Science, Technology & Society News

2022
- Drexel Course Lends a Hand to the Mütter Museum
  
  May 24, 2022
  An interdisciplinary course developed in partnership with the historic museum highlighted a host of ethical issues that arise in compiling and maintaining medical archives and artifacts.
  
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- Professor of Politics Christian Hunold, PhD, Named Associate Dean for Faculty Advancement
  
  January 27, 2022
  Christian Hunold, PhD, professor of politics, has been appointed Associate Dean for Faculty Advancement, effective February 1. In his new role, Hunold will be responsible for leadership and oversight of faculty affairs tasks. He will also manage and review academic space in the College, assessing needs, priorities and allocations; supervise our IT support team; and represent CoAS on the Vice Provost of Faculty Advancement's university-wide committee of associate deans.
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2021
- Kris Unsworth, PhD, Named Director of Center for Science, Technology & Society
 
 November 09, 2021
 Kris Unsworth, PhD, from the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies, has been appointed director of the Center for Science, Technology and Society, effective Fall 2021. She will lead the planning and implementation of initiatives to increase the visibility of the Center both inside and outside the university.
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- Open Science Hardware Accelerates Innovation, Democratizes Science
 
 July 29, 2021
 Open Science Hardware (OSH) could be a game changer for the democratization of science, as long as there is infrastructure to prevent recreating existing inequities. Julieta Arancio, a postdoctoral researcher under the mentorship of Gwen Ottinger, is studying the OpenFlexure project to develop policy recommendations for university management, researchers and anyone trying to promote OSH.
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- Students Explore the Ethics of Science and Technology in STS Minor
 
 July 21, 2021
 Appealing to a wide range of students—from those who are pre-med, studying engineering or computing and informatics, to students who are interested in the societal and ethical impact of science and technology—the Science, Technology and Society (STS) minor allows students to explore the cultural, ethical, historical, political and institutional dimensions of science, medicine and technology.
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- #ForeverDragons: Save the Date for the CoAS Commencement 2021
 
 May 04, 2021
 
 On Tuesday, June 8, 2021, the College of Arts and Sciences will celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2021 with a virtual commencement. The ceremony will be live-streamed from Mandell Theater, where a small party of dignitaries and speakers will gather.
 
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- The Future of Artificial Intelligence Requires the Guidance of Sociology
 
 April 13, 2021
 In the race to out-compete other companies– artificial intelligence (AI) design is lacking a deep understanding of what data about humans mean and its relation to equity. Two Drexel University sociologists suggest we pay greater attention to the societal impact of AI, as it is appearing more frequently than ever before.
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2020
- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
 
 September 29, 2020
 We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
 
 August 26, 2020
 We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
 
 July 27, 2020
 We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- CoAS Creates New Role: Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
 
 July 22, 2020
 The College of Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce that it will appoint an internal candidate to the new role of Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, with an expected start date of September 1, 2020. This new position will report directly to the Dean and become a member of the Dean’s Leadership Team, a group comprising Department Heads, Associate Deans and Directors.
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- Daniel Drexler and Sumita Gangwani Win 2020 Excellence in Science, Technology and Society Prize
 
 June 10, 2020
 Two master’s students in science, technology and society, Daniel Drexler (Drex) ’20 and Sumita Gangwani, are the recipients of the 2020 Excellence in Science, Technology and Society (STS) Prize. This is the fifth year that the Center for STS has offered this annual prize.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
 
 June 10, 2020
 We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
 
 May 06, 2020
 We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
 
 April 03, 2020
 We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- Living with Autoimmune Illnesses
 
 March 31, 2020
 Kelly Joyce, PhD, a professor in the Department of Sociology and the Center for Science, Technology and Society (STS), and Mel Jeske, an alum of Drexel’s MS in STS program, published a series of articles that explore how people living in the United States make sense of and manage autoimmune illnesses.
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- ‘But You Don’t Look Sick?’ How Broad Categories like Autoimmune Impact Patient Experience
 
