In May 2014, the Science, Technology and Society Priority Group will host a conference at the University of Nottingham, titled ‘Circling the square: Research, politics, media and impact’.
The conference will explore the role of knowledge in policy making, bringing together international scholars in the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, practitioners at the science-policy interface, the public and the media. This conference has two major aims.
Firstly, it will explore the opportunities and challenges involved with the development of policy-relevant evidence from the perspectives of researchers and practitioners. The motivation and role of researchers (as honest brokers, advocates and so on), as well as the use and abuse of evidence by the media and political elites, will be addressed.
The second aim is to foster a conversation between researchers, decision-makers, journalists, and engaged citizens. In particular, speakers will explore how relevant actors communicate, and in which contexts, and what they expect from each other. These issues will be addressed drawing on recent controversies from the UK and abroad, such as climate change, the economic crisis and drug regulation.
The conference will be held on University Park campus between 20th-22nd May 2014.
Visit the conference website
We will circulate information soon about speaker details and how to get involved. If you have any informal enquiries, please contact Professor Reiner Grundmann or the programme committee (see below).
Programme committee:
Reiner Grundmann – Professor of Science and Technology Studies, School of Sociology and Social Policy
Philip Moriarty – Professor of Physics, School of Physics and Astronomy
Georgina Endfiled - Professor of Environmental History, School of Geography
John Holmwood – Professor of Sociology, School of Sociology and Social Policy
Sarah Hartley – Research Fellow, School of Biosciences