Role Of Science In Society Research Articles

New roles of science in society: Different repertoires of knowledge brokering

It has been suggested that in order to address current complex problems, scientists have to take on new roles that link the production and use of knowledge. However, what exactly these new roles mean is often not clearly identified. This paper contributes to this by discussing relevant literature related to different roles of science in society and by presenting the results of a study on the perspectives and activities of knowledge brokering. We identify three knowledge brokering repertoires: supplying, bridging and facilitating, which differ with respect to whether they maintain clear boundaries between knowledge production and use or set out to blur them. Based on our findings, we conclude that new roles of science not only afford, but may even strengthen traditional disciplinary scientific ideals. Thus, it is crucial to look beyond the intentions and ideals of new roles of science to how they are taken up in practice.

The Allusion of the Gene: Misunderstandings of the Concepts Heredity and Gene

Life sciences became Biology, a formal scientific discipline, at the turn of the nineteenth century, when it adopted the methods of reductive physics and chemistry. Mendel’s hypothesis of inheritance of discrete factors further introduced a quantitative reductionist dimension into biology. In 1910 Johannsen differentiated between the phenotype, which defines traits, and their genotype, the hereditary essence of such traits and their entities—the genes. The efforts to characterize these entities culminated in 1953, in Watson–Crick’s physico-chemical double helix model of DNA, the hereditary matter. However, the more molecular biology advanced the less real were its entities: Genes became generic units of heredity. The increasing role of science in society, and the mutual interdependence of the two on each other augmented the urge of the public at large to find in science icons of authority; the generic nature of the gene concept allowed scientists to offer it as the bait, even though advances in research made it clear that a distinction must be maintained between advances in reductive methodologies and the progress of systems’ conceptions. Genes out of context are meaningless. There are no “genes for” a trait: even if a specific change in a site on the DNA sequence may end in a conspicuous change in a trait, it must be realized that many sites in the DNA, in the cell, and in the organism as a complex integrated system in its environment, determine or rather, condition traits. The role of science is asking questions by putting up hypotheses and suggesting methods of testing them rather than in providing definite answers.

The role of fundamental science in the development of society

With the facts of the science history, engineering, technology and education, article describes the science changes over thousands of years, public attitudes toward science, and it's particularly use in different historical periods. Outlines the principles of financing for research, invention and scientific-technological activities. In detail explained role of fundamental science in society. The conclusions about the organization of the education system in which fundamental science will be able to fulfill our social role in society.

The Role of Science in Society: Challenges in a Time of Global Changes

The Role of Science in Society: Challenges in a Time of Global Changes

A Sanctuary for Science: The Hastings Natural History Reservation and the Origins of the University of California’s Natural Reserve System

In 1937 Joseph Grinnell founded the University of California's (U.C.) first biological field station, the Hastings Natural History Reservation. Hastings became a center for field biology on the West Coast, and by 1960 it was serving as a model for the creation of additional U.C. reserves. Today, the U.C. Natural Reserve System (NRS) is the largest and most diverse network of university-based biological field stations in the world, with 36 sites covering more than 135,000 acres. This essay examines the founding of the Hastings Reservation, and asks how it managed to grow and develop, in the 1940s and 1950s, during a time of declining support for natural history research. It shows how faculty and staff courted the support of key institutional allies, presented themselves as the guardians of a venerable tradition in nature study, and emphasized the station's capacity to document ecological change and inform environmental policy and management. In the years since, Hastings and other U.C. reserves have played crucial roles in California environmental politics. Biological field stations in the post-war era deserve more attention not only from historians of biology, but also from environmental historians and other scholars interested in the role of science in society.

The right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress: in search of state obligations in relation to health

After having received little attention over the past decades, one of the least known human rights—the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications—has had its dust blown off. Although included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)—be it at the very end of both instruments -this right hardly received any attention from States, UN bodies and programmes and academics. The role of science in societies and its benefits and potential danger were discussed in various international fora, but hardly ever in a human rights context. Nowadays, within a world that is increasingly turning to science and technology for solutions to persistent socio-economic and development problems, the human dimension of science also receives increased attention, including the human right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. This contribution analyses the possible legal obligations of States in relation to the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, in particular as regards health.

Can Clouds replace Grids? Will Clouds replace Grids?

