of ethics, equity, and economics are especially welcome. Science Communication is an international, interdisciplinary social science journal that examines the communication of science and technology among professionals and to a wider public, the diffusion of knowledge, and the nature of expertise. Areas of particular interest include: * Communication among professionals within the scientific and engineering communities, including peer-review practices, intellectual property issues, and use of new communication technologies. * Communication of scientific information to other professionals, including use of scientific expertise in the courts and in government policy making arenas at all levels. * Communication of scientific and technical information to a broader audience, including both formal and informal education, and using such venues as the mass media, science museums, and the Internet. Manuscripts should be submitted in triplicate to Carol L. Rogers, Editor, Science Communication, College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-7111, USA. For further information, contact the editor at: 31-405-2430 (phone), 301-314-9166 (fax), or cr46@umail.umd.edu


WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES

International Workshop on the History of Science: Implications for Science Education, 22nd to 26th February 1999. First Announcement Organized by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, INDIA. The workshop will provide a forum for the exploration of history of science from the perspective of science education. Participants for the workshop will include science and mathematics educators, historians and philosophers of science, persons engaged in cognitive studies of science and mathematics learning and science communicators. A significant number of participants are expected to be research students and younger researchers working in these areas. For more details about HBCSE visit our webpage at: http://www.tifr.res.in/~hbcse Local Organizing Committee: WHOS Secretariat; Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. V.N. Purav Marg; Mankhurd, Mumbai 400088, INDIA. Phones: 5567711, 5554712, 5555242 Fax: 91-022-5566803 email: whos@hbcse.tifr.res.in URL: http://www.tifr.res.in/~hbcse Nagarjuna G. Phones: Office: 556 7711, 555 4712, 555 5242 Residence: 2155604 Fax: 091 - 22 - 556 6803 email: nagarjun@hbcse.tifr.res.in http://www.tifr.res.in/~nagarjun

WELLCOME SYMPOSIUM FOR THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE with THE SCIENCE MUSEUM, Models in the Sciences, Technology and Medicine: Displaying the Third Dimension, Friday & Saturday 13-14 November 1998, Models in three dimensions have been critically involved in the practices in many disciplines, and although largely ignored by recent scholarship on the problems of representation, they offer exciting opportunities for historical inquiry. The meeting will bring a variety of historians together to explore, what we can learn from each other about the practices of modeling and the cultures of models, and more ambitiously, to discuss what histories of modeling we should tell. The scattered work of various scholars is already making clear that three-dimensional modeling has played important roles in perhaps every discipline. We would like speakers to pay attention to the ways in which models were problematic or controversial, an especially to the fraught interrelations between practices of representation in two dimensions and in three. Framing the analysis like this should also allow us to reflect self-critically on the ways in which it may, or conversely may not, be useful to focus on the specific virtues and problems of three-dimensionality. To obtain registration forms, contact: Frieda Houser at the Wellcome Institute: Tel: 0171-611 8619 / Fax: 8862 PLEASE NOTE: The closing date is 6 NOVEMBER 1998

A workshop on `Open Society, Friendship, and Trust' will be held from 11-16 November at the Central European University in Budapest. This workshop will consist of a series of round-table discussions devoted to questions raised by Karl Popper's Open Society and Its Enemies. Funded by the Higher Education Support Program of The Open Society Institute. Is open society an ideal that we cannot achieve, or a reality from which we cannot escape? What are the `reactionary' attempts to return to tribalism reacting against? Is tribalism necessarily bad? Is friendship impossible in an open society, or something that is protected by it? How do institutions differ from collectives? Does freedom depend upon good institutions, or upon the individuals that man them? Is democracy enough to make a society open? Is free market a necessary component? Does trust facilitate open society, or is it an impediment to it? Should we make friendship and trust our political ideals? How do open society and civil society differ? What are open and closed societies open and closed to? Open Society, Friendship, and Trust will be directed by Dr. Mark Notturno and Dr. Kira Viktorova. Travel to and accommodations in Budapest, plus a book allowance and a workshop participant's grant, are available for participants from Central and Eastern Europe. Those interested in participating should send a cover letter and curriculum vitae to Mark Notturno, Email: notturno@magnet.at Tel: 43-1-315-7422. Fax: 43 - 1 - 315-7423. by 10 October 1998.

In Search of Technological Responsibility Agriculture, Biosafety, and Democracy . Course dates: 10-29 January 1999. taught by Christine von Weizsaecker, Tewolde Berhan G Egziabher and Wes Jackson. This three-week residential course examines the challenges of genetic engineering and biotechnologies and their effects on politics, economics, culture, food, farming, and biodiversity in general. It will consider the intended and unintended consequences of human attempts to restructure the nature of our world, which is resulting in the reduction of diversity. It will address questions such as: Who is responsible? How do science and technology, administrations and legislators, and industrial and agricultural players interact with each other? How do we handle the processes of labeling, patenting, liability and biosafety? These issues will be explored in the context of both highly technological countries and the developing world, and participants will look at research into alternative and sustainable agriculture methods based on the way nature's ecosystems have maintained stability over millions of years. SCHUMACHER COLLEGE is an international centre for ecological studies which welcomes course participants from all over the world. For details, contact: The Administrator, Schumacher College, The Old Postern, Dartington, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EA, UK; Tel: +44 (0)1803 865934; Fax: +44 (0)1803 866899; Email: schumcoll@gn.apc.org; Web: http://www.gn.apc.org/schumachercollege/ 


PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

MSc in HOLISTIC SCIENCE, Schumacher College, in partnership with the University of Plymouth (UK), is launching the first postgraduate programme in the world to offer an MSc in Holistic Science. This new programme has the goal of providing an integrated framework of study and research that recognizes the changes occurring in science as it goes beyond interdisciplinarity to the understanding of complex wholes and their emergent properties at the levels of organisms, communities, ecosystems and the biosphere. These changes are also responses to the limitations of conventional science in dealing with crises in the state of the environment, in food production, health, community structure, and quality of life. It has become evident that basic assumptions need to be re-examined so that values and ethics become integral to scientific practice, instead of add-ons. Holistic science includes qualities as well as quantities in our understanding of nature, our relationship to it and to each other. We are moving from a science of manipulation to one of participation in natural processes which are too complex to be controlled but which we can influence, for better or for worse. Schumacher College was set up in 1991 by The Dartington Hall Trust to explore innovative forms of learning for sustainable living. Students will also undertake research that addresses some problem with practical applications such as integrated water management, assessment of the quality of habitats, cooperative enquiry into community health issues, or dynamic modeling of an ecosystem, of agricultural methods (eg, chemical vs. organic), or of a Gaian regulatory process. GENERAL CONTACT DETAILS: The Administrator, Schumacher College, The Old Postern, Dartington, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EA, UK; Tel: +44 (0)1803 865934; Fax: +44 (0)1803 866899; Email: schumcoll@gn.apc.org Web: http://www.gn.apc.org/schumachercollege/

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES SUMMER SEMINAR FOR COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY TEACHERS. Director: Deborah G. Mayo, June 14-July 23, 1999, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA: Philosophy of Experimental Inference: Induction, Reliability and Error. This seminar will explore key themes from "The New Experimentalism": the life of experiment, the role of probabilistic thinking, and the construction and validation of experimental and statistical models. It is aimed at philosophers of science, and at those interested in questions of methodology and uncertain inference as they arise in biology and psychology, in applied ethics, in the social sciences and in interdisciplinary studies of science and human values. (Note: It is no longer required that participants be in departments without graduate programs.) Participants will receive a stipend of $3700. To cover travel and living expenses. The deadline for application is March 1, 1999. Inquiries should be addressed to: Deborah G. Mayo, Dept. of Philosophy, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061. e-mail: Mayod@vt.edu.


GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS

THREE POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS To work on the "Science in the Nineteenth-Century Periodical" Project at the Universities of Sheffield (Centre for Nineteenth Century Studies) and Leeds (Division of History & Philosophy of Science). Applications are invited to fill the following posts on or soon after 1st January 1999: 1. An HRB/Funding Councils' Institutional Fellowship initially for a period of six years at a starting salary no higher than the second point on the Lecturer B scale (stlg17,570 - stlg23,651 as of 1 October 1998). 2. Two Research Fellowships funded by the Leverhulme Trust for a period of three years at a starting salary of spinal point 6 on the IA research scale (stlg17,570 as of 1 October 1998). Job Requirements: At the time of commencing work on the project, applicants should possess a PhD in a relevant aspect of Nineteenth-Century British History (especially History of Science) or Literature. A high level of expertise is required in the history, literature and science of the period. Experience working with general Victorian journals would be an advantage , as would advanced computer skills. Candidates will be expected to possess moderate computer skills and be prepared for more advanced computer training in areas relevant to the project. Good English prose style is essential as is the ability of the Researchers to work constructively with other members of the team. If you wish to apply please obtain application form from: Professor Sally Shuttleworth, Department of English Literature, University of Sheffield, Shearwod Road, Sheffield, S10 2TD. UK. Closing date for applications: 15 October 1998. Interviews will be held on 12 or 13 November 1998.

The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin announces a research position (BAT IIa in German system/ Assistant Professor level U.S. system) for two years (with the possibility of a renewal for one year), beginning 1 April 1999. The position will belong to an independent research group on the history and philosophy of chemistry organized by Ursula Klein. Projects on the following topics are particularly welcome: - Functions of abstract diagrams, graphs, formulae and tables in 19th century natural history, - relations between 19th-century chemistry and natural history, - forms of representation in the history of chemistry (18th - 20th century) - relations between academic chemistry and chemical workshops or industry in the 18th and 19th centuries. Women are encouraged to apply. Qualifications being equal, precedence will be given to candidates with disabilities. Candidates are requested to send a curriculum vitae, publication list, research prospectus (maximum 1000 words), and two letters of recommendation no later than 30 November 1998 to: Max Planck Institute for the History of Science Abt. Personal Wilhelmstrabe 44 10117 Berlin Germany.

HUMANITIES RESEARCH CENTRE Australian National University ACADEMIC PROGRAM: 2000 The Humanities Research Centre aims to stimulate and advance research in the humanities in Australia. Each year the Centre hosts and funds the residence of Australian and international scholars, conferences, colloquium and seminars. Scholars and events usually concentrate upon a particular theme of inquiry. Applications are now invited from interested individuals for Visiting Fellowships and proposals for conferences, colloquium or workshops for 2000. Visitors Program: The HRC will fund up to 20 short-term Visiting Fellowships (of up to three months) in 2000 for scholars with an interest in pursuing research on problems within the broad field of, 'Law and the Humanities' and those with projects in any humanities field. Self-funded scholars are also encouraged to submit proposals. Closing date for applications is 31 December 1998. For further information on how to apply to become an HRC Visitor or to participate in our Conference Program, please write to the HRC, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200; telephone 61 2 6249 2700; fax 61 2 6248 0054 or e-mail administration.hrc@anu.edu.au Guidelines and applications forms are available at the HRC Website, http://www.anu.edu.au/HRC/ THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

HUMANITIES RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS, 1998-99 at The LINDA HALL LIBRARY of SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, and TECHNOLOGY. The Linda Hall Library invites applications for 1998-1999 humanities fellowships for research in the library's collections on the history and philosophy of science, engineering, and technology. Short term fellowships are available for up to eight weeks, offering a stipend of $450 per week to assist researchers with travel and living expenses. These fellowships support advanced and independent studies, dissertation research, and post-doctoral research. The fellowship may be for two to eight weeks, and may be broken into more than one session if longer than two weeks. The project proposal should demonstrate that the Linda Hall Library has resources central to the research topic. Candidates are encouraged to inquire about the appropriateness of a proposed topic before applying, and to consult the library's online catalog, Leonardo, available through the library's homepage: http://www.lhl.lib.mo.us To apply, please send a curriculum vitae, a one to two-page description of the proposed project, and a single letter of reference to: Bruce Bradley, Librarian for History of Science and Special Operations Linda Hall Library, 5109 Cherry Street Kansas City, Missouri 64110. Telephone: (816) 926-8737 Fax: (816) 926-8790. E-mail: bradleyb@lhl.lib.mo.us Applications may be sent at any time. Fellowships will be awarded quarterly, with the following deadlines for applications: August 15, 1998 November 15, 1998 February 15, 1999 May 15, 1999

