Past Working Groups

Working groups that have concluded can be found here.  Our current working groups can be accessed here.

 

Science Governance and Risk Futures

This small group of scholars gathers on a regular basis to explore the legitimacy political collectives claim in governing scientific experimentation, not only when concerns of safety and security are readily seen, but also when those concerns are distant, ambiguous, and contentious. The Working Group discusses these and related questions in the context of two cutting-edge and emerging suites of technology where immediate risks of research are not significant, but where applications could pose serious societal, political and environmental hazards: synthetic biology and geoengineering. These technologies are chosen because issues of governance are immediately pressing, and because they will afford us some interesting comparative perspectives on technological governance more generally.

This working group is made possible through a grant from the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation.

 


Undergrad STS @ Berkeley Working Group

Meeting weekly, the Undergrad STS group plans events for undergraduates interested in the connections that entangle science, medicine, technology and the social together. Our goal is to increase opportunities for undergraduate participation in research, curriculum and community.

 


Emerging Technologies and the Ramifications

The Emerging Technologies and Their Ramifications Working Group (ETWG) has as its goal to bring together graduate students and faculty from broadly varying disciplines across the UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco campuses, as well as from academic institutions and industry beyond.  We hope to create a productive space within this working group for cross-disciplinary conversation on the cultural, ethical, legal, and political ramifications of emerging technologies – from the points of view of social scientists studying the larger picture of developing sciences and from those of biological scientists and engineers developing these fields.

 


Science, Technology & Engineering Policy Group

STEP is focused on creating better informed science and technology policy through collaborations between scientists and policy-makers.

Many of our most pressing public policy issues have a strong science and technology component, such as developing clean sources of energy and using information technology to reduce medical errors and administrative costs in our healthcare system. However, elected officials often lack the technical expertise to make informed decisions on these issues, and scientists and engineers rarely engage in the political process.

 


OHST Working Group

The History of Science and Technology Working Group meets regularly to discuss ongoing research and other projects. The Working Group brings together graduate students, visiting scholars, and faculty for weekly discussions on history of science and technology research. Science and Technology Studies scholars are welcome to join the group as well. Possible topics include current OHST grad students’ dissertations; hot topics in the field, areas of interest that visiting scholars are working on, etc. This working group is not intended for formal presentations—no power points, rather we encourage participants to discuss their current research informally. The group provides a community forum and venue for conversation, and supportive critique.

 


STS Working Group

The STS* Working Group  is a group of scholars brought together by shared interest in STS practices and approaches. Our research interests span a broad range of STS scholarship.  The working group meets periodically to share and discuss works in progress and review key and novel papers in the field.  Members are encouraged to make as many meetings as possible, as the intent of the group is to develop a community of scholars with shared knowledge.

 

* Science, Technology, & Society or Science & Technology Studies. . . take your pick!