UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies

The reading this month is from William H. Brock's new book, The Case of the Poisonous Socks: Tales from Chemistry (Cambridge: RSC Publishing, 2011). Bill Brock is a renowned historian of chemistry and author of the Fontana History of Chemistry (1992), among numerous other publications. This month we will be reading Part 4 of the book, which contains various essays on women chemists ranging from the ancient alchemist Mary the Jewess to the 20th-century chemist Edith Hilda Usherwood (a.k.a. Lady Ingold).

For copies of the readings, please contact Stephanie Seavers (stephanie.seavers.09@ucl.ac.uk) or Chiara Ambrosio (c.ambrosio@ucl.ac.uk)

For a great chance to meet with tutors and to find out about taking a PhD with us in Science & Technology Studies at come to the Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MAPS) Postgraduate Research Student Open Day. This will take place on Wednesday 2 November 2011. 

Matt Spencer, Goldsmiths Centre for Cultural Studies, University of London

The 6th London Ancient Science Conference will take place on Wednesday 16th November in the Garden Room, Wilkins Building, University College London.

Thomas Rose
Professor of Sensor Technology
Fachhochschule Muenster, Germany

The Attitude of Trade Unions towards Science

Abstract

Trade unions with their still more than 6 million members are an important part of UK’s society. In the past their support of organizations as Ruskin college in Oxford or the Workers’ Educational Association showed their interest in education and science. In the Nineteen Eighties they discussed the relation of science, new technologies, employment, and working conditions. But at present the attitude of trade unions towards science seems to be unknown. The International Bibliography of the Social Sciences with more than 110,000 publications in the last ten years contains about 150 publications with keywords gender and science in title and a similar number with keywords race and science, but only two with trade union and science.

The present work tries to study the present relation between trade unions and science by analyzing trade union documents, interviewing union representatives and politicians and surveying union members. Preliminary results of interviews with three union representatives and two MPs and of a survey among members of Unite will be presented.