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CSPO Mourns Passing of Dave Conz: All of us at the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University mourn the passing of our colleague, assistant research professor David Conz. Dave’s kinetic curiosity and unshackled imagination focused on how things get made and who makes them. He worked to understand the similarities and differences between professionally-trained, institutional scientists and engineers who built experimental reactors designed to fuse hydrogen or extract fats from huge glass tubes filled with algae, and their self-taught, hacker and maker counterparts who labor in “gyms for geeks” to build their do-it-yourself dreams. Read More
CSPO/SST Visiting Assistant Professor: CSPO and the School of Social Transformation at ASU seek to fill one position of visiting assistant professor in the field of science, technology, and social transformation, for the 2013-2014 academic year. The successful candidate will teach two undergraduate courses for SST and one graduate course for CSPO, perform research and publish in areas of expertise, and participate in university, professional and community service activities Read More
Planning for Frankenstein celebration starts years in advance: ASU's State Press interviewed CSPO's David Guston and Center for Science and the Imagination's Ed Finn and Joey Eschrich about the upcoming Frankenstein Bicentennial celebration. Read More
ASU to Lead Bicentennial Celebrations of Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein': The Phoenix New Times blogged about ASU upcoming Frankenstein Bicentennial Celebration. Read More
When Innovating, Go Slow: In a new article for IEEE Spectrum, G. Pascal Zachary says "Advances in technoscience take human ingenuity—and time." Read More
Managing director, journal editor earns Distinguished Service Award: The Society for Range Management recently honored Lori Hidinger for her work as editor of the peer-reviewed journal Rangelands. Hidinger, the managing director for the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, was given an award for Distinguished Service for Editorial Excellence at the Society’s 66th Annual Meeting, Technical Training and Trade Show in Oklahoma City in February. She began her helm as editor in October 2009. Read More
ASU announces bicentennial celebration of Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein': No work of literature has done more to shape the way humans imagine science and its moral consequences than "Frankenstein;" or "The Modern Prometheus" – Mary Shelley’s enduring tale of creation and responsibility. In writing "Frankenstein," Shelley popularized themes that continue to resonate with contemporary audiences and influence the way the world confronts emerging technologies. Read More
Your Smartphone Has Hijacked Your Life!: Smartphones put the world at your fingertips. With a seemingly endless supply of apps, you can get a date, scout out the best restaurant in town, and pull up the fastest route to the dinner table, all in a matter of seconds. The services behind apps like these seek to give you the best experience, tailored to your specific tastes. But are they reducing our experiences to ones dictated by algorithms? Should we worry about living the mediated life, or embrace it? Check out this debate on these questions from the New America Foundation with Dan Sarewitz as a panelist. Read More
Is Rachel Carson's early career a model for overcoming today's science journalism crisis?: CSPO professor G. Pascal Zachary examines how Carson revolutionized the way the public views environmental science. Read More
US science policy should focus on outcomes not efficiencies: Given the huge investment and power of science and technology in the U.S. it is surprising that more attention isn't paid to the policy decisions that drive the enterprise, said Daniel Sarewitz, co-director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (CSPO) at Arizona State University. What appears to be missing from the equation, he added, is a focus on outcomes. Read More
Workshop on Solar Energy: Social & Ethical Considerations: On February 22nd, join fellow solar energy researchers to learn about the issues managers, researchers and grantwriters deal with in their roles and explore the larger social, economic and policy context in which solar energy development takes place. Agenda now available.
