Standard Research Grant: Deliberating Nanotechnologies in the US: Gendered Beliefs about Benefits and Risks as Factors in Emerging Public Perception and Participation

这项由科学、技术和社会计划、纳米探索性研究和民用、机械和制造创新部门共同资助的跨学科研究项目，分析了性别和种族因素如何在深思熟虑的背景下塑造美国公众对纳米科学、纳米材料和纳米技术的新兴观点。作为一类新的、鲜为人知的合成材料和设备，纳米技术为审查正在形成的技术信念提供了一个前所未有的案例。在联邦授权公众参与纳米技术研究和开发的背景下，该项目询问公众参与者如何回应关于科学和新兴技术的审议研讨会，尤其是它侧重于性别和种族在塑造参与者方面的交叉作用？在这种公共论坛上的观点和参与。这项研究从个人和社会两个角度系统地探索了小组讨论中对技术收益和风险、治理和责任以及公平、隐私、安全、工作得失和全球化等社会问题的性别反应。该项目召集了3个小组，每个小组涉及两个具体的科学和技术应用：纳米健康技术和纳米能源技术。这3个组由混合性别、仅限女性和仅限男性的参与者组成，并仔细注意每个组内的种族构成。混合小组会议将提供与2007年可比讲习班的直接纵向比较数据，从而能够跟踪不断变化的公众意见。主要目的是审查性别作为促进或阻碍充分参与这类公共论坛的一个因素的方式，以及特定的讲习班设计特点，如群体规模、性别和种族/族裔构成如何相互作用。数据分析方法是定性的，使用定性数据分析软件进行系统的内容分析。

This interdisciplinary research project co-funded by the Science, Technology, and Society Program; Nanoscale Exploratory Research; and the Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation analyzes how factors of gender and ethnicity shape emergent views of nanoscience, nanoscale materials, and nanotechnologies by the US public in a deliberative setting. As a new and little known class of synthesized materials and devices, nanotechnologies pose an unprecedented case for examining technological beliefs-in-the-making. In the context of federally mandated public participation in nanotech research and development, this project asks how public participants respond to deliberative workshops concerning science and emerging technologies, and in particular, it focuses on the intersecting roles of gender and ethnicity in shaping participants? views and participation in such public forums. The research systematically explores gendered responses in group discussion to issues of technological benefit and risk, governance and responsibility, and societal issues such as equity, privacy, security, job gain and loss, and globalization, from both individual and societal perspectives.A comparative set of 6 public deliberation workshops on emerging nanotechnologies in the US are conducted. The project convenes 3 groups each on 2 specific science and technology applications: nano health technologies and nano energy technologies. The 3 groups are composed of mixed gender, women-only, and men-only participants, with careful attention to ethnicity composition within each group. The mixed group sessions will provide direct longitudinal comparative data with comparable 2007 workshops and hence the ability to track changing public views. The main purpose is to examine the ways that gender operates as a factor to enable or inhibit full participation in such public forums, and how specific workshop design features such as group size, gender and race/ethnicity composition interact. Data analysis methods are qualitative, with systematic content analysis using qualitative data analysis software.