Activities During Science & Technology
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www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu Activities during 2005 Science & Technology Governance Sociology of the Biosciences Mobilities, Informatics & Space Science and Technology Studies Unit Department of Sociology www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu © January 2006 SATSU, University of York www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu Director Prof Andrew Webster [email protected] Research Fellows Dr Nik Brown (Deputy Director) [email protected] Cowside Beck Valley, Yorkshire Dales Dr Lena Eriksson [email protected] National Park. Mr Conor Douglas (from Feb 2005) [email protected] Dr Graham Lewis [email protected] Dr Paul Rosen [email protected] Dr Darren Reed [email protected] Dr Brian Woods [email protected] Research Students Luke Cowie [email protected] Helen Cox [email protected] Blakey Ridge, North York Moors Na- Conor Douglas [email protected] tional Park (Site of Special Scientific Interest) Oh Min Kwon [email protected] Maria Eugénia Rodrigues [email protected] Affiliated Research Fellows Prof Roger Burrows (University of York) Dr John Forrester (University of York) Prof Herbert Gottweiss (University of Vienna) Dr Anne Kerr (University of York) York Cemetery (butterfly walk) Dr Paul Martin (University of Nottingham) Prof Mike Michael (University of London) Dr Annemiek Nelis (University of Amsterdam) Dr Brian Rappert (University of Exeter) Prof Arie Rip (University of Twente) Dr Richard Tutton (University of Nottingham) Dr Peter Wright (University of York) Prof Steven Yearley (University of York) (until Sep 2005) Administration Staff Yorkshire sandwort on Sulber Common, Stephanie Gant [email protected] Ingleborough National Nature Reserve. Luana Pritchard [email protected] (Site of Special Scientific Interest) Photo Credits: Peter Wakely/English Nature—except Cowside Beck Valley, Peter Glendall/English Nature 1 www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu Activities During 2005 The Science and Technology Studies Unit specialises in understanding the complex dynamics of change in contemporary S&T networks. SATSU has sought to explore the socio-technical co-construction of knowledge, artefacts and public policy. The Unit was initially established in the late 1980s to critique public/private links between university and industrial actors. In subsequent years, the SATSU portfolio has expanded considerably to encompass a widening field of critique applied to technology and science. This document provides a brief overview of SATSU’s work during 2005 2 www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu 2005 Director’s Introduction This past year saw the arrival of a number of new and Strategic Management due out in 2006. Brian colleagues to the Unit, two Research Fellows, Woods has completed, with Nick Watson, a major Lena Eriksson, who had recently completed a text on the history of wheelchair design, and is postdoc at Cardiff, and Conor Douglas from Van- now engaged on a new ESRC grant relating to couver. Lena is working on stem cell standards food allergies. and Conor on the Department of Health project The Unit has been in detailed discussion through- on pharmacogenetics. Both continue the Unit’s out the year with other Departments, notably Bi- tradition of broad international membership, as ology, and has been developing collaborative re- have the visiting Marie Curie Fellows who joined search proposals relating to stem cells, tissue en- us this year. We had four Fellows in residence and gineering, and the ‘future of medicine’, most of sadly the programme has now come to an end. It which should come to fruition in 2006. has been a great success and one that will pay dividends in the long term through continuing re- The new MSc programme got off to a good start search links with these European scholars. Darren and we are hoping to recruit additional numbers Reed with whom we had been working in 2004 next year. formally joined the Unit as full time Research Fel- The Director has been especially busy this year low and brings new skills with respect to lan- not only ensuring the Unit continues to prosper, guage, interaction and technology design espe- but also with colleagues Stephanie and Luana, cially in informatics. We also saw the arrival of completing the final year of the very successful two new PhD students, Helen Cox, ex-NHS, and Innovative Health Technologies programme, while Oh Min Kwon from South Korea to join our exist- establishing and now directing a new ESRC initia- ing doctoral candidates Eugenia and Luke, and a tive on stem cells that will run through to 2009. long term Visiting Fellow from China, Juren Lin, Unexpectedly, he was also asked to become Head who has been busy translating Mike Mulkay’s of Department of Sociology in April and has had work over the past few years and is here to get