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

这个政策，科学，工程和技术计划研究的纳米探索性研究项目将探索纳米技术（NT）作为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如何将解决方案与社会问题联系起来。哪些问题与这项新技术有关以及为什么、这些问题与谁相关以及谁在倡导解决方案，对于决策者和公众来说都是重要的问题。纳米技术演变成一种“主动”技术表明，理解这些联系的重要性将更加重要。拟议的方法来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，以便将问题推向决策议程。这反过来又会导致公共政策的结构和文化以及社会的总体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，技术和社会的相互作用。它还解决了纳米技术界更具体的关注，特别是问题和解决方案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（NT作为基础科学）和商业（NT作为投资）。这些利益相关者群体中的每一个都有他们主张具体解决办法的问题。虽然利益攸关方的利益相互重叠，但在其社会影响方面，往往存在可以比较的区别和动态。纳米技术作为一个一般概念将通过收集和一般和专门的文章编码进行评估，以提供一个详细的库存问题和解决方案的定义在多个维度。文件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。将与具有代表性的纳米技术利益攸关方进行非正式的开放式讨论。这项研究将大大促进我们对科学和技术进步与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，在纳米技术界的定位方面的许多因素相关的问题定义的研究。第二，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。这项研究的更广泛影响将体现在公共政策过程中。对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。谁主导这一过程，影响着融资、立法和私人投资决策的路径。对这一问题的回答有助于在公共政策过程中向决策者和公众提供信息。这项研究也将被纳入研究生水平的科学和技术政策课程在得克萨斯州A M大学。

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.