1999-2000 FULBRIGHT GRANTS FOR U.S. FACULTY AND PROFESSIONALS STILL AVAILABLE The Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) continues to accept applications for Fulbright Scholar Program grants for U.S. college and university faculty and professionals, even though the August 1 deadline has passed. Grants are available in a number of countries and academic disciplines. Before submitting an application, prospective applicants must consult with a CIES country program officer to confirm eligibility, as well as award availability. Remaining opportunities will close as additional applications are received. Eligibility requirements include -U.S. citizenship at the time of application, -Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree, and -college or university teaching experience, as specified in some award descriptions. Lecturing assignments are generally in English. Look for the list of still-available grants on the CIES Web site: http://www.cies.org Click on the award number for details of award activity, location and length of grant, starting date, etc. Click on Country Summary for staff names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses. If you would like to request that a hard copy of the list be mailed to you, telephone, e-mail, or write to CIES at the address below. COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE OF SCHOLARS 3007 Tilden Street, NW, Suite 5L Washington, DC 20008-3009 Telephone 202.686.7877 E-mail apprequest@cies.iie.org

Smithsonian Internships in history of science, Exhibit Intern, The American Physical Society will celebrate its centennial in Atlanta in March 1999 with the largest physics meeting ever held in the world. As part of the Centennial Celebration, APS is planning an exhibition, "Nobel Discoveries." This is an extraordinary project insofar as the Nobel Prize winners themselves are actively advising the curator, and offering information, photographs, and artifacts. Fifty Nobel laureates plan to come to the exhibition opening. Nobel Discoveries begins with the work of physicists who have won Nobel Prizes and tells how this work improves our daily lives. It will be a lively, traveling exhibition with hands-on components. The target audience is adolescent children and the general public. An interactive, online exhibition is also planned. This intern will assist the Curator in all stages of the development of a traveling exhibition, including the development of the themes and concepts, image research, collections management, exhibit design, creation of hands-on components, and installation. Supervisor: Dr. Sara Schechner Genuth When available: September to April, Qualifications: ability to work independently; responsible and creative; knowledge or interest in physics, science, or the history of science helpful. To apply for these internships, please contact the curator directly at the first address below: Sara Schechner Genuth, Ph.D. Center for History of Physics Tel: (301) 209-3166 American Institute of Physics Fax: (301) 209-0882 One Physics Ellipse, E-mail: sgenuth@aip.org College Park, MD 20740 National Museum of American History.


PRIZES

SOCIETY FOR THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF MEDICINE PRIZE ESSAY COMPETITION 1998, EXTENDED DEADLINE. The deadline for the SSHM's 1998 prize essay competition has been extended to 31st December 1998. This prize is awarded to the best original, unpublished essay in the social history of medicine as judged by the SSHM's assessment panel. The winner will be awarded 200 pounds, and his or her entry may also be published in the journal, *Social History of Medicine.* The competition is open to students and new researchers in the social history of medicine. Further details and an entry form can be obtained from the membership secretary, David Cantor, the Department of History and Economic History, Manchester Metropolitan University, Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamond Street West, Manchester M15 6LL. England d.cantor@mmu.ac.uk or dcantor@fs4.ma.man.ac.uk, or the Honorary Secretary Anne Borsay, Department of History, University of Wales at Lampeter, Ceredigion, SA48 7ED, Wales anne.borsay@lamp.ac.uk SSHM website: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~ahzwww/homesshm.htm David Cantor, Department of History and Economic History, Manchester Metropolitan University, Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamond St West, Manchester M15 6LL England. Tel. +44 (0)161 247 3004 Fax. +44 (0)161 247 6398


POSITIONS

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Department of Science and Technology Studies invites applications for a tenure-track position open at the assistant professor level. Completed PhD preferred. The ideal candidate should have a research interest in the history of information technology, and should be able to teach introductory U.S. history courses as well as advanced undergraduate courses in the history of technology. The candidate is also expected to be able to contribute to the graduate programs in STS and to work well in an interdisciplinary environment that includes the humanities and social sciences at the department level as well as the natural sciences and engineering disciplines in Rensselaer's new multidisciplinary, undergraduate program in information technology. Some combination of the following research and teaching interests is also desirable: material culture, technology and design, law and policy, and values and professional ethics. The department has a full range of STS degree programs from BS to PhD. Rensselaer is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women and members of minority groups. Send CV, the names of three references, and one example of work to John Schumacher, Chair, STS Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180-3590. Screening will begin November 1, 1998, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received after November 1, 1998, cannot be guaranteed full consideration. Starting date is August, 1999.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Department of Science and Technology Studies invites applications for a tenure-track position open at the assistant professor level. Completed PhD preferred. The ideal candidate should have a research interest in social studies of health and medicine, and should be able to teach the introduction to sociology and advanced undergraduate courses in the sociology of medicine. The candidate is also expected to be able to contribute to the graduate programs in STS and to work well in the department's interdisciplinary humanities and social sciences environment. Some combination of the following research and teaching interests is also desirable: environmental health, technology and design, law and policy, information technology, and quantitative research methods. The department has a full range of STS degree programs from BS to PhD. Rensselaer is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages applications from women and members of minority groups. Send CV, the names of three references, and one example of work to John Schumacher, Chair, STS Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180-3590. Screening will begin November 1, 1998, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received after November 1, 1998, cannot be guaranteed full consideration. Starting date is August, 1999.

The Georgia Institute of Technology invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean of The Ivan Allen College. The Georgia Institute of Technology is internationally known as a major technological university. Georgia Tech is ranked among the top ten public universities in the nation and has over 13,000 students. Georgia Tech is a prominent leader in national and international higher education and is a Carnegie 1 Research University. The average SAT scores of the entering class and the number of national merit scholars consistently rank at or among the top of the nation's public universities. A unit of the University System of Georgia, Georgia Tech consists of six academic colleges: Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Ivan Allen, Management, and Science. The Ivan Allen College, named after Atlanta's visionary former mayor and Georgia Tech alumnus, is a unique configuration of schools that educates students in social sciences, humanities, cultural studies, and modern languages. The educational mission of the Ivan Allen College is to prepare students for global social, cultural, technological, and policy challenges of the 21st century. Addressing the relatedness of engineering, technology, and science with its own programs, the Ivan Allen College offers interdisciplinary academic majors that are, from practical and theoretical perspectives, both innovative and engaged. Candidates should have a doctorate in a field related to the work of the Ivan Allen College, a strong record of scholarly accomplishment, and administrative experience in a setting that would prepare him or her for leadership of a multi-disciplinary organization. This experience may have been in academia, industry, government, or non-profit institutions. The candidate should have a breadth of interest, commitment, and leadership capabilities necessary to realize the integration of humanities, social sciences and policy education with the other disciplines represented at the institution. Screening of candidates will begin October 15, 1998, and continue until the position is filled. Applications and nominations, along with a curriculum vitae and names and addresses of possible references, and a letter outlining activities and interest in interdisciplinary programs and fundraising should be sent to: Chair, Dean Search Committee, CHEO3, Ivan Allen College, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0525.

The honors College at the University of Oklahoma invites applications for two tenure-track positions at the rank of assistant professor. Candidates' research and teaching interests should be in one of the following areas: Science studies or the history, sociology, or philosophy of science with an emphasis on information technology. The Honors College is interested in candidates who are committed to interdisciplinary teaching and research. Ph.D. must be completed by the time of appointment, August 1999. Teaching experience and a record of scholarly activity are preferred. Send dossiers, including c.v. and three letters of reference to Dean Steven M. Gillon, Search Committee, Honors College, The University of Oklahoma, 1300 Asp Avenue, Norman, Oklahoma 73019-6061. Applications will be reviewed beginning October 15 and the search process will continue until the positions are filled. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

The University of California, San Diego, Department of Communication is seeking to fill a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level, beginning Fall 1999 in the area of political economy of communication. Preference is for a candidate with expertise in organization and regulation of telecommunication, information or mass media, including internet systems and how they interact with media industries. A focus on industry structure, policies and/or law; and regulatory trends is also desirable. Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or be advanced to candidacy) in the Social Sciences. Salaries are in strict accordance with UC pay scales. Send vita, statement of research and teaching interests, and names of 3 references by November 1, 1998, or until the position is filled to: Chandra Mukerji, Recruitment Committee Chair (POST), Department of Communication (0503), Univ Calif. San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0503. If non-citizen, state immigration status

The University of California, San Diego, Department of Communication is seeking to fill a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level, beginning Fall 1999 in the area of mediational theories of mind, including the integration of new media in learning and interaction. Research in topics such as the social distribution of language, knowledge and expertise, and cognition and development in social context are also desirable. Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or be advanced to candidacy) in the Social Sciences or Humanities. Salaries are in strict accordance with UC pay scales. Send vita, statement of research and teaching interests, and names of 3 references by November 1, 1998, or until the position is filled to: Chandra Mukerji, Recruitment Committee Chair (POST), Department of Communication (0503), Univ Calif. San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0503. If non-citizen, state immigration status.

Pending final approval, the Department of History at Vanderbilt University will make a visiting appointment at the rank of lecturer or assistant professor in the history of medicine/science for the spring term of 1999. Classes begin on January 13. Candidates should be prepared to teach a survey of the history of medicine from about 1750 to the present and an undergraduate seminar on a topic in the history of medicine or science. Send a letter of application, c.v., and dossier to: History of Medicine/Science Search, Department of History, Box 1802 Station B, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235. For further information contact Arleen Tuchman tuchmaam@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu or Matthew Ramsey matthew.ramsey@vanderbilt.edu Vanderbilt is an AA/EEO.

The Division of Science Resources Studies (SRS) of the National Science Foundation, is advertising to fill at least two positions in the near future. This is the division that has responsibility for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data on the enterprise of science and engineering in the U.S. (education and employment of scientists and engineers, spending on research and development in all sectors of the economy, public attitudes towards science, outcomes of science and engineering...). SRS is a very exciting place to work for people interested in quantitative social science research. These particular positions have a great deal of career-building potential and should be of great interest to nearly completed- or recent-PhDs in the social sciences, or for young people with comparable experience. SRS, and NSF more generally, is particularly searching to hire a staff that reflects the nation's diverse population. Copies of the vacancy announcements that explain what the general duties and responsibilities will be, what factors applications will be ranked on, and how to apply are available on the NSF Homepage, at http://www.nsf.gov/home/chart/start.htm under Vacancies, then under Scientific and Professional. The SRS Homepage, that gives a good deal of information about the scope of work at SRS, is at http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs You will note that there are two vacancy announcements; these are for exactly the same positions, but reflect two ways that NSF hires staff - either as excepted service positions (AD-2) or as general service positions (GS-11/12/13). The salary level we hire at will depend on the experience and qualifications of the applicant, but it ranges from $39,270 to $72,758. Potential applicants who have any questions about these positions or how to apply may call Jeanne E. Griffith at 703-306-1785, or send an email to jgriffit@nsf.gov Jeanne E. Griffith, Ph.D. Director, Science Resources Studies National Science Foundation 4201 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22230

History of Technology and/or Science, Europe or U.S. Since 1800. Iowa State University. Assistant professor, tenure track. Teaching introductory and graduate courses. Requirements include Ph.D. by time of appointment and demonstrated commitment to scholarly research and publication. Strong preference given to someone who specializes in the history of chemistry, medicine and/or technology, studies continental Europe, especially Germany or France, and takes an intellectual history approach. Evidence of successful classroom teaching also preferred. Deadline December 11, 1998, or until the position is filled. Salary commensurate with qualifications. Women, minorities, and members of other protected groups are encouraged to apply. Iowa State University is an EO/AA employer. Send letter of application and credentials, including three letters of recommendation, to Professor Alan I Marcus, Department of History, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011-1202.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Anthropology, intends to hire a sociocultural or historical anthropologist specializing in research on science, technology, and society. The position is tenure track, with expectation of hiring at the Assistant Professor level starting Fall semester 1999. Please send a narrative statement of teaching and research interests, a curriculum vitae, and the names of four referees by 11 December 1998 to Chair, STS Search Committee, Department of Anthropology, CB #3115, UNC, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3115. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

The Department of Rhetoric of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, invites applications for a tenure-track position in the area of rhetorical theory. The Rhetoric Department offers a B.S. and an M.S. in scientific and technical communication and an M.A. and Ph.D. in rhetoric and scientific and technical communication. Visit our home page at http://www.rhetoric.umn.edu The Department is looking for a teacher and scholar who focuses on rhetorical theory. Complementary interests might include one of the following: rhetoric of science or technology; rhetoric, science, and the public sphere; history of rhetoric; rhetorical criticism; cultural studies Responsibilities: Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in rhetorical theory, scientific or technical communication, speech, or humanities. Appointment, Rank, and Salary: Nine-month, tenure-track position; rank of assistant professor; competitive salary and benefits. Starting date is August 1999. Qualifications: Minimum: Ph.D. in hand by 15 August 1999 in rhetoric, technical communication, English, speech communication or related field; evidence of successful teaching and potential as a publishing scholar or researcher; evidence of ability to contribute to existing programs in department Application Procedure: Send letter of application with a statement of career goals, a curriculum vitae (including email address), and three letters of reference to: Arthur E.Walzer Chair, Search Committee, Department of Rhetoric, University of Minnesota, 64 Classroom Office Bldg.1994 Buford Avenue, St.Paul, Minnesota, Application Deadline: Postmarked by November 5, 1998. We cannot accept late applications.


PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS

Loet Leydesdorff’s and Paul Wouters’ The European Guide of Science, Technology, and Innovation Studies will be printed by the EU, DG XII, in 3000 copies. Additionally, flyers will be made available with a reproduction of the cover page. The idea is to strive for publication before the EASST Conference in Lisbon (September 30). The electronic version will be elaborated in relation to the offer of SPSG (Peter Healey) to maintain a mirror site. Perhaps, this can be related to the envisaged efforts at the Oeresund university at the Internet, in a later stage. At the DG XII hyperlinks to the full installation of the Guide will be established. (Provisionally to http://www.chem.uva.nl/sts/guide/ However, this can be our site only for the developmental phase.) Further information: Loet Leydesdorff, Department of Science & Technology Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands Tel: +31-20- 525 65 98 fax: +31-20- 525 65 79 e-mail: l.leydesdorff@mail.uva.nl

The Politics of Chemical Risk: Scenarios for a Regulatory Future, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998, Roland Bal & Willem Halffman, editors. Price USD175, Length: 367 + xi pp, hardbound. Publication date: June 1998. All industrial countries have developed regulatory systems to assess and manage the risk of chemical substances to the working and natural environment. The pressure to harmonize these often particularistic regulatory systems is increasingly strong at the international level. Such harmonization not only entails the assessment of particular chemicals, but also the way assessment procedures and their boundary with risk management is organized. By offering scenarios, or sketches of a regulatory future, it points to the choices that can be made, the opportunities to be explored. As such, it offers an agenda for environmental and occupational scientists, policy-makers and students of science and technology alike. For further information contact: Roland Bal, Kapoenstraat 16, 6211 KW Maastricht, Netherlands, ph./fax +31 43 325 29 86, email: oomesbal@cuci.nl or Willem Halffman, Dept. of Science and Technology Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, ph. +31 20 525 65 90, fax: +31 20 525 65 79, email: halffman@chem.uva.nl

Education/Technology/Power: Educational Computing as a Social Practice by Hank Bromley (SUNY Press), is now available. Those wishing more info may contact the author or visit this web site: http://www.gse.buffalo.edu/fas/bromley/etp/

JOURNALS

Free Sample Copies of Metascience Available. Metascience is published by Blackwell Publishers. It is a review journal which publishes high quality, comprehensive reviews of books in history and philosophy of science, science and technology studies and related fields. if you would like to review a sample copy of the journal prior to subscribing, please reply to egilling@blackwellpublishers.co.uk with 'METASCIENCE-SAMPLE COPY REQUEST' in the subject line and your full name, postal address, and the following information in the message, i.e. whether you are planning to: a) Submit a review to the journal. b) Recommend your library to subscribe. If so, I would be grateful for the name of the librarian and institution c) Subscribe to the journal yourself. Contents of Volume 7, Issue 2, July 1998: Review Symposium: Brute Science: Dilemmas of Animal Experimentation, by Hugh LaFollette and Niall Shanks Reviewed by Jane Azevedo, John Forge, Alan MacKay-Sim, Merry Maisel, Don Howard Survey Reviews: Science Communication: A Growth Area in Science and Technology Studies By Rosaleen Love Marketing the Scientific Revolution-New Stories for Beginners By John A. Schuster Literature Survey: Spain and the Dawn of Modern Science By Beatriz Helena Domingues Essay Review: Steve Fuller, Science, Reviewed by David Hess CD-ROM Review: Daniel Dennett, Artificial Life: the Tufts Symposium, Reviewed by Terry Dartnall, Edited by John Forge, E Gillingham Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road Oxford, OX4 1JF UK Email: egilling@blackwellpublishers.co.uk http://www.blackwellpublishers.co.uk

Scientometrics has a special issue in September (Vol. 43, No.1) with a discussion on "Theories of Citation". Contributions by Ron Kostoff, Blaise Cronin, Leo Egghe, Ronald Rousseau, Eugene Garfield, Yuko Fujigaki, Junichiro Makino, Andrea Scharnhorst, Peter Vinkler, Anthony van Raan, Subbiah Arunachalam, Henry Small, and Loet Leydesdorff.

Volume 7 Number 5 of SCIENCE & EDUCATION has been printed and will shortly be mailed to subscribers. Subscriptions, and thus membership of the International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Group, are welcome. A subscription form follows the contents. Science & Education. Volume 7 No. 5 September 1998. MICHAEL OTTE / Limits of Constructivism: Kant, Piaget and Peirce FABIO BEVILACQUA & STEFANO BORDONI / New Contents for New Media: Pavia Project Physics VARDA BAR & BARBARA ZINN / Similar Frameworks of Action-at-a-Distance: Early Scientists‚ and Pupils‚ Ideas POUL V. THOMSEN / The Historical-Philosophical Dimension in Physics Teaching: Danish Experiences. Inquires to Dr Michael R. Matthews, School of Education Studies, UNSW, Sydney 2052, Australia. email: m.matthews@unsw.edu.au

The Stanford Program in Genomics, Ethics, and Society (PGES) is pleased to announce two recent publications: 1) The PGES Breast Cancer Working Group's report on genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations appears in the June issue of the Journal of Women's Health. 2) The PGES Alzheimer Disease Working Group's recommendations on genetic testing and Alzheimer disease appears as a commentary piece in the July issue of Nature Medicine. Regarding publication of the full "white paper" reports from these projects, our breast cancer genetics work is under contract for publication as a book by Cambridge University Press. The series of papers that make up the Alzheimer genetics report will be published in the Fall 1998 issue of the journal Genetic Testing. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like additional information about these publications, or other PGES activities. Laura McConnell, Associate Director, Stanford Program in Genomics, Ethics, and Society 701 Welch Road, Suite 1105, Palo Alto, CA 94304, Tel: 650-498-6934 / Fax: 650-725-6131, Email: lauramcc@leland.stanford.edu


ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

Announcing a new web site, with extensive archives and other resources: http://www.human-nature.com/ It has been set up with the broad aim of bringing into communication the variety of approaches to the understanding of human nature which have a regrettable tendency to be less in touch with one another than they might. The editors welcome writings and discussions on history, philosophy and social studies in the human sciences; Darwinian scholarship; Darwinian psychology, sociobiology and debates about them; cognitive psychology; modularity; narrative approaches; hermeneutics; verstehen; biography and autobiography; behavioural genetics; psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches and so on. This list of topics and disciplines is meant to be suggestive, not exhaustive. Our main aim is both to act as host to original work and to seek to create an enabling space, a forum for constructive (including constructively critical) discussion and critiques of the terms of reference and assumptions of various approaches to the understanding of people as individuals, in groups, in institutions, in societies and as political and ideological beings. We are affiliated with a number of existing email forums and web sites and will add others as we think it appropriate to do so. We also provide a number of guides to internet resources, bibliographies and reading lists. We will add to these on an ongoing basis and welcome contributions and suggestions for links. To propose writings or other projects for the web site, write to robert@rmy1.demon.co.uk or Ian.Pitchford@scientist.com

The SHiPS Teachers Network is now officially on-line at: www2.utep.edu/~allchin/ships/ The new site currently includes the recent newsletter (a special issue on Science & Culture) and resources from previous issues on: Women, Gender and Science, Ethics. We hope that the site will be a central major resource for teachers who are interested in integrating history, philosophy and sociology of science into their classrooms. In the near future, we hope to build an extensive site of links to other resources available on the web, such as MendelWeb, the virtual biographical dictionary of scientists, AIP Visual Archives, HSS, SHOT, PSA, 4S, etc. Douglas Allchin allchin@utep.edu Biology Dept., Univ. of Texas at El Paso, El Paso TX 79968 (915) 747-5943 / FAX 915-747-5808

Carfax Publishing Limited currently publishes over 200 academic peer-reviewed journals across a variety of disciplines. In response to the changing needs of the academic community, we are using the Internet actively to disseminate information about journals in advance of publication. SARA - Scholarly Articles Research Alerting, is a special new e-mail service designed to deliver tables of contents, for any available journal, to anyone who has requested the information. This service is completely free of charge. All you need to do is register, following the guidelines under "How to Register" and you will be sent contents pages of the journal(s) of your choice from that point onwards, in advance of the printed edition. Titles that may be of interest are: Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, Prometheus, Industry and Innovation To register for this complimentary service, please either: 1) access the Carfax Home Page http://www.carfax.co.uk enter SARA and follow the on-screen instructions or 2) send an e-mail to SARA@carfax.co.uk with the word "info" in the body of the message


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

RAND OPENS ITS ARCHIVES FOR SCHOLARLY RESEARCH, Background: The RAND Corporation marks its 50th anniversary in 1998. A non-profit institution dedicated to research and analysis in the public interest, RAND takes this occasion not only to look to the future, but also to broaden its effort to document its first half century. RAND's aim is to see this documentation appear as a group of scholarly publications available to all who have an interest in the institution, its work, and the broad variety of subjects in which it has been engaged. RAND invites academic historians and analysts in the fields of public policy and science and technology studies to help achieve this objective. While RAND researchers and staff members are invaluable to our history project as sources of data and experience, RAND employees are not participating in this work as authors. A "vanity history" is far from our purpose. Participating scholars are offered access to RAND's newly opened archives, which are rich and diverse in content. RAND has conducted research across a broad spectrum of scientific, methodological and policy issues -- concentrating on matters at the leading edge of public concern. Consistent with our purpose of stimulating unbiased research, we offer no stipends or other financial incentives. RAND's quid for the participant's quo is unique access to information and people, within and outside of RAND, and the freedom to exploit these sources to open new areas of scholarly research. Contacts: Faculty and graduate students interested in learning more about the RAND history project are encouraged to access the RAND website at http://www.rand.org or to contact Gustave H. Shubert, the RAND Senior Fellow who is coordinating this activity, at RAND (1700 Main Street, P.O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138, 310-451-6947), or via the internet shubert@rand.org

The Informal Learning Environments Research SIG (ILER SIG) is a special interest group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA, which can be found at http://aera.net). The purpose of the Informal Learning Environments Research SIG is to further educational research in informal learning environments such as science centers, museums, zoos, aquariums, and nature centers, and to promote a community of practice interested in establishing and maintaining informal learning environments conducive to better understanding of teaching and learning. To join the ILER SIG, mail $5.00 (checks payable to AERA SIG) to: Chris Andersen Ohio State University 947 East Johnstown Rd Columbus, OH 43230

The Second Triple Helix Conference Report: "The Triple Helix as a Model for Innovation Studies" Science and Public Policy 25 is now in preprint available at http://www.chem.uva.nl/sts/loet/th2/ Loet Leydesdorff


FIELDNOTES

WHOSE STYLE? WHOSE SUBSTANCE?

