Nano meets macro: Social perspectives on nanoscale sciences and technologies
(Nanowerk News) This book explores the enormous diversity in social perspectives on the emergence of nanotechnologies. The diversity is structured by applying five broad categories: Philosophy, governance, science, representations and arts, and attention is drawn to important research lines and pertinent questions within and across these categories. Nano goes Macro is designed especially for use in interdisciplinary teaching and discussions about nanoethics with natural science students, but the richness of issues and perspectives makes it of interest to all researchers, practitioners and non-academics wanting an introduction to the social perspectives on nanosciences and technologies. To stimulate a thorough discussion the book includes pieces of science fiction and visual arts, as well as questions for reflection after each chapter. The book contains chapters by prominent scholars and commentators in the field, such as Alfred Nordmann, Rob Doubleday, Lynn Frewer and Friends of the Earth.
About the Author
Fern Wickson is a cross-disciplinary scholar with research interests and publications in environmental philosophy and decision-making, the politics of risk and uncertainty, the governance of emerging technologies, and the theory and practice of cross-disciplinary research. She completed a cross-disciplinary PhD (2002-2006) with the Schools of Biological Sciences and Science, Technology and Society at the University of Wollongong in Australia, with a dissertation entitled "From Risk to Uncertainty: Australia’s Environmental Regulation of Genetically Modified Crops".
Prior to this, Fern undertook a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science double degree at the Australian National University and attained a first class Honours degree in Environmental Politics from the University of Tasmania. Fern has lectured on diverse topics across the disciplines of history, politics, philosophy, science and technology studies, biology and engineering. In her spare time she loves hanging out with her dogs, hiking and contemplating her ecological self. She is constantly amazed by the beauty of the universe and the marvellous diversity of life on earth.
Kamilla Lein Kjølberg has a broad research interest in responsible environmental governance. She holds a Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, with a double specialisation in Tropical Ecology and Ecological Economics. Her master thesis was called "When Experts Disagree", and dealt with scientific expertise and policy advice in the case of deliberate release of genetically modified crop. From 2005 to 2006 she worked for the GenØk Centre for Biosafety with, among other tasks, research on identification and classification of uncertainties related to DNA-vaccination of fish. In the same period she acted as the editor of Gennytt, an electronic newsletter about agricultural biotechnology. Kamilla is now working for the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen, with a PhD-project about nanotechnology and responsibility.
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