 March 23, 2020
 When your disease is hard to name and doesn’t have visible symptoms, it can be hard for others to understand that you are sick. And, when people don’t know much about your disease, it can be hard to explain it to family and friends.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
 
 February 03, 2020
 We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- Course Methodology: STS Theory Studio
 
 January 08, 2020
 I did not expect that students would use their potluck dish as part of their final project submission. We ate heptapod brownies, inspired by the extraterrestrial species in the movie “Arrival,” and learned about bacteria, mold, and transnational technoscience as we sampled artisan cheeses. These potluck offerings were science, technology and society theory models, in edible form — nourishment for finals week at Drexel University.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
 
 January 08, 2020
 We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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2019
- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
  
  October 21, 2019
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- Winter Courses
  
  October 18, 2019
  Explore creativity in research, the history of the Earth, globalization and more in these new and noteworthy winter courses!
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
  
  August 13, 2019
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
  
  April 01, 2019
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
  
  March 05, 2019
  
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of the members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
  
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- The Speed of Thinking Exhibition and Panel
  
  February 18, 2019
  The Center for Mobilities Research & Policy co-organized a panel discussion on February 13th, 2019 in association with the Pearlstein Gallery’s exhibition The Speed of Thinking.
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- Why Consider Graduate School?
  
  February 05, 2019
  When it comes to life after graduation, there are many exciting decisions to consider, from choosing where to put down roots, to applying for jobs and determining if graduate or professional school is right for you.
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- Rising Leaders: Sumita Gangwani
  
  January 25, 2019
  Sumita Gangwani has taken her passion for sustainability into diverse roles — studying green energy in Iceland, researching the politics of energy development in Philadelphia, and influencing sustainable retail policies on co-op in Washington, D.C. As an on-campus leader, she has advocated for Drexel to remain committed to its environmental initiatives and has helped empower new Dragons as a student ambassador and mentor.
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2018
- Environmental Studies Major Promotes Sustainability in Retail
  
  December 21, 2018
  If IKEA sounds like an unlikely co-op employer for an Environmental Studies and Sustainability major, it’s not news to Sumita Gangwani. The sophomore received questioning looks when she told friends that she would complete her first co-op in corporate communications at the Swedish retail giant’s North American headquarters.
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- Breathtaking: Q&A on Asthma Care and Climate Change with Ali Kenner, PhD
  
  November 27, 2018
  Alison Kenner, PhD, assistant professor of politics and of science, technology and society, has studied how people live with and care for asthma for more than a decade. Her new book, “Breathtaking: Asthma Care in a Time of Climate Change,” published by the University of Minnesota Press, examines this chronic disorder in light of global environmental changes.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
  
  November 26, 2018
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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- Did You Know Exorcisms Aren’t Just a Bunch of Hocus Pocus?
  
  October 31, 2018
  Whether you are getting ready for a gory Halloween movie marathon, taking it to the streets to trick-or-treat – or priming your costume for a spooky soiree, remember, as we indulge in the spirit of make-believe and pretend, some scary traditions are based in reality — yikes!
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- Sociology Professors Awarded NSF Grant
  
  October 30, 2018
  Diane M. Sicotte and Kelly A. Joyce were awarded $345,270 from NSF through the Science, Technology and Society program for a three-year project, titled “Societal Aspects of Energy Infrastructure Expansion.”
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- Winter Courses
  
  October 15, 2018
  Explore how natural disasters shape our world, changing perceptions of mental illness, and the effects of social movements on theories of democracy in these new and noteworthy winter courses.
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- CoAS Accomplishments in Brief
  
  September 24, 2018
  
  We are pleased to recognize the recent grants, publications, presentations, awards and honors of members of the College of Arts and Sciences.
  
