USS univie: summer school SWC Scientific World Conceptions Science, Values, and Democracy? Vienna, July 4-15, 2016 Science and democracy are key features of modern societies, but there have always been tensions between them, with implications for a wide range of public issues. This two-week course will examine historical, philosophical, and political perspectives on the relation of science,… Read more

Berkeley is developing an ecosystem of data science education and research that reflects the intellectual richness of the entire campus. Building upon our outstanding research and graduate programs in this area, we are announcing the formation of a broad-ranging Data Science Planning Initiative (DSPI) to develop a comprehensive strategy for Berkeley’s leadership in this field… Read more

Residencies on the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of New Medical Developments at the Brocher Foundation The call for proposals for the 2017 Brocher Foundation residencies is launched! The Brocher Foundation is located on the shores of the Geneva Lake, in Hermance (Geneva -Switzerland). The Brocher Foundation residencies last between one and four months. They give… Read more

The Places & Spaces: Mapping Science exhibit was created to inspire cross- disciplinary discussion on how to best track and communicate human activity and scientific progress on a global scale. The Places & Spaces exhibit invites the showcase of interactive visualization. The “Macroscope Phase” of the exhibit is devoted to tools that demonstrate the power… Read more

In her new book, Autonomous Nature: Problems of Prediction and Control from Ancient Times to the Scientific Revolution, ESPM professor and environmental historian Carolyn Merchant investigates the history of nature as an active, often unruly force in tension with nature as a rational, logical order from ancient times to the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth… Read more

The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains by Thomas Laqueur The Greek philosopher Diogenes said that when he died his body should be tossed over the city walls for beasts to scavenge. Why should he or anyone else care what became of his corpse? In The Work of the Dead, acclaimed… Read more

The Center welcomes faculty members, student and fellow affiliates to submit activities to be reported in affiliate news each month. Please email cstmsnews@berkeley.edu. Gretchen Gano, The Center’s Associate Director of Research, coauthored a policy report with Experts and Citizens Assessing Science and Technology (ECAST) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) based on a citizen-… Read more

The Center for Science, Technology, Medicine, and Society at the University of California, Berkeley, is seeking a postdoctoral scholar with excellent credentials in Science and Technology Studies (STS), History of Science, or Anthropology of Science, and a strong interest in the social study of algorithms/big data. By this we mean both the social impact of… Read more

Mirrors, arguably the first “virtual reality” technology, lie at the intersection of nature, culture, and self-recognition. Once small, rare, and coveted items owned only by the wealthy, today mirrors are as common as a pencil and are key to many modern tools, from HDTVs to solar-power plants and space telescopes. On Thursday, October 1, 2015… Read more