BONUS “What is STS”? Three Ordinary Examples | WeAreSTS

STSNewsRoom 2. Odile Lehnen reports. “What is STS?” This is a question all STS students are asked on a regular basis – when travelling, joining a new sports club, at parties or family reunions, and when being interviewed for jobs. I find the question isn’t as straightforward as most people want.

In this episode, I explore what Science and Technology Studies (STS) is really all about. (I study Science and Society at University College London.) To do this, I interview three of my tutors about three ordinary things: the fruit fly Drosophila, the car and the idea of standard time. Each of these examples tells fascinating stories about science, technology, and society. Each displays the value of STS as a research skill or technique for investigation.

When we ask the right questions, we can get underneath the subjects we study and engage fundamental questions. For example, how is science made? Why did a particular scientific development happen at the precise place and time that it did? How do technologies become established in our societies and how do they have the power to change our lives? Who benefits and who loses with innovation and discovery? How do the ways we imagine emerging technologies shape our future?

Further material

For more about the example Dr Martin discussed (fruit fly):

Robert E. Kohler, “Moral economy, material culture, and community in Drosophila Genetics” in Mario Biagioli, ed., The Science Studies Reader (NY: Routledge, 1999), pp. 243-257.

For more about the example Professor Agar discussed (standard time):

Peter Galison. 2000. “Einstein’s Clocks: The Place of Time,” Critical Inquiry 26: 355-389.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1344127

For more about the example Professor Stilgoe discussed (the car):

Jack Stilgoe. 2020. Who’s Driving Innovation?: New Technologies and the Collaborative State (Palgrave). ISBN: ISBN: 978-3-030-32320-2

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030323196 

Featuring

Presenter: Ms Odile Lehnen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/odile-lehnen-326130188/

Interviewees:

Dr Rebecca Martin, Research Fellow at LSHTM and Research Associate at Inter-change Research Ltd

https://ucl.academia.edu/RebeccaMartin

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rebeccamartin386

Professor Jon Agar, Professor of Science and Technology Studies

https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/agar

Professor Jack Stilgoe, Professor in Science Policy

https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/stilgoe

Show host

Professor Joe Cain, Professor in History and Philosophy of Biology

https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music credits

“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod

https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Inside the episode, Odile uses this music:

“Particles” by Rafael Krux

https://filmmusic.io/song/5696-particles-

“Sugar Fairies” by Rafael Krux

https://filmmusic.io/song/5429-sugar-fairies-

“Sneaky Snitch” by Kevin Macleod

https://filmmusic.io/song/4384-sneaky-snitch

“Garden Music” by Kevin Macleod

https://filmmusic.io/song/3796-garden-music

All music is available on https://filmmusic.io

Production information

Editing and post-production by Professor Joe Cain.

Podcast information

“WeAreSTS” is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, and to leave feedback about the show, visit us online:

https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast

STS Students and staff also can find on the website information about how to get involved with our programme.

“WeAreSTS” producer is Professor Joe Cain.

Twitter: @stsucl #WeAreSTS