Forging New Connections Between Nanoscience and Society in the UCSB Center for Nanotechnology in Society Science and Engineering Fellows Program

As authorized by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers (NSECs) are mandated to develop a skilled workforce and support responsible development of nanotechnology, including attention to ethical, legal and societal implications (ELSI). An NSEC, the National Science Foundation Center for Nanotechnology in Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara addresses both of these goals within the context of its Science and Engineering Fellows Program. By placing doctoral students from science and engineering disciplines in team-based social science projects focused on ELSI, this program forges closer ties between laboratory scientists and social perspectives. This chapter offers an overview of the program, describes how Fellows were integrated into two specific research streams, and shares analysis of interviews with Fellows. These interviews, conducted as part of an evaluation of the program, provide evidence that the Science and Engineering Fellows Program has fostered in its graduates the sort of reflexivity called for by advocates of responsible innovation.

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