Science, Technology and Society (STS)

The intellectual roots of STS lie in the history, philosophy, and social study of science and technology, an arena where often-controversial issues and choices interface with values and influence public policy. STS prepares students to understand both the technical and social dimensions of science and technology, helps them become more thoughtful and better-informed citizens of our high-tech society, and develops their critical interdisciplinary thinking, research, and communication skills. Students flourish intellectually in an environment where critical questioning is encouraged and opportunities for research are abundant.  The STS program maintains a full slate of guest speakers, often co-sponsored by other departments, for the benefit of students and the larger community. 

News

STS speakers for Spring 2012 (click here to see)

New STS Seminar Room, Diamond 242! (click here to see)

Danielle Sheppard '11 (STS) has recently published an article, "Social Solutions for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation: Cross Cultural Lessons from Denmark to the United States" in Intersect, Stanford's Journal of Science, Technology and Society (Sept. 2011). read it here.

 James Rodger Fleming, Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control (Columbia University Press, 2010) has received best book prizes from both the Society for the History of Technology and the American Meteorological Society.  Here are the details:

Flash! STS Overseers to visit Colby October 3-5, 2010 (this only happens every 8 years!)
Fleming, Weather as a Weapon, Slate
Opalacz and Huntington, Flight School, Colby Magazine
Josephson, Technology Rules; We Submit, Colby Magazine
Fleming Testifies to Congress on Geoengineering

Blogs

STS Facebook Group

Atmosphere

NSF-EPSCoR Belgrade Project

STS Senior Project - UAV Build Log

Colby College

Health, Science, Technology and Society

Tuesday Evening Seminars, Spring 2012.

All events are in Lovejoy 100 starting at 7:00 pm

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Feb 7 Susan Bell, Bowdoin College

Doing Science Differently: DES Daughters, Women's Health Politics, and the Transformation of Biomedical Science

Feb 21 Peter Conrad, Brandeis University
The Medicalization of Society

Mar 6 Denise Anthony, Dartmouth University
Status and Implications of Health IT in the US Health Care System

Mar 27 Sue Fisher, Wesleyan University
The Road Less Traveled: Medical Science and the Delivery of Health Care to Women

April 3 Dr. André Nadeau, Nadeau Chiropractic, Augusta
Paradigms and Their Impacts on Healthcare

April 10 Gail Carlson, Colby College
Regulation of Environmental Threats to Human Health: Policy Successes and Challenges

April 24 Sara Shostak, Brandeis University
How Science Comes to Matter: Having Epilepsy in the Age of the Genome

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Sponsored by the Goldfarb Center, the STS Program, and the Sociology Department

See a full list of Fall 2011 events