to an extremely busy time since then with new staff- know the ‘York School’ more closely. ing and programmes as part of the University’s The Unit continues to consolidate its work in bio- overall expansion plans. He was pleased to learn sciences with a cluster of projects on pharmaco- towards the end of the year that he had been genetics and stem cells, and its interests in infor- elected Academician of the Learned Society for matics within the transport field and more re- Social Sciences. cently through liaison with our Associate Research Fellow, Roger Burrows, neighbourhoods and iden- Prof. Andrew Webster tity; in addition, science policy work is pursued through the PRIME network and work on regula- tion, while Nik Brown’s analysis of expectations and futurity continues to develop, not least through an extremely valuable international work- shop SATSU hosted on this topic in July, and a special issue of the journal Technology Analysis 3 www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu Core Research Areas SATSU’s key intellectual strengths lie in three related fields of enquiry, each of which serves as a basis of empirical research activity: Science and Technology Governance Work in the Unit seeks to understand how it is that developments in science and technology become objects for governance, both formally through policy-making and indirectly in terms of the govern- ance of innovation. A number of activities contribute to this theme: • Quality assured science: the role of standards in stabilising stem cell research Funding: ESRC. Status: Continuing. Contact: Lena Eriksson. • PRIME (Policy Research in the Move Towards a European Research Area) Funding: European Commission. Status: Continuing. Contact: Andrew Webster. • ITEMS - (Identifying Trends in European Medical Space) Funding: European Commission. Status: Continuing. Contact: Andrew Webster. Sociology of the Biosciences The Unit has maintained a consistent and sizeable research portfolio on the biosciences, with projects on pharmacogenomics, tissue engineering, stem cells, and xenotransplantation. • Haematopoietic Stem Cells: The Dynamics of Expectations in Innovation Funding: ESRC. Status: Continuing. Contact: Nik Brown. • Variability in response to warfarin: a prospective analysis of pharmacogenetic and environmental factors Funding: Department of Health. Status: Continuing. Contact: Graham Lewis. • Pharmacogenomics, diagnostic tests and clinician acceptance Funding: ESRC. Status: Continuing. Contact: Graham Lewis. • Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics: State-of-the-art and potential socio-economic impact Funding: European Commission. Status: Completed. Contact: Graham Lewis. Mobilities, Informatics and Space SATSU has a continuing research interest in the spatial reorganisation of social life arising in the con- text on new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) including: • Time, Dependability and Trust Funding: EPSRC. Status: Continuing. Contact: Darren Reed. • Sorting Places Out – Classifications and its Consequences in an E-Society Funding: ESRC. Status: Continuing. Contact: Brian Woods. 4 www.york.ac.uk/org/satsu Research Grants and Funding Sorting Places Out? Classifications and its scientists to examine the development of Embry- Consequences in an E-Society ESRC E- onic Stem Cells (ESC) research and innovation, Society Programme, £97,858 (2004-2006). The specifically with regard to establishing new qual- project looks at the use of IT based marketing ity control and safety standards, developed and systems for classifying neighbourhoods, exploring overseen by intermediary institutions. Such insti- the way in which ICTs are increasingly playing a tutions bridge between the science base and role in the zoning and categorization of space. clinical and commercial arenas and work to stabi- Contact: Brian Woods or Roger Burrows. Collabo- lise the present and enable the future develop- rators: Nicholas Gane (Brunel University), Nick ment of the field. Contact: Andrew Webster or Ellison and Simon Parker (University of Durham), Lena Erikkson. Collaborators: Peter Andrews & and Michael Hardy (University of Newcastle- Harry Moore (University of Sheffield). upon-Tyne). Pharmacogenomics, diagnostic tests, and BLISS - Constructing public confidence in clinician acceptance: ESRC Science in Society ICT systems: time, dependability and trust programme, £158,000 (2004-2006). The study ESRC/EPSRC, (2004-2006). This project exam- examines the extent to which doctors are likely ines dependability/trust relations and how these to incorporate pharmacogenomics into clinical relate to the temporal properties of ICT systems practice, and analyses the factors influencing up- in public environments, specifically a real-time take, focusing on cancer, asthma, cardiovascular information for managing and using public (bus) disease, psychiatry and general practice, and ex- transport. Contact: Darren