Cognitive and Social Values in Computer-Aided Engineering Design

科学、技术和社会研究的核心问题之一是认知和社会价值在科学和工程思维和决策中的各自作用和关系。认知价值是那些我们倾向于认为是“科学的”或“客观的”；例如，它们涉及证据或证明的标准。社会价值观在决定成功的科学努力，尤其是工程努力方面也发挥着作用。例如，对市场、美学、适用性、等级或公平性的判断，可以在决定工程研究和开发的方向以及工程产品或过程的使用方面发挥关键作用。事实上，社会价值观可能在证据标准中发挥着必要的作用，这使得很难明确区分社会价值观和认知价值观。该奖项授予弗吉尼亚理工学院社会科学研究中心的一名人类学家和技术研究助理教授，将使他能够在开发和使用计算机辅助工程设计（CAD）的决策过程中，继续研究认知与社会价值之间的关系。总体目标是探索工程师的文化认同（包括认知和社会标准）如何影响工程决策。该项目有两个组成部分。学习内容包括(1)参加连续的两门CAD高级课程，(2)协助他的主持专家，VPI的CAD/CAM实验室主任，在一个工程设计项目中应用有限元分析方法来解决一个工业问题。研究部分包括(1)调查CAD系统在工业和大学中的历史发展，以确定认知和社会价值判断的作用，以及(2)对CAD设计项目进行参与性观察研究，以调查这些判断在当前有效设计解决方案谈判中的作用。研究结果将透过两篇已发表的论文、两门课程的课程调整，以及一系列面向工程及社会科学/人文学科听众的公开演讲来传播。这个项目解决了一个重要的问题。申请人的条件很好。东道国专家和其他可接触的专家都非常合格，能够提供必要的指导；合作努力可能会在本奖项的期限之后继续进行。该项目设计得很好，发展和传播成果的计划是适当的。大学的支持非常好。因此建议奖励38 000美元。

One of the central problems in studies of science, technology and society concerns the respective roles and relationships of cognitive and social values in scientific and engineering thinking and decisionmaking. Cognitive values are those we tend to think of as "scientific" or "objective"; they concern standards of evidence or proof, for example. Social values also play a role in determining successful scientific and, perhaps especially, engineering efforts. Judgments of the marketplace, of aesthetics, of suitability, hierarchy or fairness, for instance, can play critical roles in decisions about the directions of engineering research and development, and the use of engineering products or processes. Indeed, it is possible that social values have a necessary role in standards of evidence, making a clear distinction between social and cognitive values difficult to draw. This award, to an anthropologist and assistant professor of technology studies at the Center for the Study of Science in Society at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, will enable him to pursue research on the relationships between cognitive and social values in decisions to develop and use computer-aided engineering design (CAD). The overall objective is to explore how the cultural identities of engineers, which include both cognitive and social standrads, shape engineering decisions. The project has two components. The learning component involves (1) enrolling in a sequence of two senior- level courses in CAD and (2) assisting his host specialist, the director of the CAD/CAM Laboratory at VPI, in an engineering design project applying finite element analysis methods to an industry problem. The research component involves (1) investigating the historical development of CAD systems in industry and at universities, to identify the roles of cognitive and social value judgments, and (2) conducting a participant observation study of the CAD design project to investigate the roles of these judgments in a current negotiation of a competent design solution. Results of the project will be disseminated through two published papers, curriculum changes to two courses, and a series of public presentations before engineering and social science/humanities audiences. This project addresses an important issue. The applicant is well qualified. The host specialist and other accessible experts are very well qualified and will be able to provide the necessary guidance; collaborative efforts are likely to continue beyond the period of this award. The project is designed well and plans for the development and dissemination of results are appropriate. University support is very good. An award in the amount of $38,000 is therefore recommended.