SOKAL vs. LATOUR AT THE LSE

A report on the 2 July 1998 Debate

By Steve Fuller, steve.fuller@durham.ac.uk

At the end of June, the physicist-turned-hoaxster Alan Sokal flew into London for a weeklong series of radio interviews and lectures. This coincided with the English publication of Intellectual Impostures, the book he wrote with fellow physicist Jean Bricmont which caused such a furore in France when it appeared late last year. Excepting a routine introduction to the philosophical problems associated with epistemic relativism, the book is organized as an index of offending authors, from whom a set of quotes have been assembled and critiqued. An interesting rhetorical feature of the book is that Sokal and Bricmont profess agnosticism on the overall value of the works of these authors -- an easy gesture of modesty that instantly absolves them of saying whether the chosen quotes are representative of what the likes of Lacan, Kristeva, Derrida, Baudrillard, Deleuze, and -- of course -- Latour believe. In the case of Kristeva and Derrida, the quotes are from relative juvenile works, and in the case of Latour the critique is focussed mainly on his 'rules of method' -- and then only a couple of those. As an added bonus, the book includes the infamous Social Text article, along with a guide through the intellectual minefield in which Sokal trapped the journal's editors. Finally, it is worth noting that the book is published by a small commercial press in London (Phaidon), and nearly all of its endorsements come from journalists. Was the manuscript treated to the sort of peer review scrutiny (i.e. by experts on the offending French intellectuals) that Sokal holds is necessary for intellectually credible work? Somehow I doubt it.

The debate with Latour was held to a packed crowd in the largest auditorium at the London School of Economics. John Worrall, the Lakatosian philosopher of science, chaired the session in which Sokal spoke first, followed by Latour, then each briefly commented on the other's presentation, and finally questions were taken. The whole event took two hours. Under the circumstances, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed, and Sokal especially seemed to be enjoying himself. Both Sokal and Latour behaved admirably. I wish I could say the same of the audience, whose questions sunk to new levels of lameness. On the one hand were the usual one-line refutations of views nobody espoused; on the other were lyrical outpourings on the inextricability of 'art' and 'science'. Neither speaker cared to deal with either issue. Here's a piece of advice to those wanting to schedule such Big Events in the future: as part of the publicity, invite the audience to arrive 30 minutes in advance, if they wish to submit questions, which will then be vetted and read by the chair when the time comes.

A curious epistemological tension ran through Sokal's talk. He continually stressed both the fallibility of science and the impossibility of codifying the rules of inquiry. So, while Sokal wanted to allow the possibility of science being studied 'scientifically', it was difficult to see how anyone other than a generally recognized scientist -- say, a physicist -- could judge whether science studies was being pursued in a properly scientific manner. Yet, at the end of his talk, Sokal made the remarkable admission that physics is such a reliable form of inquiry because it focusses on simple things. But, by Sokal's only account, science studies deals with very complex matters that resist simplification. What sort of guidance, then, does our best science offer science studies? None, would seem to be the logical answer.

When Latour first spoke, I had to remind myself that he had come to praise science studies, not to bury it. He began by arguing that science studies is to science as economics is to business(!). He then claimed that while science is certainly a complex phenomenon, the real problems start when scientists talk back, since science studies then needs to account for that, too. The best solution to this problem, according to Latour, is for scientists to ignore science studies, until they need our help -- and, as it turns out, Latour believes they definitely need our help. At that point, he reverted to the analogy of the physician who knows the patient's body better than the patient does. Again, I wondered whether this thinly veiled appeal to scientism was likely to budge Sokal's forces. When trying to define the relationship between science studies and science, Latour found it difficult to keep claims of autonomy from slipping into claims of superiority. However, he negotiated his semantic two-step with characteristic panache.

The mutual responses of the two speakers managed to sharpen the difference between their motivations. The more Sokal explained, the clearer it became that his attacks on epistemic relativism are really ethically inspired, a matter of 'cognitive responsibility', without which sloppily formed knowledge claims become dangerous political wild cards. For his part, Latour became more acutely -- almost technically -- philosophical in his defense of the epistemological and ontological assumptions of science studies. While these manoeuvres gratified many of us who like to see, say, constructivism clearly distinguished from relativism (on this particular evening, Latour supported the former but opposed the latter), they avoided the issues to which Sokal awkwardly gestured, namely, the tricky political implications of a demystified science.

The media coverage of the debate was somewhat disappointing. To be sure, by American standards, it was very substantial. The two major left-leaning broadsheets, the Independent and the Guardian, had substantial pieces in advance of the debate. Unfortunately, the Guardian covered only Sokal's side, but the Independent did both sides reasonable justice. Aside from the usual journalistic pieces on relativisim designed to scare small children, I was brought in to do a background piece on science studies, and Christopher Norris wrote a very nuanced critique of Intellectual Impostures. After the debate, only one substantial piece appeared, in the Times Higher Education Supplement -- again mostly from Sokal's side, but with a tagged-on paragraph about the debate with Latour. The journalist reckoned that Latour won on 'style' but Sokal won on 'substance'. She undoubtedly meant that Latour got almost all the laughs but also most of the hostile questions.

I would put the matter differently: Latour won 'on points' -- his defense was subtler and his critique more incisive. However, except for the passing remarks about scientists needing our help, Latour refused to address what we would normally call the 'reflexive' implications of science studies in the larger society. If anything, he obstructed the issue by claiming to believe in 'scientific progress', without explaining what that could mean within his framework. Sokal tried to politicize the debate, but his recourse to the language of epistemology merely muddied his message, enabling Latour to escape with a bit of scholastic wrangling. So, if the point of the debate was for science studies to engage in some 'damage control' of its public image, then Latour succeeded. But if the idea was to get scientists and science studies scholars discussing the larger implications of the latter on the former, then not much was accomplished.


CONFERENCE REPORTS

"Embracing Complexity"

MIT August 2-4 1998

By Ron Eglash,

Sponsored by the Ernst & Young Center for Business Innovation and Complexity magazine, the 1998 "Embracing Complexity" conference was primarily focused on the application of complex adaptive systems to business. After the first dinner we began with an impressive video presentation of Karl Sim's "Virtual Creatures." As president and founder of Genetic Arts, Sim as produce some beautiful high-resolution animations based on fractal graphics, but the truly remarkable work was sequences which showed only simple block figures.

Remarkable because these figures were not designed, but rather were the result of genetic algorithms which allowed conglomerates of self-moving blocks to randomly recombine over thousands of generations, with a natural selection process that winnowed out all but the top performers of each generation. Video clips showed rapidly crawling blocks under the speed performance selection, snake-like swimming block chains in a water performance, and even the emergence of various stealth strategies when competing for block food bits.

The following morning Ernst & Young's Chris Meyer introduced the problem of hype versus substance in complexity, and noted that we should expect a crash in interest in the next few years as the hype is rapidly overtaking the modest scientific understanding that we now possess. The positive aspects of the extent of current scientific understanding was illustrated by Per Bak, a physicist at the Niels Bohr Institute whose concept of "self-organized criticality" has become one of the most robust models for complex systems.

Bak's model provides a simple explanation for the power law distributions found in nature ranging from sand piles to extinction of species in evolutionary history. Measuring the Dow-Jones at 5 minute intervals gives you a power law distribution with an exponent of 3; so there are potential applications to social systems as well. Of course, selecting the Dow-Jones as a social parameter was not an arbitrary choice.

Jim Moore, author of The Death of Competition, presented a 3-part "epistemology for a coevolving community," which consisted of case studies, modelling simulation, and human values. Moore suggested we define the human values of new ideas (e.g. technologies) by asking ourselves "Do these ideas enhance my being? Do they make me feel more rich, more powerful? Do they allow me to better shape my future?" Moore's conflation of general human values with his own material self-interests became all the more apparent as he mis-quoted anthropologist Clifford Geertz, referring to "thick description" as "rich description." Adam Brandenburger, author of Co-opetition, brought us back to a more dignified look at modelling issues, demonstrating the impossibility of complete knowledge of beliefs in a co-evolving network.

John Casti, faculty member at the Santa Fe Institute and editor of Complexity magazine, gave a beautifully clear presentation of agent-based modelling in the simulation of complex adaptive systems. His latest model, based on supermarkets in London, shows patterns of congestion, unused check-out counters, and other emergent features that reflect many real-world observables. Casti suggests that we take a cautious approach, and view simulations as a way to gain better intuition about complexity, rather than make premature authoritative claims.

Stuart Kauffman, also from SFI, presented his audacious challenge to the standard Darwinian view of evolution as just chance selection of random mutations. Kauffman's work indicates that there are deep properties of self-organization, somewhat akin to Bak's self-organized criticality, which also operate to constrain and enable biological evolution. Kauffman notes that the total ensemble of species and their interactions -- the fitness landscape -- seems to spontaneously move toward the "edge of chaos," just as Bak's physical systems are most dynamic when poised mid-way between order and disorder.

Over lunch, Alan Beyerchen, from Ohio State University, gave an engaging talk on the ways in which language reveals the assumptions we make about the world. "Nonlinear" suggests that linear is the norm; the same for "disequilibrium," and "aperiodic." Beyerchen suggested that when complexity theory is disregarded as "merely metaphor" it also shows our naivete about power of language and analogy.

During the concurrent sessions I milled about, dropping in on Jim Donehey's discussion of self-organization in social insects, Chuck Sieloff's work on simulation of labor market strategies, and Josh Epstein's model of venture capital dynamics. Afterward I discussed Sieloff's commerical product for simulating labor markets with his programming partner, Kai Shih. After explaining the various strategies -- McDonald's hiring low wage and low skill, Hewlett-Packard offering high loyalty for high skill, etc. -- I asked Shih why not just write down that summary on a single sheet of paper and xerox it, rather than produce a costly simulation. "Oh," he replied, "simulations are not just for informing or predicting, they are for convincing." He explained that in business meetings these debates over hiring strategies can go on for weeks, and that allowing discussants to use the simulation tool allows much quicker closure.

Between these presentations, we were entertained by improv theater, improv jazz, and the MIT media lab's virtual fishtank.

The final day of the conference began with a colloquium featuring Pattie Maes, director of the Software Agents Group at MIT, Kevin Kelly, editor of Wired Magazine, and Dick Morely, who invented many of the critical components of computer-aided manufacturing. It was a pleasant surprise to hear an insistence on the limits of automation, and the important need to "allow people to do what they are good at" rather than replace them with automation. Maes noted that while the software and hardware that supports virtual communities can be bought and sold, the communities themselves -- that is, the web of human relations -- can be resistant to commodification, as illustrated by the way in which the new "owner" of the Well was flamed off of chat lines when he tried to assert any authority.

During the final concurrent sessions, I attended June Holley's presentation on the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACENet). Based on the success of revitalization in regional European economies through flexible economic networks (FENs), ACENet began a similar analysis of the potential for small-scale businesses in rural West Virginia and southeastern Ohio to collaborate in the manufacture of products which they could not produce independently. ACENet researchers noted that the key to success in the European case was the ability of these networks to work across several traditional industries, and to rapidly form and re-form in response to market variations. Since financial systems development, financial management, secretarial, bookkeeping, and other functions could be outsourced, spin-off businesses developed which specialized in servicing these FENs and enhanced the capability for disbanding and reforming new FENs in response to market changes. Holley's call to embrace diversity and create complex reciprocity was, in my view, a fitting end for the conference.

