Growing focus on societal implications in NISE Net work
Just about a year ago NISE Net launched an expanded collaboration with the Center for Nanotechnology in Society and you'll hear more about upcoming activities in the months ahead. The conversation started when staff from seven science centers brought cart demos and stage presentations to the S.NET conference in Seattle on Labor Day weekend last year. S.NET is a new professional society for the study of nanoscience and emerging technologies in areas of the social sciences and humanities. I was a little naive and thought the participants were all social scientists, but learned that many were historians, political scientists, philosophers, and ethicists and really not social scientists. The week started with presentations at the Pacific Science Center by NISE Net Program staff and both staff and students from the Center for Nanotechnology in Society (CNS) at Arizona State University.
In response to this blog entry: The S.NET conference last year was the beginning of some very good working relationships. We've continued to develop a number of collaborative projects which hopefully many will hear about soon on this website. Perhaps most importantly has been the development of posters and brochures that were designed to spark discussions about the social implications of nanotechnology. These were piloted at a few museums this past spring and will be available to all for NanoDays 2011. We look forward to the next 12 months of awesome collaboration.
-Jamey Wetmore and Ira Bennett, Arizona State University