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- STS Faculty Win Awards
  
  May 03, 2018
  Three faculty—Vincent Duclos, Christian Hunold, and Ali Kenner—won Drexel Summer Faculty Research Awards. One faculty—Gwen Ottinger—won a Drexel Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity Award. These awards demonstrate STS faculty’s commitment to research, training students, and explaining research findings to diverse publics.
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- Janine Bower Wins 2018 Excellence in Science, Technology and Society Prize
  
  May 03, 2018
  Janine Bower, MS in science, technology and society '18, is the recipient of the 2018 Excellence in Science, Technology and Society Prize. This is the third year that the Center for STS has offered this annual prize. Nominated and voted on by STS-affiliated faculty, the prize is presented to a STS graduate student who has demonstrated exemplary performance in research, academics and service to the STS program.
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- Humanities and Social Sciences Lab Open House Fosters Interdisciplinary Collaboration
  
  April 03, 2018
  
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- Meet Global Studies and STS Prof Vincent Duclos
  
  April 02, 2018
  Vincent Duclos, PhD, assistant professor of global studies and of science, technology and society, pushes his students to experiment with the digital spaces they inhabit.
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- Student Spotlight: Data Science Major Brings Users into Design in STS Research Co-op
  
  March 16, 2018
  Stephanie Oppenheim, a sociology major and minor in science, technology and society, sat down with data science major Laurel Vaughan to talk about Vaughan’s STS research co-op. The co-op was funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Award #1U01EB023035-01 with Kelly Joyce, PhD, professor of sociology and Director of the Center for Science, Technology and Society.
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- Student Spotlight: Sociology Major Discusses Her Minor in STS
  
  March 16, 2018
  Data science major Laurel Vaughan interviewed Stephanie Oppenheim, a sociology major with minors in political science and science, technology and society, about her decision to minor in STS.
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- Boiling Down Warming Temperatures
  
  January 22, 2018
  
  Weather changes, such as the unseasonably high temperatures in Philadelphia this fall, can have serious impacts on health, says Drexel’s Ali Kenner, PhD, assistant professor of political science and of science, technology and society — especially for senior citizens, who are at higher risk for climate-related health complications.
  
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- A Breath of Fresh Air
  
  January 17, 2018
  
  If you live in a town or city like Philadelphia where industrial facilities are emitting chemicals into the air, there is plenty of reason to wonder: How is this affecting me? Few communities have access to ambient air-monitoring data, and those that do rarely use it because it is complicated and lacks context.
  
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- Frame of Mind
  
  January 15, 2018
  Street photographer and Drexel anthropologist Brent Luvaas, PhD, has a way of blending in as he walks city streets. If he’s lucky, a certain slant of light will catch his eye and he will set the exposure for maximum depth of field, waiting patiently for the right subject to walk in front of the lens. Most often, however, the typical elements of a photographer’s labor — setup, composition and lighting — happen almost instantaneously
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- NSF-Backed Study Investigates the Ethics of Algorithms
  
  January 08, 2018
  Computer algorithms — the sequences of instructions or rules computers follow to solve problems — influence many aspects of our lives, from the products we buy to the people we date and even the jobs we are offered. But who makes algorithms and code, and how do their values translate into the work they do? That's what Kelly Joyce, PhD, wanted to find out in 2013, when she and a fellow researcher were awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for their study, The Ethics of Algorithms.
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2017
- History Professor Tiago Saraiva Wins Pfizer Prize
  
  November 28, 2017
  Tiago Saraiva, PhD, was awarded the Pfizer Prize for best scholarly book, "Fascist Pigs: Technoscientific Organisms and the History of Fascism" (MIT Press, October 2016) at the 2017 History of Science Society (HSS) annual meeting.
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- Investigating the Ethics of Autism Research
  
  November 08, 2017
  Autism spectrum disorder is a complex issue historically, culturally and scientifically. The broad definition of autism — which encompasses a range of symptoms related to communication, social responsiveness and behavior — raises unique challenges for scientists, many of whom may not have the tools to anticipate the ethical implications of their research.
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- Whose Analysis? Whose Expertise?: Partnering for Better Data Analytics for Small Cities
  
  November 03, 2017
  On October 20, 2017, Kelly Joyce, PhD, Drexel University, and Susan Sterett, PhD, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, gave a talk at University of Massachusetts, Amherst titled “Whose Analysis? Whose Expertise?: Partnering for Better Data Analytics for Small Cities.”
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- Fall Courses
  