For further reading:

Ron Eglash, Senior Lecturer, Comparative Studies, 308 Dulles Hall 230 West 17th Ave. Ohio State University, Columbus OH 43210-1311, work phone: 614-292-2559, home: 614-267-7825, fax: 614-292-6707 eglash.1@osu.edu http://www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/comp/eglash.htm


"Between Science and Economy: Research in the German Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry, 1900-1945"

By Carsten Reinhardt

(Report on the Joint Conference of the Centre for the History of Science and Technology, Munich and the IUHPS/DHS Commission for the History of Modern Chemistry (CHMC), 29 June, 1998)

The increasing interest in the history of modern science and technology has been proved by the first conference of the newly established Commission on the History of Modern Chemistry in collaboration with the Centre for the History of Science and Technology of Munich. Over 30 participants gathered together at the Deutsches Museum in Munich to discuss issues concerning the science-technology-relationship in the modern chemical sciences and industries. The focus was on the emergence and the features of industrial research in the first half of the twentieth century.

Ulrich Marsch (Max-Planck-Society, Munich) opened the conference with a paper about the systems of knowledge used by the German chemical industry between 1918 and 1936. In-house research departments, founded in the 1880s, were connected to the universities and to newly established research organizations, such as the Kaiser-Wilhelm- Gesellschaft. The industry's control over the knowledge produced in this system was secured through the patent system, industrial research laboratories, and the growing influence of industrial management on the teaching of chemistry at the universities. The one-sided concentration of research on dyestuffs and pharmaceuticals was corrected partially by the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institutes.

Marsch was followed by Jeffrey A. Johnson (Villanova University) who spoke about the academic-industrial symbiosis in German chemical research between 1905 and 1939. Johnson considered three periods during the interwar era: the years of total war and postwar crisis (1916-24); a period of centralisation and renewed crisis (1925-33); and finally the Nazi years (1933-39). These periods saw the emergence of industrially-funded organizations to subsidize chemical research, literature, and education; reductions in support for these organizations and in subsidies for contracted academic collaborators; and finally the politicization and militarization of the academic-industrial symbiosis under National Socialism.

The third presentation was made by Carsten Reinhardt (University of Regensburg) who discussed basic research in the chemical industry during the 1920s and 1930s. From 1927 a short period of basic research at two of the largest research laboratories of I.G. Farbenindustrie AG changed the hitherto technology-oriented research tradition towards a mixed system of applied and basic research, the latter seeking breakthroughs in pure science. This period ended with the economic crisis of the 1930s.

Luitgard Marschall (Centre for the History of Science and Technology, Munich) complemented the other papers with her talk on the delayed emergence of biotechnology in the German pharmaceutical industry. She emphasized the lack of fundamental research in microbiology at the German universities and the subsequent lag in innovation. This was due to a dominance of chemical research at the universities and a corresponding bias towards specific, craft-based processes at the brewing industry's cooperative research institutions. Marschall presented strong evidence for her results with a case study on the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim.

Ulrich Wengenroth (Technical University of Munich) opened the discussion with a commentary on the standing of industrial research in some chemical companies in comparison with less research oriented firms. He called for the pros and cons of industrial research to be stated in economic terms. Furthermore he stressed the importance of corporatistic features in the relationship of state, science, and industry. The combination of renowned historians and promising young scholars guaranteed a lively discussion, a hopeful sign for the increasing status of the historiography of modern chemistry.

Carsten Reinhardt, Lehrstuhl fuer Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Universitaet Regensburg, D 93040 Regensburg, Germany. Phone: # 49 (0) 941 943-3642. Fax: # 49 (0) 941 943-1985. http://www.uni-regensburg.de/Fakultaeten/phil_Fak_I/

Philosophie/Wissenschaftsgeschichte/


4S Financial Report for 1997

Society for Social Studies of Science

Balance, December 31, 1996 $42,649.62

Income

TOTAL INCOME: $54,579.48

Expenses

-------------------------------------------------

TOTAL EXPENSE: $65,985.96

Balance, December 31, 1997 $31,243.14


"Science, Technology and The Rise of Nature"

4S/ESAC Joint Meeting

OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 1998

Hotel Halifax,

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Conference Website: http://plant.mta.ca/~ssss/

A Letter from the Program Committee Chair

A cursory glance at either the contents of the major STS journals or the programs of past 4S conferences shows that a disproportionate amount of research is conducted on a relatively few types of scientific and technological practice -- physics; biology and biotechnology; computers and various computer related matters; etc. The selection of this year's theme and the decision to hold a joint meeting with the Environmental Studies Association of Canada was predicated upon the belief that these two scholarly communities, which have traditionally existed in relative isolation from one another, could each benefit from access to the perspectives of the other. For individuals interested in environmental issues, the science studies perspective provides a useful framework for understanding the conflicting claims of scientific experts and the ambiguous role of science in illuminating problems or resolving conflicts about the environment. For individuals interested in science and technology, environmental science displays a number of distinctive features (i.e., features not present in physics or the other typical STS research sites) which throw issues of science, technology and scientific knowledge into particularly sharp relief.

While the present program has significantly expanded the portion devoted to environmental topics (from a few sessions in Tucson to roughly 25% of the program in Halifax), the traditional diversity of topics has also been retained. Although the program has a sizable number of participants (over 250) we have done our best to both minimize the number of sessions scheduled at the same time (typically 6) and maximize the amount of time available for presentations (typically 4 presentations in a 2 hour session). Moreover, in the spirit of friendliness that Nova Scotia is famous for, we have incorporated several receptions into the program. Special thanks are extended to the Halifax area universities (Saint Mary's, Dalhousie, and University of King's College) for their financial sponsorship of these events. As always, the production of an event such as this requires the labor of many, and I would like to personally express my thanks to them for their efforts: past, present and future. We feel that that the program has much to offer, not only for those interested in the intersection of STS with environmental issues, but also for those interested in the vast array of other STS topics. We hope you agree.

The preliminary program and the following information on accommodation and registration is currently online at http://www.mta.ca/4S98/ Please share this information with your colleagues. It should be emphasized that the program is an evolving document. Indeed, the copy of the program printed here is the May 23 version of the web document and does not incorporate changes made after that date (i.e., it predates the electronic notification to participants and does not incorporate any changes resulting from that notification). Please inform me as soon as possible about cancellations, updates, etc. at glb@unb.ca. Changes will be incorporated into the web document on an ongoing basis. Copies of the abstracts and session glosses written by organizers and/or members of the Program Committee will also be added over the summer. In short, the web document will continue to evolve and it should be consulted for the most up to date information.

Registration

Registration is being handled by Conventional Wisdom Event Planning, a Halifax based conference facilitation company (6496 Liverpool Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3L 1Y4; Tel: (902) 453-4664; Fax: (902) 423-5232; Email: katefin@chebucto.ns.ca A copy of the registration form is included at the last page of this issue of Technoscience. Additional copies are available at the conference web site: http://plant.mta.ca/4S98/ Identify the information as dealing with the Social Studies of Science Conference and fax or mail it to Conventional Wisdom at the above address. The conference registration fees ($60 for 4S or ESAC members who are students/unwaged/scholars from developing countries, $120 for 4S or ESAC faculty members) are in Canadian dollars ($1 Can = approx. 70 cents US). Please note that these fees increase substantially if you do not register early (i.e., faxes sent or letters postmarked before September 15, 1998).

Accommodations

The conference has reserved a block of rooms at the Hotel Halifax, a member of the Canadian Pacific chain which has been internationally recognized for its pioneering efforts in "greening" the hotel industry. 1919 Barrington Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 1P2. Tel: (902)425-6700; (800) 441-1414 (toll free in the U.S. and Canada); Fax: (902) 492-6405. Please identify yourself as attending the Society for Social Studies of Science conference to ensure you receive the special conference rate of $119.00 plus tax per night (1$ Can = approx. $0.70 U.S.). International visitors can claim a refund on the 15% tax (HST) on their accommodation. Forms for this purpose are available at the hotel. To ensure these rates, reservations must by made by September 15, 1998. After that time reservations will be accepted on a space available basis only.

Students accommodations are available at the Lord Nelson Hotel, 1515 South Park Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2L2 Tel: (902) 423-6331; Fax: (902) 423-7148. Please identify yourself as attending the Society for Social Studies of Science conference to ensure you receive the special conference rate of $89.00 plus tax per night. To ensure these rates, reservations must by made by September 15, 1998.

Tours and Tourist Information

Sunday morning has been reserved for optional tours. Details on specific destinations and costs will be provided at a later date.

Nova Scotia Tourist Information can be reached at Tel: (800) 565-0000 or (902) 490-5946; Fax: (902) 490-5973 for a complete listing of accommodation and tourist travel information.

Halifax International Airport

Halifax is serviced by Air Canada, Canadian Airlines, Iceland Air, Business Express, Continental Airlines, Canada 3000, Air Transit and Royal Airlines and has direct air service from the following international and US gateways: Boston, Newark, London-LHR, Munich, Rejkyavik, Stuttgart, Dusseldorf and Hamburg. US flights transit easily via Boston, Montreal, Newark, Toronto or Ottawa.

The Halifax International Airport is located approximately 30 minutes from the city. Airport Shuttlebuses are available at a cost of $12.00 one way or $20.00 return ticket. Cab fees are approximately $35.65.

Discount Car & Truck Rental

Discount would be pleased to offer all attending members special conference rates:

Type of Vehicle Daily Rate and Kms

Compact $31.00 Unlimited kms

Mid Size $34.00 Unlimited kms

Full Size $39.00 Unlimited kms

Premium $48.00 Unlimited kms

7 Passenger Van $54.00 / 300 Free Kms / $0.15 per km excess

These rates are based on 24 hour rental and do not include insurance coverage or 15% HST. In order to receive the conference rates, identify yourself as an attending the 4S conference when booking your reservation through the reservation center at 800-263-2355 or e-mail address: discount.cars@ns.sympatico.ca

Weather

Autumn in Halifax can be beautifully sunny with high temperatures about 15¡ C (60¡ F), or rainy,

damp and cool with temperatures about 3¡ C (36¡ F) or somewhere in between.

Conference Exhibits

Persons or companies interested in exhibiting at this meeting should contact Conventional Wisdom

Event Planning (902) 453-4664 for exhibit information.

 

 

Preliminary Program as of May 23, 1998

Wednesday October 28

Registration 17:00-22:00

Council Meeting 18:00-20:00

 

Thursday October 29

Registration continues throughout the day and the conference.

 

Session Group 1: Thursday, 8:30-10:30am

1.1 Epistemology

Jason T. Congdon, R.P.I.,U.S.A ,
For an epistemological public sphere? An inquiry into the practical efficacy of standpoint theory

Francis Remedios, University of Louvain, Belgium,
On the Legitimation of Scientific Knowledge: Goldman's and Fuller's Social Epistemologies?