The world's largest scientific machine – comprising dual 27km circular proton accelerators cooled to 1.9oK and located some 100m underground – currently relies on major production Grid infrastructures for the offline computing needs of the 4 main experiments that will take data at this facility. After many years of sometimes difficult preparation the computing service has been declared "open" and ready to meet the challenges that will come shortly when the machine restarts in 2009. But the service is not without its problems: reliability – as seen by the experiments, as opposed to that measured by the official tools – still needs to be significantly improved. Prolonged downtimes or degradations of major services or even complete sites are still too common and the operational and coordination effort to keep the overall service running is probably not sustainable at this level. Recently "Cloud Computing" – in terms of pay-per-use fabric provisioning – has emerged as a potentially viable alternative but with rather different strengths and no doubt weaknesses too. Based on the concrete needs of the LHC experiments – where the total data volume that will be acquired over the full lifetime of the project, including the additional data copies that are required by the Computing Models of the experiments, approaches 1 Exabyte – we analyze the pros and cons of Grids versus Clouds. This analysis covers not only technical issues – such as those related to demanding database and data management needs – but also sociological aspects, which cannot be ignored, neither in terms of funding nor in the wider context of the essential but often overlooked role of science in society, education and economy.

Value Oriented Science for A Sustainable Society

Value Oriented Science for A Sustainable Society The essay deals with the relationship between ethics, science and the character of society associated with challenges such as: What is the contemporary role of science in society and how does it fulfil it? Is value oriented "engaged" science possible? What does the responsibility of science mean? What is the reason for and the state of integrative, interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary and/or post-disciplinary approaches in the science? What is the role and meaning of evaluation in scientific production and/or its usefulness? What is the value, cost and effectiveness of science? Is scientometrics an adequate answer? What is the role of ethics and science in the context of sustainable development/living/society? In the final section of the essay several examples drawing on the international as well as the national level are introduced. The ambition of the author, a professional environmental geographer, is not to submit an extensive excursion into most fashionable aspects of the topic within the global philosophical context. The author describes his own personal experience and position and tries to discover what the emerging challenges and threats in this field may be, first of all in the current Slovak context.

The Tacit Epistemology of the GMO Debate: A Case Study

The issue of biotechnology has been chosen in the MIRRORS project in order to analyze the sometimes uneasy relationship between science and society. After analyzing the situation of biotechnology regarding the GMO debate in Spain, France and Italy during a previous MIRRORS Workshop (This MIRRORS Workshop is entitled European Policies and Knowledge Society, held in Catania on December 15th 2008, during the which the undersigned, Anna Benedetta Francese and Cinzia Rizza discussed three papers about this topic [see the MIRRORS website www.mirrors-project.it]), in this essay I have tried to tackle the relationship science–society, focalizing my attention on the epistemological and methodological problems behind the biotechnology debate that are often not clearly expressed, remaining mainly tacitly presupposed. I will take as a starting point some questions about the role of science in society and about the way science is used by policy makers in decision-making processes. These questions are fundamental in order to analyze (and possibly to propose salvation strategies) the existing problems of the relationship between science and society which has assumed, especially nowadays, more conflictual aspects. Our Research Team firmly holds that it is not possible to tackle this topic without an in-depth discussion of the most significant epistemological questions regarding research, discussions, and methods of biotechnology.

Lab‐scale intervention

From mobile phones and laptop computers to in vitro fertilization and social networks on the Internet, technological devices, products and services are increasingly shaping the lives of people around the world. The pervasiveness of technology and the underlying science that makes it possible has led to a certain ambivalence: most people trust that ‘science’ will eventually help them to live longer, healthier and happier lives. However, they also feel increasingly uncomfortable about certain new technologies, often those that challenge or improve on ‘nature’. Genetically modified crops, gene therapy, stem cell research, cloning, renewed interest in nuclear power: the list of controversial topics involving science and technology is growing steadily and debates on these topics regularly occupy centre stage in public and political arenas. > …the research process itself constitutes a largely overlooked opportunity for addressing social concerns Policy‐makers have responded by calling for increased attention to be paid to the ethical, legal and social aspects of scientific research and technological developments. In particular, new and emerging areas of research—such as genomics, synthetic biology and nanotechnology—have been accompanied by studies of their broader societal implications as well as public‐engagement efforts, in order to guide research and development in ways that respect societal concerns. Such attempts to shape technological trajectories have traditionally occurred both before scientific research, for example, through research policy, technology assessment or public participation, and afterwards, through regulations or market mechanisms. Although these stages are crucial points at which to intervene, the research process itself constitutes a largely overlooked opportunity for addressing social concerns. Indeed, if one acknowledges the central role that scientific research has in the innovation process, this is an area well worth examining. Shaping technological trajectories will, at some point, include shaping the very research processes that help to characterize them (Fisher et al , 2006). Social and …

