NER: Contours of Nano-Problems and Solutions and the Societal and Educational Challenge of Active Nanoscale Technology

这个政策、科学、工程和技术研究项目中的纳米尺度探索性研究项目将探索纳米技术（NT）作为一种解决方案和问题的战略定义之间的联系。政治和公众对新进展的接受和支持在很大程度上取决于解决方案如何与社会问题联系起来。对于决策者和公众来说，哪些问题与这项新技术有关，为什么，这些问题与谁有关，谁在倡导解决方案，这些都是重要的问题。纳米技术向“主动”技术的演变表明，理解这些联系的重要性将变得更加关键。拟议的方法源自社会科学中的议程设置框架，该框架考虑了政策企业家如何将问题和解决方案战略性地联系起来，以便将问题推进到决策议程上。这反过来又会导致公共政策的结构和文化以及整个社会结构中的思想制度化。对纳米技术和问题/解决方案定义的关注将直接解决工程、科学、技术和社会的这种相互作用。它还处理纳米技术界更具体的关切，特别是问题和解决办法影响公共政策的过程和结果、公众对科学的支持，以及影响技术变革方向的因素。纳米技术网络的结构和文化将在广泛的利益相关者类别中进行评估，例如科学（作为基础科学的NT）和商业（作为投资的NT）。这些利益相关者群体中的每一个都有他们所主张的具体解决方案。虽然利益相关者的利益重叠，但在其社会影响方面，往往可以比较区别和动态。将通过收集和编码一般和专门文章来评估纳米技术作为一个一般概念，以提供跨多个维度的问题和解决方案定义的详细清单。书面证据将从国会听证会、咨询委员会和投资报告以及会议记录等来源收集。将与纳米技术利益相关者的代表性样本进行非正式的开放式讨论。这项研究将极大地促进我们对科学技术进步和跨越两个不同领域的社会问题之间联系的理解。首先，这项研究将产生一个基线评估，关于纳米技术社区在与问题定义研究相关的许多因素方面所处的位置。其次，它将有助于社会科学的理论和经验方法的进步，以及纳米技术的实质性问题。这项研究将在公共政策过程中产生更广泛的影响。关于公众和纳米技术的调查工作表明，人们将容易受到问题和解决方案的战略定义的影响。谁在这一过程中占主导地位，就会影响资金、立法和私人投资决策的路径。这个问题的答案可以在公共政策过程中为决策者和公众提供信息。这项研究也将被整合到德州农工大学的一门研究生水平的科技政策课程中。

This Nanoscale Exploratory Research project in the Studies of Policy, Science, Engineering and Technology program will explore the linkage between nanotechnology (NT) as a solution and the strategic definition of problems. Political and public acceptance and support for new advances depend in large part on how solutions are linked to societal problems. What problems are being linked to this new technology and why, to whom the problems are relevant, and who is advocating the solution, are significant questions for decision makers and the public. The evolution of nanotechnology into an "active" technology suggests that it will be even more critical to understand the significance of these linkages. The proposed methodology is derived from the agenda setting framework within the social sciences which considers how problems and solutions are strategically linked by policy entrepreneurs in order to move issues forward onto the decision agenda. This, in turn, can lead to the institutionalization of ideas within the structure and culture of public policy and in the general fabric of society. The focus on nanotechnology and problem/solution definition will directly address this interaction of engineering, science, technology and society. It also addresses more specific concerns within the nanotechnology community, particularly as problems and solutions influence the processes and outcomes of public policy, the public support for science, and as factors influencing the direction of technological change. The structure and culture of the nanotechnology network will be assessed across broad stakeholder categories, such as the scientific (NT as basic science) and the business (NT as investment). Each of these stakeholder groups will have problems for which they advocate specific solutions. While stakeholder interests overlap there are often distinctions and dynamics that can be compared in regard to their societal implications. Nanotechnology as a general concept will be evaluated through the collection and coding of general and specialized articles to provide a detailed inventory of problem and solution definitions across multiple dimensions. Documentary evidence will be collected from sources such as congressional hearings, advisory committee and investment reports, and conference proceedings. Informal open-ended discussions will be conducted with a representative sample of nanotechnology stakeholders. This research will significantly advance our understanding of the linkage between scientific and technological advances and societal problems across two distinct realms of inquiry. First, this research will produce a baseline assessment of where the nanotechnology community is positioned in regard to the many factors relevant to the study of problem definition. Second, it will contribute to the advancement of theoretical and empirical approaches in the social sciences as well as to the substantive issue of nanotechnology. The broader impacts from this study will be in the public policy process. Survey work on the public and nanotechnology suggests that people will be susceptible to strategic definitions of problems and solutions. Who dominates this process influences the path of funding, legislation, and private investment decisions. The answer to this question can serve to inform decision makers and the public in the public policy process. This research will also be integrated into a graduate level course on science and technology policy at Texas A&M University.