Ullica Segerstrale, Illinois Tech, & Valery Cholakov, University of Illinois, U.S.A.,
Deluge from the Skies: The Surprising Rise of Catastrophism

Ernst Schraube, Freie UniversitŠt Berlin, Germany,
Psychologies of Technology

Dusan I. Bjelic, University of Southern Maine, U.S.A.,
St. Foucault, St.Garfinkel and the Quest for Methodological Ascesis

1.2 Disciplinary Development

Lawrence Burton and Linda E. Parker, NSF, U.S.A.,
Environmental Engineering as an Evolving Occupation and Educational Field

Lisa Frehill, New Mexico State University, U.S.A.,
The Gendered Construction of the Engineering Profession in the United States

Olga Amsterdamska, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
The Laboratory and the Field: British Epidemiological Research, 1890-1940

Scott Frickel, University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A.,
Opportunity Structures and Local Institutional Context in the Formation of Genetic Toxicology

1.3 Anthropology of Biomedicine

Organizer: David Hess

Linda Hogle, Wayne State University, U.S.A.,
Human Biological Materials and the Medical 'Commons'

Denise L. Spitzer, University of Alberta, Canada,
Whose Body? Women, Biomedicine and Menopause

Torin M. Monahan, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Envisioning the Place of Vision Therapy in Managed Care Programs

David Hess, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Changing Configurations of Research Programs within a Field: The Case of Cancer Research

1.4 Technology and Power

Johan Hedren, University of Linkšping, Sweden,
Social Theory in Light of the Swedish Nuclear Power Debate

Jason W. Patton, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Building the Disciplinary Infrastructure: Gunfire Location Systems and Community Politics

Alf Hornborg, Lund University, Sweden,
The Zero-Sum Essence of the Machine: Technology as an Institution for Redistributing Human Time and Natural Space

Samer Alatout, Cornell University, U.S.A.,
Water and Identity Politics: From Zionist Abundance to Israeli Scarcity

1.5 Religion and Science

Organiser: Robert Campbell, University College of Cape Breton, Canada

Robert A. Campbell, University College of Cape Breton, Canada
A Sociological Perspective on the Relationship between Religion and Science

William Stahl, University of Regina, Canada,
Finding a Place at the Table: STS and the Science/Religion Debate

Lorne Dawson, University of Waterloo, Canada,
Science in the Mirror of the New Religious Consciousness

1.6 Risk, Uncertainty and Local Action

Barbara L. Allen, University of Southwestern Louisiana, U.S.A.,
Teaching Others to Speak: Citizen-Expert Constructions of Science and Technology in Cancer Alley

Hugh Gusterson, M.I.T., U.S.A.,
How Not to Construct a Radioactive Waste Incinerator

Jennifer Fishman, University of California, San Francisco, U.S.A.,
Risk Assessment and Resistance in an "At Risk" Community

W.F.Lawless, Paine College and Teresa Castel‹o, Grand Valley State, U.S.A.,
Virtual Knowledge: Uncertainty Relations and Environmental Clean-up

 

Session Group 2: Thursday, 10:45-12:45

2.1 How Science Reckons Place

Organizers: Tom Gieryn and Todd Paddock

Tom Gieryn, Indiana University, U.S.A.,
Standardizing the Place of Research: How Laboratories Become Equivalent

Christopher Henke, University of California, San Diego, U.S.A.,
Networks in Place: Science and Agribusiness in a Built Agricultural Environment

Todd Paddock, Indiana University, U.S.A.,
When Your Hometown Becomes a Bioreserve: How the Nature Conservancy and Local Residents Value the Same 'Place'

Stephen Zehr, University of Southern Indiana, U.S.A.,
Reckoning Place When the Problem is Global: Scientists in Climate Change Controversies

Wesley Shrum, Lousiana State University,
Science and Story: Style and Social Formation in Third World Agriculture

2.2 Drugs in Action

Organiser: Stefan Timmermans,
Discussant: Julia Loughlin, Syracuse, U.S.A.

Stefan Timmermans and Valerie Leiter, Brandeis University, U.S.A.,
Thalidomide and DES: A Struggle for Redemption

Emilie Gomart, ƒcole des Mines, France,
Seized by Methadone: An Experimentation on Freedom and Causes at the Blue Clinic

Jennifer L. Croissant, University of Arizona, U.S.A.,
Natural Bodies and Herbal Analogues: Rhetorics of Nature, Purity, and Safety in Performance Pharmaceuticals and Bodybuilding Contests

Janice Graham, Dalhousie University, Canada,
Measuring and Treating the Unknown: Reifying Terra Incognita

2.3 Sociology and Economics of Science

Organizer: Michel Callon
Participants and titles to be confirmed

2.4 Sustainable Development

Ineke Lock and Naomi Krogman, University of Alberta, Canada,
The Treatment of Social Justice in Sustainable Development Literature

Richard Isnor, Environment Canada, Canada,
Science, Technology and Sustainable Development

Manju Ravindra, York, Canada,
Integrating Science and Sustainability in the Coastal Zone - A Biosphereserve for Southwestern Nova Scotia?

Lidiya Kavunenko, National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine,
Harmonization of "man-environment" interaction: Sociological evaluations.

2.5 Discourse Strategies

Bjorn-Ola Linnr, University of Linkšping, Sweden,
Science and Conservation Ideology in the Early Postwar Years

Carl-Henry Geschwind, George Washington University, U.S.A.,
Natural Hazards as Constructed Social Problems: The Case of Earthquake Awareness in California, 1906-1933

LŽa Velho and Paul Velho, Indiana, U.S.A., and Campinas, Brazil,
Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs): Can a New Concept Change Old Practices?

Ullica Segerstrale, Illinois Tech, U.S.A.,
Moral One-Upmanship in Science or How E.O.Wilson Was Able To Move from 'Bad' Sociobiologist to'Good' Environmentalist and Beat His Enemies at their Own Game

2.6 STS in Canada Roundtable

Bart Simon, Queens University, Canada

Patrick Feng, R.P.I., U.S.A.

R. Steven Turner, University of New Brunswick, Canada

Gordon McOuat, Dalhousie University, Canada

Others, TBA

 

Session Group 3: Thursday, 2:00-4:00

3.1 Science, Scientism and Sustainability

Organizers: Steve Breyman and Jeff Howard;
Chair/Discussant: Steve Breyman,

Presenters: Steve Breyman, RPI, USA,
Science, Local Knowledge, and Precaution in the U.S. Environmental Movement

Katherine Barrett, UBC, Canada,
Carolyn Raffensperger, Science and Environmental Health Network,
Precautionary Science

Joe Thornton, Columbia, U.S.A.,
The Role of Science in Precautionary Policy

Jeff Howard, Texas, U.S.A.,
The Precautionary Principle and the Environmental Movement's Struggle with Scientism

3.2 Field and Lab

Jason Owen-Smith, University of Arizona, U.S.A.,
But We're All Brain People: Evaluations, Expectations, And Influence in a Neuroscience Research Group

Kelly Nordin, University of Victoria, Canada,
Natural Encounters: The Experiences of Biology Undergraduate Students at a Field Station

LŽa Velho, Indiana/U.S.A., and Eliana Nogueira, Campinas, Brazil,
When a Lab is not a Lab

G. Michael Bowen, University of Victoria, Canada,
Translating the Lifeworlds of Lizards: From Umwelt to Anthropomorphic Constructs in Ecological Fieldwork

3.3 Organism or Environment

Jo‹o Arriscado Nunes, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal,
Ecologies of Cancer: Constructing the Environment in Oncobiology

Jason Scott Robert, McMaster University, Canada,
Human Health and Environmental Health: A Review of Central Conceptual and Ethical Issues

Monica J. Casper and Vivian A. Christensen, University of California, Santa Cruz, U.S.A.,
Toxic Bodies: Theorizing Health and Illness in a Chemical World

Marilia Coutinho, University of Brasilia,
The Right Organism - But Which Job?

3.4 Climate Change

Dale Jamieson, University of Colorado, U.S.A.,
the polluted pay

Mark Lutes, York University, Canada,
Knowledge and climate Change Policy: Science vs. Economics?

Anita Krajnc, University of Toronto, Canada,
Learning and Global Climate Change: The Role of Scientists And the Environment Movement

Gary Bowden, University of New Brunswick, Canada,
On Human Adaptation to Climate Change: What the Greenland Norse tell us about the Kyoto Negotiations

3.5 Social Constructionism and Educational Technology

Chair/Organiser: David Shutkin;
Discussant: Suzanne de Castell, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Suzanne K. Damarin, Ohio State, U.S.A.,
Social Constructivism as a Guiding Theory: Is it Good for Education?

Todor Kafala, Ohio State, U.S.A.,
Against Toy Worlds and Radical Constructivist Notions of Digital Representation

Doug MacBeth, Ohio State, U.S.A.,
The local order of situated action

David Shutkin, Ohio State, U.S.A.,
The Reduction of the Other to the Same in the Constructivist Discourse on Education and Technology

3.6 Authors, Owners, Users: Knowledge from the Fringe I

Organisers: Wenda Bauschpies, R.P.I. U.S.A., Marianne de Laet, Columbia/Utrecht, Joe Dumit, Dibner Institute;

Elizabeth P. Shea, University of Texas at El Paso, U.S.A.,
Semiotic Sluts, Genes Outside the Control of Authors and Owners

Marianne de Laet, Columbia/Utrecht
Users of Patents: Another Intellectual Property Mode

Ted Metcalfe, M.I.T., U.S.A.,
TBA

 

Session Group 4: Thursday, 4:15-6:15

4.1 Author Meets Critics: Peter Galison
Image and Logic

Organizers: Alfred Nordmann, University of South Carolina, U.S.A.
Davis Baird, University of South Carolina, U.S.A.,

Author: Peter Galison, Harvard, U.S.A.

James Elkins, Chicago Institute of Art, U.S.A.

Kent Staley, University of Arkansas, U.S.A

Mark Cohen, UCLA, U.S.A.

Karen Knorr Cetina, Bielefeld, Germany

4.2 Citizen Participation in Environmental Decision-Making

Jon Fixdal, University of Oslo, and Matthias Kaiser, National Committee for Research Ethics in Science and Technology, Norway,
Key Issues in Public Participation in Environmental Policy - Reflections Based on a Comparison of Canadian Roundtables and Danish Consensus Conferences

Patrick Feng, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Technoscientific Decision-Making: What Role for PIRGs?

Arlette van der Kolk, Department of Science, Technology and Society,Utrecht University
Involvement of local actors in environmental management in the Netherlands

Karolina Isaksson, Linkšping University, Sweden,
Power in Planning: The exercise of power in a Swedish agreement concerning technology and environment

4.3 The City of Scientific Construction

Reid M. Helford, Loyola University of Chicago, U.S.A.,
Restoring the Chicago Wilderness: Expertise And the Production of Appropriate Urban Nature

Jens Lachmund, Hamburger Institut fŸr Sozialforschung, Germany,
Mapping Urban Nature: Ecological Mapping of German Cities, 1975-1998

Massimo Mazzotti, University of Edinburgh, U.K.,
The Painter and the Engineer: Inventing the Neapolitan Romantic Landscape

Peter Fargey, York University, Canada,
Selling Wilderness: Banff National Park as Urban Space

Karin Bijsterveld, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands,
Quiet Please: Noise Control in European Cities and the Cultural Meaning of Sound, 1900-1940

4.4 Body and Person in Virtual Space

T. L. Taylor, Brandeis University, U.S.A.,
'Binding the Pair': Embodiment in Virtual Spaces

Sean Dale Zdenek, Carnegie Mellon University, U.S.A.,
Encoding Gender in Software Systems: Bots And the Julia Problem

Jennifer Brayton, University of New Brunswick, Canada,
Virtual Sexualities: The Construction of Sexual Identity in Cinematic Representations of Virtual Reality Technologies.

George S. Rigakos, Saint Mary's University, Canada,
Selling Surveillance: The Technologies of Private Policing

4.5 Authors, Owners, Users: Knowledge from the Fringe II

Organisers: Wenda Bauschpies, R.P.I., Marianne de Laet, Columbia/Utrecht, Joe Dumit, Dibner Institute;

Wenda Bauchspies, R.P.I , U.S.A.,
None of the above: science, knowledge and women

Joseph Dumit, Dibner Institute
Biology is Elsewhere: Cutting-Edge Evidence, New Social Movements, and Illnesses You Have to Fight to Get

Chris Kelty, M.I.T., U.S.A.
Turning Data into Information...The Future of Healthcare Information

Discussant: Hannah Landecker, M.I.T., U.S.A.