Accountability and Transparency

There is great excitement in the U.S. scientific community accompanying the arrival of the new president and his views on the role of science in society. Many people feel that the climate for science has turned 180 degrees. Science has gone from seeming at times to be disregarded or treated as unimportant or even annoying, to again being recognized as central to every major issue of modern life, with superb appointments being made to science leadership positions in government.

Linking academic and local knowledge: community-based research and service learning for sustainable rural development in Hungary

Discussions about the potential role of academic and research institutions in regional sustainability initiatives (RSIs) inevitably raise the issue of the role of science in society in general. In democratic societies, it can be argued that science–society relationships should be based on establishing and institutionalizing mutual dialogues, making public concerns not only visible but the public as equal partner. In order to fulfil the social responsibilities of academic institutions involved in RSIs through establishing dialogues with diverse stakeholders, a possible methodology is conducting participatory action research (PAR) combined with the educational model of service learning. The PAR project reported here aims at facilitating a bottom-up, micro-region level sustainability planning and development process in one of the most socio-economically disadvantaged rural areas of north-east Hungary. Some of the main results of this university–community partnership were its contribution to sustainability, including the activation of local capabilities and networking across various local stakeholder groups through various small-scale projects and the co-production of a socially grounded and landscape-based rural development plan for the micro-region.

Creating survival strategies: what can be learned from a science class?

Elementary science teaching has been considered by recent researchers as a process in which students should be engaged in a variety of activities to develop science concepts, science process skills and scientific attitudes. From this perspective, hands-on activities are prominent in this approach because it leads the students to both reflect on the natural and physical world, and understand the social role of science in society. In Upadhyay’s article we follow an elementary teacher who struggles to implement a participatory method of science teaching in an environment that prioritizes high-stakes tests as the benchmarks for teachers’ and students’ success. In so doing, the teacher negotiates her identities in order to engage the students in the process of learning science even though the environment requires a teaching methodology that is against her beliefs. In our commentary on Upadhyay’s article we argue that (a) the tensions experienced by teachers create the core of the process of fluidity identity; (b) the different forms of external control over the teaching are inherent in educational systems and also a demand of parents and society; and (c) the possibility for social mobility of minority students is a complex process that goes beyond the dichotomy identified in Upadhyay’s article, namely that either the students learn to think scientifically, or the students learn tricks that enable them to succeed in the tests.

Re-thinking the Development of Scientific Literacy Through a Rope Metaphor

Scientifically literate citizens would be empowered to think critically about the role of science in society and use it as a tool for informed decision making and problem solving in a rapidly changing and developing world. In this study, scientific literacy was viewed as an attribute both industry and the general community could reasonably expect from higher education’s graduates. As such, this mixed methods research aimed to identify, document and represent concretely through a rope metaphor the development of scientific literacy amongst a sample of 244 first year university students.

Exploring the Roles and Nature of Science: A case study of severe acute respiratory syndrome

The roles of science in society and the nature of science are the focus of many science curricula. Current views about these two aspects of science have largely been informed by the history of scientific development. This article uses the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome—a recent health scare—as a case study to explore the roles of science and their relationship with the nature of science and societal factors. The review provides deeper insight into the difficulties that are encountered in fulfilling these roles, particularly those that relate to the nature of science. This review has implications for both school and public science education.

Barbarians at the Open Gates

Burawoy’s manifesto connects to a long series of debates on the role of science in society as well as on the myth of pure science. This paper argues that the gap between professional sociology and public sociology is far from being unbridgeable and that public sociology is not suppressed to the extent portrayed by Burawoy. In late modern societies a number of schools, including various scientific, public and intellectual movements have questioned the possibility, value position and social relevance of a functionally differentiated pure science by applying the sine qua non of modernity, i.e. critical reflection, to science. According to the argument developed here, also illustrated by a personal example, Burawoy could possibly prevent the gate-keepers of the empire of pure science from closing the otherwise open gates in front of his program and in front of critical reflection if only he used less harsh war-cries and were more careful in detecting the changes he himself urges.

