August, 2016

 Faculty and students at new student orientation

Inaugural Undergraduate Class

Welcome to all new SFIS students including our inaugural class of undergraduates — 17 students including first time freshmen, transfers from local community colleges, and students who were excited by the prospects of the new degree programs and decided to leave their original majors.One of the first major tasks in the creation of SFIS has been to develop undergraduate programs, and in late spring the university approved a Bachelor’s of Arts, a Bachelor’s of Science, and a Minor in “Innovation in Society,” and a Certificate in “Innovation for Impact.” The first courses include Andrew Maynard’s “Risk and the Future,” Laura Hosman’s “Innovation in Society,” and “The Future of the American Dream” taught by Michael Bennett and Lauren Keeler.

“Science and technology have a powerful impact on our everyday lives today and tomorrow,” said Jameson Wetmore, Program Chair for Undergraduate Education for SFIS. “We want to create inclusive futures where lots of voices are heard and lots of people have a say in what the world looks like as we progress. We are training a new group of students who will be able to consider possible futures and bring people from different disciplines together to build better futures.”

Visit the undergraduate program area of the SFIS website to learn more.

 

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Sarewitz article makes waves

CSPO Director Dan Sarewitz urges scientists to leave the lab and get out into the real world in a provocative New Atlantis article. “Saving Science” is already being hailed as “a landmark article.” The New Atlantis tweeted that it is “one of the most important essays we’ve ever published.” Sarewitz deconstructs the myth that major breakthroughs usually spring from curiosity-driven research and advocates a use-inspired approach instead. A CSPO News article and 3 Quarks Daily blog offer more in depth review of the article here and a recording of New Atlantis’s interview with Sarewitz is available through this link. ASU Now also posted a review of the article, along with a Q&A session with the author.

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CNS fulfills its NSF-funded mission

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at ASU (CNS-ASU) fulfilled its 11-year mission under National Science Foundation (NSF) funding in August. CNS was formed in 2005 when the NSF announced a set of major research grants under the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) to further emerging nanotechnologies, including the understanding of its societal implications. CNS secured an initial funding commitment of $6.2 million for five years to create a broad institutional network, institute a coherent research program, promote innovative educational opportunities, and engage in meaningful participation and outreach activities. In October of 2010, the NSF renewed that commitment with an additional $6.5 million. The NSF grants were augmented by additional funding supplements including the CNS-ASU Outcomes and Impact Study ($172,500); Broadening participation in the social sciences of emerging technology ($237,498); and Community-building around anticipation, integration and informal education ($250,000). Funding also came from a collaborative award for the Workshop of the Anticipatory Governance of Complex Engineered Nanomaterials with the University of Notre Dame ($34,250) and an associated award which funds the Virtual Institute of Responsible Innovation ($498,452). Though its NSF-funded research activities have reached a positive conclusion, CNS itself will continue to operate in new and exciting directions.

Dave Guston, Director of SFIS, has directed CNS since its inception while SFIS Associate Director for Faculty Clark Miller has operated as co-Principal Investigator and a number of SFIS faculty members – among them Jameson Wetmore, Cynthia Selin, Erik Fisher and CSPO Director Dan Sarewitz – have contributed as team leaders, members or collaborators. In May 2016, the final CNS Gala was held to commemorate the Center’s accomplishments, acknowledge its members and partners, and to envision future research avenues in the intersection of science, technology, and society. Over 100 faculty members, researchers, students and staff attended, representing nearly 50 institutions and more than ten countries.

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5-year art case of disputed identity reaches a verdict

Associate Research Professor Michael Bennett was quoted in this Guardian article on a convoluted legal case surrounding disputed authenticity of a piece of art. The fact that the artist in question is still alive makes it a unique case. Bennett said, “I’m not confident enough to say there’s no precedent for this, but I’m confident enough to say this is extremely rare.” For a substantive overview of the case, follow this link.

The judge presiding over the case ruled in favor of the artist accused of painting the piece, Peter Doig, which was more likely painted by one Peter Doige, a carpenter and amateur artist who died in 2012. As reported in the Thai, French, British, Pakistani, Lebanese and Indian news organizations, “Judge Gary Feinerman ruled that there was ‘conclusive’ evidence that Doig did not paint the disputed work, and that he had the right to say a painting was not his.” In the future, Bennet told a Canadian paper, artists might have to use some form of technological solution, such as an embedded genomic watermarking, to avoid such a case from affecting them.

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Out and About

Dave Guston, director of SFIS, gave a presentation on the “State of the School” during the first of the semester’s enLIGHTeNING lunch series of talks. Video of the presentation is available here.

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15 Fellows, chosen from a pool of almost 650 applicants, will work over the next two years on learning and applying the art of creative nonfiction to write compelling, original, and true stories about science and religion. The fellowship, sponsored by Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS), is part of a two-year project lead by SFIS Distinguished Writer in Residence Lee Gutkind, CSPO Director Dan Sarewitz, and Program Manager Michael Zirulnik to write and publish engaging and inspiring nonfiction narratives of harmonies, reconciliation, and synergy between science and religion.

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Recent faculty addition Laura Hosman, with a dual appointment between SFIS and the Ira S. Fulton School of Engineering, has hit the ground running with a new device that should help Pacific islanders gain access to books and lesson plans without needing internet access. As this web article outlines in more detail, her device, the Solar Powered Education Learning Laboratory (SolarSPELL) generates its own power through solar cell and its own wifi signal which it uses to mimic an internet experience. The device is waterproof, weatherproof and is being disseminated with the help of the Peace Corps. Hosman said ASU is a great fit for her and her project. “ASU supports social justice, inclusivity, hands-on teaching and multidisciplinary learning. It’s a perfect fit because that’s what I’m all about,” she said. Hosman and her team are curating content specific for Tongan islanders ahead of her planned trip there in January.

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Associate Professor and HSD PhD Program Chair Erik Fisher presented at the Academy of Management annual Teach and Learning Conference in Anaheim, CA. Fisher is Director of the Socio-Technical Integration Research (STIR) program, which facilitates interdisciplinary dialogue geared toward enhancing capacities for more socially responsive research and innovation. Fisher provided a hands-on introduction to the STIR decision protocol that he developed in order to demonstrate how educational programs can support sustained interdisciplinary interactions that simultaneously promote greater empathy and enhanced creativity.