4.6 Legal Reasoning in Science

William P. Nelson, University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A.,
Dangerous Inquiries: Lawyer Management Of Scientific Research within the Tobacco Industry

Lester de Souza, University of Toronto, Canada,
Internormativity and the emergent Environment or Environmental Norms in Emergent Pluralist Contexts

Claire Polster, University of Regina, Canada,
Private Property/Public Science: Exploring the Implications Of Intellectual Property Regimes for the Production of Public Knowledge and Knowledge in the Public Interest

Sara Jain, University of California, Santa Cruz, U.S.A.,
Migrant Farm Workers, Back-Breaking Labor, and The Short-Handled Hoe

 

Reception hosted by Saint Mary's University 6:30-9:00

Friday, October 30

ST&HV Editorial Board Meeting 7:15-8:30

Session Group 5 Friday, 8:30-10:30

5.1 Socio-Technical Change

Nicole Farkas and David Levinger, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
The Research Institute for the Study of the 15th Street Crosswalk: Report No. 1

Pablo J. Boczkowski and Trevor Pinch, Cornell University, U.S.A.,
Future and Remembering the Past: A Comparison of Methodological Issues Arising from the Study of Web Newspapers and the Moog Synthesizer

Jarle Broosveet, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway,
IT Highways and Byways: Why a Canadian Model Failed in Norway

Wiebe Bijker, University of Maastricht, and Rob Hagendijk, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
Coastal Engineering and Environmentalism: Changing Technological Frames in the Controversy Over the Closing of the Eastern Scheldt, The Netherlands

David McGee, Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology, U.S.A.
Object Lessons: The Prehistoric Turn in the Early Anthropology of Technology

5.2 Modelling and Simulation

Martina Merz, UniversitŠt Bielefeld, Germany,
Warranting Knowledge: How Computer Simulation Work is Validated in Physics

Robert E. Rosenwein, Lehigh University, & Michael Gorman, University of Virginia, U.S.A.,
SIMSCI as a simulation of social epistemology: a research report

Stephen D. Norton, University of Maryland, U.S.A.,
Scientific Modelling and Detection of the "Ozone Hole"

Benjamin Sims, University of California, San Diego, U.S.A.,
"Scientific Research in a Construction Environment": Testing and the Organization of Work in Earthquake Engineering

Jeroen P. van der Sluijs, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Problem structuring in Integrated Environmental Assessment

5.3 Research Programs: Assessment and Evaluation

Organiser: Frans van den Beemt, Dutch Technology Foundation, The Netherlands

Dr. Irene Scullion, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, U.K.,
Business Planning and Evaluation in EPSRC

Linda E. Parker, National Science Foundation, U.S.A.,
Effects of corporate changes on industry-university links

Frans van den Beemt, Dutch Technology Foundation, The Netherlands
A new kind of research programming. The formation of research programs based on visibility and coordination unlinked of financial allocation. The Dutch Technology Programs since January 1997.

Juan D. Rogers & Barry Bozeman, Georgia Tech, U.S.A.,
Knowledge Value User Networks: A "use-and-transformation" approach to the evaluation of R&D

5.4 Hard/Soft Knowledge

Ian D. Coulter, School of Dentistry, UCLA &RAND, U.S.A.,
The Increasing Role of Scientific Knowledge in the Mainstreaming of Manipulation: The Case of Chiropractic

Constance Perin, M.I.T., U.S.A.,
'Hard' and 'Soft' Knowledge in High Hazard Industries

Carol Corbin, University College of Cape Breton, Canada,
Discursive Constraints in Fisheries Science and the Collapse of the Cod Fishery in Atlantic Canada

Cheryl Bartlett, University College of Cape Breton, Canada,
Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into the Post-Secondary Science Curriculum

Christopher Fletcher, Saint Mary's University, Canada,
Ill-defined: research and contested meanings in the science of Environmental Sensitivities"

5.5 Science and Public Policy

Scott Frickel, University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A.,
Disciplining Environmentalism: Scientist Activism in the Formation of Genetic and Environmental Toxicology

Richard Barke, Georgia Tech, Hank Jenkins-Smith & Carol Silva, University of New Mexico, U.S.A.,
Translating Scientific Knowledge into Policy Recommendations: The Role of Scientists' Values

Cornelis Disco, University of Twente, The Netherlands,
Reviving "nature." Reinventing water into Dutch culture

Camilla Hermansson, Linkoping University, Sweden,
From Radical System Critique Towards Liberalisation of the Environmental Issues: A Study on how a Lifestyle Oriented Discourse concerning Environmental Issues has Grown in Sweden between 1970-1997

5.6 Development of Environmental Expertise

Kirsten Asdal, University of Oslo, Norway,
To Take a Hold on the Environmental Field

Yngve Nilsen, University of Oslo, Norway,
The oil industry as an actor in environmental politics

Sissel Myklebust, University of Oslo, Norway,
Modern Expertise - an Obstacle to Politics?

K. Schulte Fischedick, Utrecht, The Netherlands,
The New Naturalists, datafarmers or experts?

Brian Wynne, Lancaster, U.K.,

Session Group 6 Friday, 10:45-12:45

6.1 The Market as an Epistemic Institution

Organizer: Alexandru Preda, University of Bielefeld, Germany

Presider: Karin Knorr Cetina, University of Bielefeld, Germany

Alexandru Preda, University of Bielefeld,
Textual Practices and the Structures of Economic Action

Karin Knorr Cetina, University of Bielefeld,
The Market as an Epistemic Institution

Sajay Samuel, Bucknell University, U.S.A.,
Mark Dirsmith, Penn State University, U.S.A.,
Barbara McElroy, Berry College, U.S.A.,
Monetizing Medicine: From the Medical to the Fiscal Body

6.2 Environmental Ethics

Dirk Holemans, University of Antwerp, Belgium,
The Rise of Nature or The End of Nature? A Common task for Environmental Ethics and the Theory of Risk Society

Paul B. Thompson, Purdue University, U.S.A.,
Does Environmental Science Have a Consequentialist Bias?

Leesa Fawcett, York University, Canada,
Whales, Transplant Organs and Ecological Justice

Karen Hoffman, University of California, Santa Cruz, U.S.A.,
Heroes and Villains: Reading the History of U.S. Environmentalism

6.3 Concepts, Culture and Calculation

Patrick Eamonn Carroll, University of California, San Diego, U.S.A.,
Tools, Instruments, and Engines: Getting a Handle on the Material Culture of Scientific Practice

Wolf-Michael Roth, University of Victoria, Canada,
Domenica Masciotra, CIRADE, Canada,
Perceptual Topology of and Mathematization in Ecology Fieldwork

Rick Hadden, Saint Mary's, Canada
Use and Exchange: Reckoning Nature and Society in the Work of Sir William Petty

Ian G. Stewart, Dalhousie, Canada
Words and Things: Science and Conversation in Early-Modern English Universities

6.4 Gender and Science

Margrethe Aune & Knut H. S¿rensen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway,
Gendered Life-style - gendered energy consumtion?

Marilyn E. Hegarty, Ohio State, U.S.A.,
"Patriots, Prostitutes, Patriotutes": Discourses of Medicine and Science and the Production of the Promiscuous Woman During World War II

Lisa McLoughlin, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Sophie Germain and the Structure of Scientific Culture

Mary Bryson, University of British Columbia, Suzane de Castell & Jennifer Jenson,, Simon Fraser University, Canada,
Creating Microclimates for Girls' Uses of New Media: An Ecological Approach

6.5 Asserting Expertise

Nelta Edwards, Arizona State University, U.S.A.,
Science, Rhetoric and Epidemiology: Cancer at Port Hope, Alaska

Bruce Goldstein, University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A.,
The Campaign of Conservation Biologists Against "Rogue Science" in Habitat Conservation Plans

Brian Campbell, Mount Allison University, Canada,
The Social Rhetoric of the Authority of Expertise

6.6 Work Culture of Scientists

Kristen Karlberg, University of California, San Francisco, U.S.A.,
The Work of Genetic Care Providers: Technological Innovation, Situated Knowledges and Ideologies

Roli Varma, Russell Sage College, U.S.A.,
Immigrant Scientists and the Ethno-Science

Gert-RŸdiger Wegmarshaus, Europa-UniversitŠt-Viadrina, Germany,
The Ecological Consciousness of Russian Scientists: Some Empirical Findings and Theoretical Considerations

Hideto Nakajima, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan,
Formation and the Present State of Science and Technology Studies in Japan

Lunch: Feminist Caucus

 

Session Group 7 Friday, 2:00-4:00

7.1 Author Meets Critics: Sheila Jasanoff
Science at the Bar

7.2 Demonstration, Demon-stration and De-monstration: Performative Considerations

Organiser: Michael E. Lynch, Brunel University, U.K.

Douglas Macbeth, Ohio State, U.S.A.,
Teaching "First Hand" science, 2nd hand: Science education for science teachers

Michael Lynch, Brunel University, U.K.
Demonstrating science studies methods: toward a sociology of things

Dusan I. Bjelic, University of Southern Maine, U.S.A.,
Galileo's De-monstrations: the Pendulum, Pleasure, and Pedagogy

Eric Francoeur, ƒcole des Mines, France,
Demonstration-at-a-distance: The interaction of literary and material devices in the early development of stereochemistry

David Bogen, Emerson College, U.S.A.,
Out of the Ordinary: The use of ordinary objects and typical perceptions to make science visible

7.3 Digitalized Democracy and Trust

Heinrich Schwarz, M.I.T., U.S.A.,
Virtual Work Virtually works. Reflections on the Virtualization of Work.

David H. Guston, Rutgers University, U.S.A.,
Evaluating the Impact of the First U.S. Citizens' Panel on "Telecommunications and the Future of Democracy"

Steve Pierce, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Lost in Space: DBS and the End of Opportunity in Satellite Television

Jean-Francois Blanchette, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Cryptology and the Automation of Trust

7.4 Science and the Media

Shobita Parthasarathy, Cornell University, U.S.A.,
Understanding Biotechnology Through the Media Lens

Charles Bazerman, University of California, Santa Barbara, U.S.A.,
Environmental Information

Maureen McNeil, Lancaster University, U.K.
Awesome Technoscientific Spectacles of the 1990s: the Gulf War and Expo 1992

Kristina Petkova, Pepka Boyadjieva, and Galin Gornev, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria, and Martin Bauer, LSE, U.K.
Images of Science and Social Modernization: Comparison Between Bulgaria and Britain

7.5 Engineering Ethics

Organiser: William T. Lynch,

Chair: Ron Kline, Cornell, U.S.A.,

William T. Lynch, Cornell University, U.S.A.,
Ethics in Everyday Practice: How Science and Technology Studies Can Reform Engineering Ethics Pedagogy

Rachelle Hollander, NSF. U.S.A.,
"STS, NSF, and Engineering Ethics"

Ingrid H. Soudek & W. Bernard Carlson, University of Virginia, U.S.A.,
From Ethical Ideals to Engineering Practice: Using Literature and History to Foster Moral Imagination

Jameson M. Wetmore, Cornell, U.S.A.,
Exploring the Ethical Aspects of Day-to-Day Engineering in the Classroom

Gary Downey, Virginia Tech, U.S.A.,
Ethics and Engineering Selfhood

7.6 Ecological discourse as Cultural Politics

Organiser: Peter Taylor, Swarthmore College, U.S.A.

Giovanna DiChuro, Allegheny College, U.S.A.,
The constructions of alternative environmental expertise in transnational environmental justice struggles

Peter Taylor,
What can agents do? Recent developments in Commons discourse

Saul Halfon, Cornell University, U.S.A.,
From environmental crisis to women's lives: shifting relations between population policy and environmental concerns

Kent Curtis, University of Kansas, U.S.A.,
Engineering Reality: Mining and the Industrial Imagination in the Post-Civil War American West

 

Session Group 8 Friday, 4:15-6:15

Presidential Plenary: The Politics of Nature

Michel Callon
Markets and Externalities

Sheila Jasanoff, Cornell University, U.S.A.,
The Politics of Participation

I. Stengers, France,
Cosmopolitics

Ian Hacking, University of Toronto, Canada,
Title and participation to be confirmed

4S Business Meeting 6:15-7:00

Reception (Sponsored by Dalhousie, King's College) 7:00-8:00 in Bluenose Room

Awards Banquet 8:00-10:00 in Baronete

Music/Dancing and Cash Bar in Bluenose Room 10:00-12:00

Saturday October 31

Social Studies of Science Editorial Meeting 7:15-8:30

 

Session Group 9 Saturday, 8:30-10:30

9.1 Recalibrating Life: Kinship beyond Biology I

Organisers: Brian Noble, University of Alberta, Canada, Sara Franklin, Lancaster University, U.K.;
Discussant: Maureen McNeil, Lancaster, U.K..

