#Responsibility and Science

Consuming Genomes: Constructing the Genetic Consumer in the United States

On May 16th 2011 Margaret Curnutte gave her talk at the Foundation premises on “Consuming Genomes: Constructing the Genetic Consumer in the United States” as part of her Harvard Bassetti scholarship. DIY genetic testing poses many questions that regard the governance of technologies but also how social and cultural norms co-evolve with the history of ... Consuming Genomes: Constructing the Genetic Consumer in the United States

Itinerary: Communicating Science

In light of the Bassetti Foundation’s announcement of their involvement in the 2012 Public Communication of Science and Technology Network conference and related call for abstracts for funding, Jonathan Hankins reviews some of the related materials available on the foundation website. ———————– The problem of the communication of science and innovation has been addressed many ... Itinerary: Communicating Science

The Royal Society, a font of information

Last year the Royal Society celebrated its 350th anniversary, a festival in which the Bassetti Foundation participated in the form of Cristina Grasseni’s visit to London and involvement in the Harvard University Science and Democracy Network international meeting, part of the celebrations. In the run up to this celebration the Royal Society established its Science ... The Royal Society, a font of information

Preventative governance

On Wednesday 7th July, Professor David Guston of the Arizona State University presented the work of the CSPO (Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes) and the CSN-ASU (Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University) at an invitation seminar held here at the Bassetti Foundation. Amongst the participants were Ottavia Bassetti, Piero Bassetti, Oscar ... Preventative governance

A man, his history and his DNA

by Margherita Fronte One of humankind’s oldest needs – to know oneself. One of the most modern technologies – the DNA testing of a single individual. These are the 2 ingredients of the book entitled Go Ask Your Father: One Man’s Obsession with Finding His Origins Through DNA Testing (Bantam Books, 2009), written by Lennard ... A man, his history and his DNA

Different forms of expertise

Lunedì 3 maggio si è svolto presso la sede della Fondazione Giannino Bassetti un seminario con il professor Wiebe E. Bijker, professore di Tecnologia e società all’Università di Maastricht (Olanda). Abbiamo già pubblicato l’intervista al professor Bijker fatta da Margherita Fronte (Il ruolo degli esperti nella democrazia), ora rendiamo disponibile la registrazione del seminario e ... Different forms of expertise

A short review: Conversations On Innovation, Power And Responsibility

Last week we put online a new publication of the Foundation Bassetti entitled “Conversations On Innovation, Power And Responsibility”, written by Jeff Ubois and available in hard copy, downloadable pdf or Issuu (on line) versions. The publication is a resume’ of conversations conducted between Mr Ubois and 12 internationally renowned innovators and thinkers and features ... A short review: Conversations On Innovation, Power And Responsibility

Drugs for People, not for Profit.

On Saturday 29th September 2009 an article appeared in the Guardian one of the UK’s wider read broadsheets entitled ‘Soaring Drugs Bill Threatens to Bankrupt NHS’. The article refers to a report published on the same day by left leaning think-tank Compass, an organization that describes itself as ‘Direction for the Democratic Left’. It reports ... Drugs for People, not for Profit.

Regulating nanotechnology through private actors?

by Brice Laurent While some public officials claim that the potential risks of nanotechnology will be managed as early as possible, numerous questions are raised about the relevance of existing regulation for the many different nano-products. The standards and codes that are being experimented are, at this time, mostly voluntary and emerge from a range ... Regulating nanotechnology through private actors?

The Politics of Science and the re-definition of democracy (part 2)

(Mariachiara Tallacchini offers here an introduction to Jasanoff’s STS approach – …continues from the previous entry). … In her more recent and complex work, published in the United States in 1995 with the title Design on nature the author turns her gaze upon the politics that have accompanied and distinguished the history of bio-technology, thus ... The Politics of Science and the re-definition of democracy (part 2)

Mariachiara Tallacchini

Governance and participation in nanotechnology

A look at Wikipedia gives a thorough if not quite technical description of what nanotechnology is or could be defined as. The description opens with “Nanotechnology is a highly multidisciplinary field, drawing from fields such as applied physics, materials science, interface and colloid science, device physics, supramolecular chemistry (which refers to the area of chemistry ... Governance and participation in nanotechnology

Science and Governance: the provocation of responsibility.

Conversation with Mariachiara Tallacchini On the Science in Society website of the European Commision one reads that “The European Commission needs to create the conditions for a structured dialogue on questions relative to science, with a view to anticipating and clarifying the hopes and fears of the public. Faced with an informed and involved public, ... Science and Governance: the provocation of responsibility.