New England Workshop on Science and Social Change, Massachusetts, 2004

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This proposal requests funds to initiate a New England Workshop on Science and Social Change, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Boston but located at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, over a 4-5 day period in the spring. The innovative, interactive-intensive nature of these workshops, which will have about 12 participants, is designed to facilitate discussion and longer-term collaboration among college faculty who teach and write about interactions between scientific developments and social change.The general impact of the project will derive from showing the following: scientists, science educators, and STS scholars can cross fertilize each other's work; academic workshops that allow participants to connect theoretical, pedagogical, practical, political, and personal aspects of the issue at hand can foster new projects and collaborations; and, productive workshops can be run at modest costs. The specific intellectual impact will depend on the theme of the workshop. The first workshop on "Complexities of environment and development in the Age of DNA" will foster critical commentary by scientists and STS scholars on genetics and biological determinism and seek to stimulate deeper discussions about environmental contributions in development.Evaluation of the first workshop will provide a basis for requesting funding a second workshop.