Options for a rational dialogue on the acceptance of biotechnology

This paper explores how framing discussions about biotechnology in different ways influences how scientists, policy makers, and members of the public communicate with each other, to either inhibit or promote acceptance. It argues for the use of new techniques to create a rational dialogue with the public, based on scientific knowledge, that allows them to fully participate as informed stakeholders in debates about new technologies. Several different outlooks on the role of science in society are presented. Effectively communicating these different positions to the public requires innovative approaches. Drawing on advances in scientific communication practices, we briefly describe four principles that consider not only the scientific content, but also its delivery. New views need to be delivered with confidence, to be sensible within existing frameworks of understanding and not overwhelming, to reveal both potentially positive and negative aspects, and to promote interactive discussion with stakeholders. The authors conclude using the regional initiative in Southern Africa--the African Policy Dialogues on Biotechnology--as an illustration of this approach, where discussions started by first seeking agreement about establishing a process for dialogue, rather than initially trying to achieve consensus on any substantive points.

Transdisciplinarity for social learning? The contribution of the German socio-ecological research initiative to sustainability governance

Governance depends upon inputs from science. Whereas the conventional view portrays science as advisor of policy makers, more recent understandings see knowledge creation processes and decision processes as highly interrelated and intermingled. Against this background, we analyse the new research programme on socio-ecological research set up in Germany. In doing so, we firstly discuss current conceptual approaches to redefining the role of science in society. Secondly, we identify five challenges for scientific activities and apply these as criteria for an assessment of the socio-ecological research initiative. Thirdly, we analyse the potential limits and opportunities of this programme for social learning towards sustainable development. We also indicate what can be learned for ecological economics. 2 2 The present paper is based on a presentation by the authors at the conference “Science and Governance—The Ecological Economics Perspective” of the European Society for Ecological Economics, June 14–17 2005, Lisbon. We thank the participants of the session “Participation and Governance — Actors, Institutions and Processes in Environmental Decision-Making” for critical comments and discussion. We are also indebted to two anonymous referees. We also thank Laura Glauser-Layadi for helping us preparing the final version of this text. The paper draws on research funded by the programme “Socio-Ecological Research” (SÖF) of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Financial support is gratefully acknowledged. Of course, we are solely responsible for the content of this paper and the opinions expressed.

Re-Norming the Science–Society Relation

Abstract The ideal of bildung as a goal for higher education and research (HER) in European Union member states is losing ground to more pragmatic goals such as innovation and growth. This shift in the policy perspective about the role of science in society has given rise to a system of multi layered governance which in turn is progressively giving rise to the emergence of a new normative regime for the HER sector. This normative regime involves the blurring of boundaries between the public and the private and the introduction of social accountability as a criterion for evaluating scientific knowledge. The paper concludes that the elision of the boundary between private and public disguises real problems about defining who owns what particularly in the light of the increasing commercialisation of public funded science. Further, the limitation of social accountability to select groups of actors who can afford to pay for influencing research raises questions about the ability of the new governance regime fo...

Studies on a socio‐ecological approach to environmental education: a contribution to a critical position in the education for sustainable development discourse

This article outlines a critical position in relation to education for sustainable development referring to a socio‐ecological approach to environmental education. This approach was developed in a cooperative research process with pre‐academic secondary schools over several years in Switzerland. For 13 years our research group has been the one in Switzerland to systematically research curriculum and professional development in environmental education in secondary schools. The group was established at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) supported by funding from the Swiss National Foundation for Scientific Research, and from 1998 proceeded with research projects at the Institute for Teacher Education (upper secondary level) at the University of Zurich. Case studies were carried out to explore the potentials and constraints which teachers and students meet when working with environmental issues. Two case studies from different research phases are shown which illustrate how both teachers and learners are challenged to cope with increasingly unstructured and unknown situations, pluralistic and controversial perspectives, and with the critical role of science in society. Outcomes are discussed in the light of the social process of sustainable development.