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Science and Technology Elections Contest Winners: Congratulations to the winners of the Science and Technology Elections contest! Student Pugwash USA received over 200 essays and, along with CSPO, chose the four prize-winners. The grand prize winning essay was “Shale Gas as Natural Capital” by Nadir Jeevanjee from UC-Berkeley. Natalie Pilgeram of Mount Spokane High School won second place, St. Thomas More Academy student Samantha Robeson captured third and CSPO PhD student Michael Burnam-Fink was named honorable mention. Read More
What if You Can't Measure What Matters? Public Value Mapping of Science and Innovation Policies: CSPO co-director Daniel Sarewitz gave a presentation as part of CSPO-DC's New Tools series this morning. Click to watch his talk "What if You Can't Measure What Matters? Public Value Mapping of Science and Innovation Policies." Read More
Students operate on nanoscale: ASU's student newspaper The State Press takes a look at the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at ASU. Read More
The National Institute for Energy Ethics and Society (NIEES): Applications are now being accepted from ASU graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for the National Institute for Energy Ethics and Society (NIEES), an exciting one-week seminar examining ethical and societal issues associated with US energy choices. Researchers from ASU will join other participants from around the country to attend lectures and discussions, work on individual and group projects, and plan future research activities at ASU and beyond. In addition to talks and working sessions, the seminar will include field trips to visit energy research and production facilities to talk with researchers and managers about the directions and ethical aspects of their work. Read More
Citizen Science, Citizen Policy: The Scientific American blog discusses citizen science and World Wide Views on Biodiversity with CSPO's Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology (ECAST) partner Science Cheerleaders. Read More
Register Today for the 2013 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit!: The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is hosting the 4th annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, the premier event dedicated to transformative energy solutions. Each year the Summit brings together leaders from academia, business, and government to discuss cutting-edge energy issues and facilitate relationships to help move technologies into the marketplace. Read More
Life In 2030: Robots that fight fires, cars that drive themselves, clothes that prevent illness the stuff of science fiction novels? Or, are they closer than we think? Life in 2030, a one-hour special from The Engineers of the New Millennium, explores the latest advances in science and technology to give listeners a glimpse of what life may be like in the not-too-distant future. Read More
Science must be seen to bridge the political divide: Scientists in the United States are often perceived as a Democratic interest group. For science’s sake this has to change, argues Daniel Sarewitz in a new article for Nature. Read More
Sustainability & Nano-Technology: Generating Excitement in Emerging Sciences: How do mixing up historians, scholars and other professionals help shape the future? Watch this video featuring CSPO faculty member Cynthia Selin to find out. Read More
Three Rs of Narrative Nonfiction: CSPO writer-in-residence Lee Gutkind discusses creative nonfiction in an opinion piece for the New York Times. Read More
ASU groups seek to collaborate, construct interdisciplinary energy narrative: What does an energy narrative look like? Why do we need an energy narrative, and how do we tell that story? These are just some of the many questions ASU LightWorks, Project Humanities, and Energy, Ethics, Society, and Policy (EESP) hope to answer through a variety of collaborative interactions. Read More
If only we could reimagine the space program from the ground up: CSPO co-director Daniel Sarewitz shares his thoughts on NASA for a Zócalo Public Square discussion. Read More
CSPOpportunity: Graduate Research Assistantship: The Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (www.cspo.org) and the Center for Science and the Imagination (csi.asu.edu) at Arizona State University announce the availability of a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) as part of the Frankenstein Bicentennial Project. The project recognizes that Mary Shelley’s novel, published in 1818, has provided a remarkably durable and provocative vision for the relationship between creativity and responsibility, and it seeks to develop intellectual, constructive, and public activities that examine and celebrate this vision with a historical, contemporary, and anticipatory gaze. Working with Professors David Guston (CSPO) and Ed Finn (CSI), as well as with an interdisciplinary network extending across ASU and internationally, the GRA will be expected to contribute substantially to the project, both intellectually and managerially. Applicants for the position should apply and be accepted to a relevant doctoral program at ASU. Read More
ASU, Millennium Challenge Corporation announce new Innovation Fellowship: Arizona State University and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) have announced a new Innovation Fellowship that will work across various teams within MCC’s Washington, D.C. office to help address some of today’s most compelling development challenges. ASU, MCC and the New America Foundation invite applicants with an advanced degree and technical expertise in social and physical sciences, supply chain or other business management, medicine, engineering or other relevant disciplines to apply to the Innovation Fellowship. The application period opens Nov. 1, closes on Nov. 25, and is open to those who meet the qualifications listed online at mccif.asu.edu. Read More
Lance Armstrong's fall: A case for allowing performance enhancement: In a column for the Washington Post, CSPO affiliate Brad Allenby says "If everyone is enhancing, it's a reality we should embrace." Click the link to read more about his thoughts on Lance Armstrong and performance enhancing drugs. Read More
Unleash Your Inner Asimov: Write a story, make a video, invent the Next Big Thing... In a new opinion piece for IEEE Spectrum, CSPO professor of practice G. Pascal Zachary explores the different ways people can use their imagination to change the future. Read More
The Much-Needed and Sane Congressional Office That Gingrich Killed Off and We Need Back: Our technological choices are becoming ever more complex. Don't you think our Senators and Representatives need some nonpartisan help? In this article for The Atlantic Jathan Sadowski discuss the need to bring back the Office of Technology Assessment. Read More
