UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies

31 May 2012

The annual STS Research Day provides a forum for staff, students, and fellows to discuss their research. 

Brian Balmer’s new book Secrecy and Science has been made available FREE to UCL staff and students.

link: tinyurl.com/balmer2012

In the latest of our series of interviews with our alumni about life after STS, Careers Officer Dr Karen Bulititude chats with Olympia Brown about life as the Science Learning Manager at the Royal Institution.

Student enterprise awards: UCL Advances Bright Ideas 2012

Students amaze us all the time. 

Congratulations to our PhD student, Jonathan Everett, for his article:

"Constituting objectivity: Transcendental perspectives on modern physics"

An energetic UCL Town Meeting last week brought together academic staff and students from across UCL to identify common interests and potential future research directions relating to social media.  STS staff Simon Lock, Jon Agar and Karen Bultitude teamed up with UCL colleagues from Digital Humanities and Anthropology to stimulate discussion and provide a mapping of academic staff and student interests in social media research.  

STS was well represented at the recent Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) conference in Florence.  Six members of staff and PhD students provided strong contributions to the various discussions, which focused on the theme of "Quality, honesty and beauty in science and technology communication".  STS academics collaborated with colleagues from around the world to deliver five separate sessions covering a wide range of topic areas:

The next installment of Science & Technology Studies series of careers podcasts for undergraduate students is available on our careers website.

Congratulations to Anish Vinayak (STS BSc student Year 2), who has won UCL's prestigious Bright Ideas Award 2012 and secured funding for his business proposal.

UCL's Department of Science and Technology Studies seeks to appoint a full time Lecturer in Science Policy.

The deadline for abstracts and session submissions is approaching.  Please get in touch with Karen (Karen.bultitude@ucl.ac.uk) or myself (simon.lock@ucl.ac.uk) if you need to discuss this further.

Dr Brian Balmer has just returned from the conference on ‘Technology, Values and Ethics’ (Technología, Valores Y Ética), where he was one of the main speakers.   The conference was held in Ferrol, in Galicia, Northern Spain, between 15-16 March, and was organised by the University of Coruña. During the conference, Brian met with the deputy-major of Ferrol, and was interviewed by two local newspapers about his work on the history of chemical and biological warfare, and the implications of this work for current arms control.   The interviews appeared in La Voz de Galicia (Spain’s 5th most widely read newspaper) and Diario de Ferrol.  The articles can be found at:

http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/ferrol/2012/03/14/manana-inauguran-campus-jornadas-sobre-fiolosofia-metodologia-actual-ciencia/00031331745998549972422.htm

Congratulations to STS's Jon Agar on the publication of his new book Science in the 20th Century & Beyond. 

Well not far off...

In case you're wondering what STS's Professor Steve Miller is getting up to on his Research Leave - you can read his blog - hot of the press from the rather chilly (-7 degrees C) summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Steve and colleagues are hoping the weather improves so they can get a one chance only (ever!) look at the comet Garradd using the Gemini North telescope at the Mauna Kea observatory.

The latest in STS's series of interviews with alumni about their careers after graduation is now available on the careers website. (Just click on the second tab)

The 2012 National Student Survey seeks your views this term
Link: http://www.thestudentsurvey.com/

Now in its 7th year, the Science in Public conference brings together those strands of academia which consider the relationships between science and ‘the public’, multiple publics, and the public sphere. This conference provides a wide-ranging platform for discussing and debating emerging cross-disciplinary perspectives, as well as showcasing recent and developing research findings. Delegates come from many disciplines: science and technology studies, history of science, geography, psychology, cultural studies, media studies, sociology, science communication, development studies, English literature, science policy studies and more.

Want to hear more from Dr Jon Agar after his Turing podcast? You can catch him on the BBC iPlayer taking part in this week's edition of Material World discussing scientists, medics and engineers who have changed the world since Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne. You can listen to to the programme on the BBC website.

Dr Karen Bultitude was recently part of a European delegation to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, Canada.  For the past few years the European Commission has supported a small number of specialist seminars and workshops showcasing European expertise in science communication; this year Karen contributed to a provocative session entitled Everyone's an Expert but who is listening?.  Karen provided an analysis of international best practice in public participation in research and policy decision-making processes, as well as an overview of existing large scale work in this area within the UK.  The session proved to be one of the most popular strands within the conference, and prompted much discussion and wider interest.

If you missed Jon Agar's lunchtime lecture on Alan Turing & the History of the Computer you can now access it online at

STS alumnus Jake Soper (above) came into the STS radio studio to chat with Careers Officer Karen Bultitude about life after STS. Jake, who studied History & Philosophy of Science at UCL, talks about getting into the Civil Service Fast Stream and gives some great tips about what recruiters are looking for in applications and at interview.

STSers participate in UCL's growing "Sociology Network"

For more information about the network and ways to participate, visit the new website:

The latest issue of the Innovia Foundation's Newsletter (Feb 2012, number 17) features an article by STS's research fellow, Dr Norma Morris, summarising activities from the Research Volunteers Workshop held over summer 2011.

Chiara Ambrosio has previously proven at Bright Club in the Bloomsbury Theatre that staff and students here are very good at cheering their fellow STSers on! And we've just heard we have another fantastic opportunity coming up this September. Science & Technology Studies 1st Year Simon Dennis (also as Dennis Dennis) will be appearing with the UCL Team on BBC University Challenge!

Current students were treated to expert advice from STS alumni at a special careers event organised by the department on 24 February.  Former students shared their insights on what a degree in STS can do for you in the job market, as well as how to make the most of extra-curricula activities to 'shine up' your CV and make sure it stands out from the crowd.  Careers represented included a trainee solicitor at a top City law firm, science policy advisor at the Royal Society, academic researcher at King's College London, Assistant Curator at the Science Museum, and a current PhD student who had recently successfully obtained studentship funding in a highly competitive environment.