Hans-Deiter Sues, Royal Ontario Museum, Canada,
Looking for the Tree of Life: Huxley and the Origin of Birds

Claudia Casteneda, University of Manchester, U.K.,
Genetic Genealogies: The Construction and Use of Pedigrees as a Medical Technology?

Constance MacIntosh & Roxanne Mykitiuk, York University, Canada,
Contesting Kinship: Reconfiguring the Meaning of Genetic Information in Law

Paolo Pallidino, Lancaster University, U.K.,
From Brothers and Sisters to Genes: Constructing a Genetically Transmitted Cancer

9.2 Conversation with the Author: Fleck Prize Recipient

To be announced.

9.3 Creating Environmentally Sustainable Networks

Organiser: Michael E. Gorman
Discussant: Patricia Werhane, The Darden Business School

Michael E. Gorman, University of Virginia, U.S.A.,
An Inventor Recruits the Sun - But Where are the Funds?

Matthew M. Mehalik, University of Virginia, U.S.A.,
Designing Environmental Intelligence into a Network

Kathryn Henderson, Texas A & M University, U.S.A.,
The Straw Bale Building Renaissance: Why Now?

Steven A. Moore, University of Texas at Austin, U.S.A.,
Competing Networks and a Case of Sustainable Irony

9.4 Warranting Forms in Regulatory Policy

Franz Foltz, Penn State, U.S.A.,
Science, Pollution, and Bottled Water: The Social Construction of Clean Water

Joop Schopman, University of Innsbruck/Boston College, Austria/U.S.A.,
Car emission standards and environmental policy

Joshua Dunsby, University of California, San Diego, U.S.A.,
Making Pollution Visible: Air Quality Indicators and the Measurement of Progress

Joe Thornton, Columbia University, U.S.A.,
Chlorine Chemistry and Environmental Health: The Failure of Science-Based Management

9.5 Comparisons of Research Communities

Ingemar Bohlin, University of Gšteborg, Sweden,
Managing Academic Quality

Jason Own-Smith, University of Arizona, U.S.A.,
Technologies of Governance: Strategy, Structure, and Science in High Energy Physics and Insect Neurobiology

Halla Thorsteinsdottir, University of Sussex, U.K.,
Collaborative Islands - External research collaboration in Iceland and Newfoundland

9.6 Representation and Visualization

Wolf-Michael Roth, & D. Masciotra, University of Victoria, Domenico Masciotra, CIRADE, Canada,
From Thing to Sign and 'Natural Object': Toward a Genetic Phenomenology of Graph Interpretation

Rosana Horio Monteiro, State University of Campinas, Brazil and R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Does it Seem to be a Pipe? (Images Diagnoses and the Dilemmas of Representation)

Anne Beaulieu, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
Mapping the Mind: Atlases and Databases in the Decade of the Brain

Sergio Sismondo, Queens University, Canada,
The Map Metaphor in Realism/Constructivism Debates

G. Michael Bowen, University of Victoria, Canada,
Natural Worlds and Graphical Representations: On the Difficulties of Learning Ecology from Lectures

 

Session Group 10 Saturday, 10:45-12:45

10.1 New and Improved STS

Linda Layne, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
'The Cultural Fix': An Anthropological Contribution to Science and Technology Studies

Robert Ausch, City University of New York, U.S.A.,
Are Rugs People? Taking Context and Activity Seriously

Stephan Fuchs and Joe Spear, University of Virginia, U.S.A.,
The Social Conditions of Cumulation

Joan Fujimura, Stanford University, U.S.A.,
Ignorance and the Creation of Knowledge

Harry Collins, University of Wales, U.K.
The Meaning of Data: Open and Closed Evidential Cultures in the Search of Gravitational Waves

10.2 Recalibrating Life: Kinship beyond Biology II

Organisers: Brian Noble, University of Alberta, Canada, Sara Franklin, Lancaster University, U.K.;
Discussant: Harriet Ritvo, M.I.T., U.S.A.

Hannah Landecker, M.I.T., U.S.A.,
Making a Hybridoma: Inheritance and Acquisition in Cell Culture

Stefan Helmreich, Stanford University, U.S.A.,
Silicon Second Nature: Culturing Artificial Life and Reprogramming Kinship

Lisa Cartwright, University of Rochester, U.S.A.,
The Real Life of Biomedical Body Images

Brian Noble, University of Alberta, Canada
Dinosaur Resurrections: Once They Were Kings - are we now kin?

10.3 Engineering Design I

A. Christian Fricke, R.P.I., Langdon Winner, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Behavior Frames and Social Life: Design in the Scripting of Public Activity

A. Christian Fricke, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Engineering Design and Social Change: Harnessing the Curriculum for Social Responsibility

Dean Nieusma, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Looking into Engineering Design

Joshua Brown, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Subversive Design and Making for Social Change

10.4 Geographic Discourse of Technology and Environment

Organiser: Francis Harvey

Nicholas R. Chrisman, University of Washington, U.S.A.,
Francis Harvey, Institute for Geomatics, Switzerland,
The Networks of NIABY (Not in Anyone's Back Yard): Geographical Information Technology and Siting Low-Level Radioactive Waste Repositories in the USA

Nicholas R. Chrisman,
Topological Representations of Geographic Information: Reversing the irreversible arrow of progress

Francis Harvey,
Approaching Networks of Engineering: Merging quantitative and qualitative research methods

John A. Stewart and Timothy Black, University of Hartford,
The Politics of Spatial Organization: An Examination of a State Regional Strategy for Waste Disposal

Richard J. Jonasse, University of California, San Diego, U.S.A.
A Peculiar Logic: GIS, Social Relations, and the Land.

10.5 Forestry Science

Joanna M. Beyers, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto
Unbundled Forests and Baskets of Benefits: A Critical Look at the Selection Process of the Canadian Model Forests

Paul Heeney, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto,
Urban Forestry in Canada: Some Critical Dimensions

L. Anders Sandberg, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto
A Study in Contrasts: Politics, Science, and the Spruce Budworm in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

Peter Clancy, Department of Political Science, St. Francis Xavier University
Forestry Science and the Prospects for Political Coalition-Building

10.6 Conversation with the Author: Rachel Carson Prize Recipient

Lunch: Student Caucus

 

Session Group 11 Saturday, 2:00-4:00

11.1 Science and Technology Studies Confront Environmental Issues

Brian Wynne, Lancaster, U.K.,
Tacit Discourses of Environment and Risk

Liora Salter, York University, Canada,
A Question of Standards

Gary Bowden, University of New Brunswick, Canada,
Out of the Lab and Into the World: Following Knowledge Claims into the Policy Arena

Steven Yearley, York, U.K.,
Title and participation to be confirmed

11.2 Engineering Design II

Organiser: A.Christian Fricke, R.P.I.

John A. Schumacher, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
A Design Perspective on STS

Linda R. Caporael, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Bridging STS and Design Studies: Cultural-Cognitive Models

Todd Cherasky, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Design Elements: Constructing a Critical Theory of Design

E.J. Woodhouse, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Democratic Steering of Technological Design

11.3 Recalibrating Life: Kinship beyond Biology III

Organisers: Brian Noble, University of Alberta, Canada, Sara Franklin, Lancaster University, U.K.;
Discussants: Harriet Ritvo, M.I.T., U.S.A., Maureen McNeil, Lancaster University.

Sarah Franklin, Lancaster University, U.K.
Kinship Beyond Biology

Jan Marontate,ƒcole des Mines, France,
Bodies Undone and Redone in Contemporary Art: From 'Mementi Mori' to Collective Reconfigurations of Co-existence

Charis Cussins, Cornell University, U.S.A.,
TBA

Elisabeth Abergel, York University, and Katherine Barret, University of British Columbia, Canada,
Breeding Familiarity: Conceptions of Nature in Agricultural Biotechnology

11.4 Professional Vision and Diagnoses

Organiser: Carol Berkenkotter, Michigan Tech.

Carol Berkenkotter,
Where do Diagnoses (in Psychiatry/Psychotherapy) Come From?

Siamak Movahedi, University of Massachusetts, Boston and Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis, U.S.A.,
Diagnosis of Mental Illness and the Emotional Positions of the Participants in the Therapeutic Process

Judy Segal, University of British Columbia, Canada,
Patient Lives and Rhetorical Encounters

Doris Ravotas, Michigan Tech, U.S.A.,
Organization of Practice in Psychotherapy

Andre LeBlanc, University of Toronto, Canada,
Why Psychiatry Should Abandon the Concept of Dissociation

11.5 Science-Nature-Society

Adrian Ivakhiv, York University, Canada,
"Whose 'Science'? Whose 'Nature'? Reconstructing the Social in a Socially Constructed Natural World"

Valery Cholakov, University of Illinois, U.S.A.,
From "Class Struggle" to "International Struggle": Environmental Concerns as Reflections of Politics

Bart Simon, Queens University, Canada,
Captives of Controversy: Reprise

Henrique Luiz Cukierman, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
Trip(s) to Santos

11.6 Knowledge System Coordination

Loet Leydesdorff, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
The Self-Organization of the European Information Society

Terttu Luukkonen, VTT Technology Group, Finland,
Companies in Emergent Collaboration Networks

Bert Enserink & Martine van der Ploeg, Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands,
Science, Technology and the Rise of Nature: The Interface between Science, Technology and Environmental Issues

Anne-Marie Maculan, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jose Manoel Carvalho de Mello, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Henry Etzkowitz, State University of New York, USA
R&D Public Institutions in Brazil: A New Regime

 

Session Group 12 Saturday, 4:15-6:15

12.1 Author Meets Critic: Barry Barnes
Scientific Knowledge: A Sociological Analysis

Organizer: Richard Hadden
Saint Mary's, Halifax, Canada

Author: Barry Barnes, University of Exeter, U.K.

Critics:

Harry Collins
University of Wales, U.K.

Yves Gingras
UniversitŽ de QuŽbec a MontrŽal, Canada

Michael Lynch
Brunel, U.K.

12.2 Evaluating Risk

Brian K. Min, New York Academy of Sciences, U.S.A.,
The Trouble with Risky Technologies: The Controversy over Nuclear Power in Space

Edward Woodhouse, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
Social Reconstruction of a Technoscience?: The Greening of Chemistry

William Leeming, York University, Canada,
Coping with New Genetic Technologies: the Case of Alpha-l-Antitrypsin Deficiency

Peter Andree, York University, Canada,
Science, Technology and the Rise of Nature: The Interface between science, technology and environmental issues

12.3 Surf and Turf: Social Constructions of Animals

Anna Williams, University of Rochester, U.S.A.,
Cosmetics, medicines, explosives: technology and the discipline of animals in late nineteenth century US meat production

Gregg Mitman, University of Oklahoma, U.S.A.,
From Flippy to Flipper: A Ringside Seat in the Making of an Oceanic Star

Edward Larsen, University of Georgia, U.S.A.,
Science and the Environment: 20th Century Research on the Galapagos Islands

12.4 Standardizing Diagnosis/Regulating Identities

Deborah Blizzard, R.P.I., U.S.A.,
The Third Circulation: Theorizing Communicating Vessels and Dysmorphic Placentas in High-Risk Obstetrics"

Marc Berg, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands,
Crafting Records, Delineating Bodies: The Invention of the Universal Patient in Early 20th Century Medicine

Alberto Cambrosio, McGill University, & Peter Keating, UniversitŽ du QuŽbec ˆ MontrŽal, Canada,
Nosological platforms: recasting the normal and the pathological in late 20th century medicine

Steven Epstein, University of California, San Diego, U.S.A.,
Clinical trials and the negotiations of Credibility: Gender and Racial Inclusion in Biomedical Research in the United States

Pascale Bourret, UniversitŽ de Bourgogne, France and Franois Eisinger, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, France,
Guidelines of "good practices " in cancer genetic clinic : Regulatory tools for practices and/or coordination tools for actors?

Halloween night.

 

Sunday November 1

Awards Committee Meeting

Overflow sessions as needed.

Details if needed.

Tours. Details to be announced.