Science, Policy and Citizenship at the Phoenix Zoo: On October 13, 14 teenage volunteers at the Phoenix Zoo participated in Science, Policy and Citizenship, a program sponsored and organized by the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University. The high school aged volunteers, who are part of "Zoo Teens," spent the past few weeks learning about different issues related to biodiversity. Separated into groups of four or three, the teenagers argued in front of a group of local experts for different option the United States could improve and create a biodiversity policy. Issues discussed included overfishing, land biodiversity and mutations. Read More
U.S. Citizens call for political action to stop the decline in biodiversity: Boston, Denver, Phoenix and Washington area residents are among 3000 participants from 25 countries to express strong support for taking further political action in order to stop the global decline in biodiversity. The results report from the World Wide Views (WWViews) on Biodiversity, released at the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) of the UN Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at Hyderabad India, indicate significant similarities of opinion between countries, across continents and among different age groups. Read More
ASU researchers to explore large-scale deployment of biomass energy crops: Assistant professor Netra Chhetri is part of a group of Arizona State University (ASU) researchers will embark on a novel renewable energy project with support from the National Science Foundation through its Water Sustainability and Climate program (WSC). Read More
Images from WWViews: Take some time to look through these great images from World Wide Views on Biodiversity. CSPO was a co-host at both the Arizona and the Washington, D.C. sites. Read More
Nonfiction Storytelling in Science, Technology and PolicyThe Necessity of Narrative: CSPO's writer in residence Lee Gutkind describes the upcoming project "To Think, To Write, To Publish" in this post on The Writer's Center blog. Read More
The intersection of science, politics and social outcomes: Water fluoridation is only one example—childhood vaccination is another—of an issue that remains controversial for some, even as a great majority of scientific studies indicate there’s little, if anything, to worry about from their implementation. Dan Sarewitz talks about the intersection of science and social outcomes with KJZZ's Steve Goldstein. Read More
ASU to host citizen participation forum on biodiversity: On Sept. 15, Arizona State University will be home to a daylong, international event that connects thousands of everyday citizens in 25 countries in the discussion of environmental issues. Hosted by the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes, World Wide Views on Biodiversity offers participants the opportunity to learn about biodiversity issues, discuss policy choices and express their views. Read More
The Yellow Test: CSPO Writer in Residence Lee Gutkind talks and gives examples of creative nonfiction in an editorial piece for the New York Times as part of their online series "Draft." Read More
Job Opportunity: CNS-ASU Post-Doctoral Associate: The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU) seeks to fill one POST-DOCTORAL ASSOCIATE position in the societal aspects of nano-scale science and engineering (NSE) starting October 2012. Read More
Job Opportunity: CNS-ASU Program Coordinator: The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU) is seeking a full-time Communications Program Coordinator to promote the Center’s commitment to being a knowledge-based and learning organization. Responsibilities include: planning, developing, producing, and disseminating creative, high quality, and cost-effective communications and promotional literature for the Center’s audiences (e.g. faculty, staff, students, general public, etc.) using multiple media and tools (e.g. print, events, press releases, highlights, annual reports, web site, video, etc.); coordinating education and outreach activities/events for the Center (e.g. Science Cafes, Nano Days, presentations, winter schools, lecture series, etc.); standardizing, packaging, and distributing Center-related curricula for both formal and informal education; determining and monitoring project plans, milestones, and schedules to ensure optimum efficiency and compliance with appropriate policies, procedures, and specifications; interfacing with and conducting regular interviews with faculty, key stakeholders, project leads/managers, and team members in order to develop materials and web content for the Center’s outreach and education programs; and organizing and maintaining project archival system to provide for ease of access and use. Read More
Causing a STIR: In an article for International Innovation, Dr Erik Fisher discusses the collaborative crossover project Socio-Technical Integration Research (STIR), which is bridging the gap between ethics and scientifi c endeavour, policy and the lab. Read More
Sometimes science must give way to religion: The Higgs boson, and its role in providing a rational explanation for the Universe, is only part of the story, says CSPO co-director Daniel Sarewitz in his new article for Nature. Read More
Emerging writers, scholars collaborate in science policy fellowship: "To Think, To Write, To Publish" – a project of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (CSPO) at Arizona State University – has selected 24 fellows through an international competition to participate in its 18-month training and writing activity. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, "To Think, To Write, To Publish" brings together 12 emerging communicator/writers and 12 “next generation” science policy scholars, as well as editors of mainstream publications, to learn creative nonfiction writing – a genre that uses narrative, scene and storytelling – to engage and inform a general readership about the value and advantages of science and innovation policy. Read More
Africans Dial Up Innovation: In a new article for IEEE Spectrum, CSPO professor of practice G. Pascal Zachary says Africans are no longer content to import technology and are using cellphones to spur indigenous innovation. Read More
Applicants sought for global deliberation event at ASU: Residents of Arizona now have the opportunity for their voices on biodiversity to be heard by global audience. On Sept. 15, Arizona State University’s Tempe campus will be one of the four United States sites to host "World Wide Views on Biodiversity," organized by the Danish Board of Technology. To apply, click here
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Michael Crow on CBS This Morning: Arizona State University is the largest public university in the U.S., and CSPO co-founder Dr. Michael Crow has been its president for the last decade. He talks to Charlie Rose about his work and the role education can and should continue to play in our lives. Read More
New Gutkind book explores promise, pitfalls of personalized medicine: In his new book "An Immense New Power to Heal: The Promise of Personalized Medicine" CSPO writer-in-residence Lee Gutkind and co-author Pagan Kennedy explain the complex world of personalized medicine in an engaging, approachable storytelling style. Read More