 |
|
|
|
| A Message from the STS Director
| |
Hello STS Alumni,
Well, it’s been another very STS year on the national and world stage. We have a new virus waiting in the wings and building steam (to mix some metaphors): the H5N1 bird flu that has now widespread in wild birds. This virus has infected over 350 herds of cattle in the USA, as well as poultry. The first known case of H5N1 infecting a person with no known exposure to cattle or poultry was reported a few days ago – at a time when vaccine resistance is growing in the USA, bringing with it the possible return of deadly childhood diseases such as measles and polio.
Governance of health, medicine, and food safety under the incoming Trump administration seem likely to move away from science-based policy. Ditto for climate change, potentially ending decades of US dominance in climate and environmental science. At the same time, artificial intelligence is booming, bringing bright new possibilities – along with thorny new issues of intellectual property rights, automation of white collar work, ethics, and governance of a rapidly changing, transformative technology.
These are all issues that you, as STS alumni, are well equipped to understand and speak out about. Your opinions matter to those around you – talk to them!
In Stanford news, your STS Program is doing well these days! After a drop in the number of STS majors during the pandemic years, enrollment is up again, to about 130 majors – and climbing!
We’ve been fortunate to hire a new Lecturer, Dr. Jacob Hellman. Dr. Hellman is teaching three brand new courses for STS: Constructing and Deconstructing Artificial "Intelligence"; Performing The Economy: Markets, Measurement, and Expertise; and What's New? Innovation as a Concept and Practice.
All of you, please stay in touch. When it’s time for your class year reunion, come visit us! We want to know where you’ve traveled in your life and your career, how STS shaped your thinking and your goals, and your thoughts about what the Program should be doing to support our current generation of Stanford students.
Paul N. Edwards
Director, Program in Science, Technology, and Society
Senior Research Scholar, Center for International Security and Cooperation
Professor of Information and History (Emeritus), University of Michigan
| |
Welcome New STS Lecturer Jacob HellmanWe are excited to welcome Dr. Jacob Hellman to the STS Department as a new lecturer this year. Before joining Stanford, Dr. Hellman was a postdoctoral researcher at York University in Toronto and taught Sociology and Communication at the University of California, San Diego. Before returning to academia, Dr. Hellman worked in energy conservation for low-income housing. His current research explores how financial technologies create forms of social belonging that extend beyond their economic functions. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Hellman to our STS community!
| |
The STS Lectures: Science & Technology Studies TodayThis lecture series showcases cutting-edge work by scholars from Science & Technology Studies, an interdisciplinary field encompassing history, sociology, anthropology, media studies, and other social sciences that address scientific and technological change. See the schedule here.
| |
STS Intersect JournalIntersect is an international Science, Technology, and Society research journal run by undergraduate students at Stanford University and supported by the Program in STS at Stanford. It publishes research and scholarship on the social factors that shapes, underwrites, and/or inhibits research and invention, just as these social forces are, in turn, shaped by evolving science and technology. Read the latest issue here.
| |
| Welcome STS Visiting Scholars
| |
Dr. Eisenberger is a Professor of Innovation and Public Law and Deputy Head of the Department of Innovation and Digitalisation in Law at the University of Vienna. Her research interests include innovation and technology law, the protection of fundamental and human rights, and the intersection of law, innovation, and society. She has extensive experience in interdisciplinary research and has led nationally and internationally funded projects. Dr. Eisenberger has published in prominent journals such as Law, Innovation and Technology, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Computer Law and Security Review, and Nature Nanotechnology.
| |
Dr. Ferl is a researcher with a background in political science. She holds a PhD from Goethe University Frankfurt and she previously worked at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF). During her doctoral studies, she was a research fellow at the German Federal Foreign Office, Cornell University, and the University of Southern Denmark. She has also conducted field research at the United Nations in Geneva. Her research explores the intersection of politics, international security, and technology, with a focus on military applications of AI and autonomy. Dr. Ferl is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, affiliated with the Stanford Existential Risk Initiative (SERI) and the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC).
| |
Thank you to all who attended our STS/VTSS Alumni Reception!The STS Program hosted an event for our Alumni as part of the annual Stanford Reunion Homecoming weekend. It was great to see everyone and hear what you've been up to!
| |
Join Our Alumni Panels!
STS has many, very successful alums who gather to share the skills and talents they honed as part of their STS education. Each year, alums participate in Alumni Panels to talk about how they used their STS critical thinking, problem-solving and big picture thinking skills in their careers. We would love to hear from any STS alumni who would like to join a panel. Contact our Student Services Officer to sign up!
| |
Submit Your Alumni Story!Are you an STS Alum? We'd love to hear your story! Share news about career changes, promotions, retirement, awards, and life milestones by filling out our Alumni Stories form and we'll feature your story on our website!
| |
2024 Robert McGinn Award WinnerThe Robert McGinn Award is given to the graduating senior with the highest overall GPA for a B.A. degree in STS. Bella Raja received this award in recognition of her exceptional academic achievement in earning a B.A. in STS with a concentration in Catastrophic Risks and Solutions.
| |
2024 Walter Vincenti Award WinnerThe Walter Vincenti Award is presented to the graduating senior with the highest overall GPA for a B.S. degree in STS. Iris Ung received this award in recognition of her exceptional academic achievement in earning a B.S. in STS with a concentration in Innovation and Organization.
| |
2024 STS Director's Award for Advancing Social Justice in Science, Technology, and MedicineThis annual award recognizes an STS undergraduate or graduate student, teaching assistant, or staff member who has made a significant contribution to social justice for historically disadvantaged groups underrepresented in STEM fields. Awardees have worked to raise awareness of obstacles and injustices such as racism, sexism, and homophobia, and/or have contributed to creating lasting institutional change to support equal access to economic, political, and social rights and opportunities.
This year's award goes to STS certificator Monica Sircar, a PhD candidate in Science, Engineering, and Technology Education, who also holds a Graduate Certificate in STS. Monica's research in science education focuses on leveraging K-12 science curricula to advance social justice and support science educators in integrating social justice into their teaching practices. Her dissertation explores how to help science teachers center climate change education around place-based, local phenomena and community-driven action projects to address the climate impacts students face in their own communities.
| |
- Eleni Bosgana played for Greece in the FIBA EuroBasket
- Sadie Englemann is a Two-time NCAA Team Champion in Women's Golf
- Arthur Fery was awarded a Wimbledon doubles wildcard in 2024.
- Asher Hong helped the U.S. men’s gymnastics team earn the bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics
- Andrei Minakov won the 2024 Russian championship in the 100m fly and owns the Stanford record in a number of events.
- Catherine Paulson signed as a National Team Replacement Player with Bay FC
- Alexandra Yepifanova was named Pac-12 Player of the Week in Women's Tennis
| |
If you're not already a member of our LinkedIn group, please take a moment to visit our Stanford STS LinkedIn Group and request membership. Many of our majors use our group to find out what career paths our Alums have taken.
| |
Do you have a job or internship opportunity you would like to share with STS majors? Please send us an email and we will include it in our STS Wire e-newsletter.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