  September 25, 2017
  Students still looking for classes to fill their fall schedules can explore workplace identity, comparative social movements, citizen science and more in these fall courses.
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- Drexel Researcher Makes Air Pollution Data User-Friendly
  
  August 17, 2017
  If you live in a town or city where industrial facilities are emitting chemicals into the air, there is plenty of reason to wonder: How is this affecting me?
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- Drexel Undergraduate Thrives in Unique STS Co-op
  
  June 27, 2017
  For her final co-op, Biology major/Politics minor Kelsey Boone found a unique position in the Center for Science, Technology, and Society that enables her to both use her interdisciplinary training and build new, marketable skill sets. Kelsey splits her time between Professor Gwen Ottinger’s research group (the Fair Tech Collective) in the Center for STS and the Chemical Heritage Foundation, an Old City-based non-profit dedicated to the history of chemistry.
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- Bridging Research and Policy in Taipei
  
  June 27, 2017
  
  From May 14 to May 27, 2017, Gwen Ottinger was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Risk Society and Policy Research Center (RSPRC) at National Taiwan University in Taipei. Her visit included academic talks at National Kaohsiung Marine University, National Chengchi University and National Yang-Ming University, as well as a presentation at RSPRC's "I Breathe, I Decide" forum on air pollution.
  
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- Dalton George Wins 2017 Excellence in Science, Technology and Society Prize
  
  June 27, 2017
  Dalton George, MS in science, technology and society '17, is the recipient of the 2017 Excellence in Science, Technology and Society Prize. This is the second year that the Center for STS has offered this annual prize. Nominated and voted on by STS-affiliated faculty, the prize is presented to a STS graduate student who has demonstrated exemplary performance in research, academics and service to the STS program.
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- Fall Courses
  
  June 27, 2017
  Learn to think like a publicist, understand what it means to be a citizen scientist, and examine the idea of peace in these fall courses.
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- Drexel Faculty and Students Present at the Annual ESS Meeting
  
  April 27, 2017
  
  The Eastern Sociological Society’s (ESS) Annual Meeting was held in Philadelphia, PA from February 23rd - 26th, 2017. ESS was founded in 1930 to support sociological research and networking in the northeast United States, and has about 1,200 members. There were approximately 1,450 registrants at this year’s annual meeting and approximately 200 undergraduates presented posters. Drexel was well represented at the annual meeting with both faculty and students presenting.
  
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- Drexel hosts the Joint Atlantic Seminar in the History of Biology
  
  April 11, 2017
  Drexel’s Department of History and Center for Science, Technology and Society (STS) hosted the Joint Atlantic Seminar in the History of Biology on March 24-25, 2017. The event was organized by Lloyd Ackert, Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of History and affiliate faculty member with STS. Participants represented U.S. universities including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Brown, Penn, Franklin & Marshall, Temple, Cornell and Johns Hopkins; and international institutions such as the University of Paris and University of Vienna.
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- Stop Making Sense: Sensory Science Meets STS
  
  April 06, 2017
  Drexel's STS Center, in conjunction with the Chemical Heritage Foundation and Drexel's Center for Hospitality and Sports Management, co-hosted a one-day symposium on March 10, 2017, "Stop Making Sense".
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- Drexel University's STS Students Present at the 2017 STGlobal Conference
  
  April 06, 2017
  Drexel University is a member of STGlobal Consortium. The STGlobal Consortium is a group of universities with students interested in science and technology studies (STS), science and technology policy (STP), and other related topics. It hosts an international graduate student conference is dedicated to inquiry into science and technology policy and science and technology studies.
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- 25 Faces 25 Years: Bill Drust
  
  March 01, 2017
  After seven years in a communications role at digital entertainment company Rovi, Bill Drust was looking for a change. While most career jumps look more like hops, Drust took a vaulting leap — and landed in Drexel’s Master’s Program in Science, Technology and Society (STS).
  
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2016
- Climate-Change-Conference
  
  December 15, 2016
  A group of 10 students and professors went to Morocco in November for the annual gathering of government delegates and climate researchers. They came back refocused and reinvigorated.
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