10th Annual IAS-STS conference, May 2-3, 2011

Note: Prof. Paulitz will also be visiting UC San Diego and giving a colloquium talk on Friday, February 4th at 12:30pm in HSS 3027.

The Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society in
Graz, Austria, has residential fellowships and conferences.
http://www.ifz.tugraz.at
http://www.ifz.tugraz.at/index_en.php/article/articleview/46/1/1

The fellowship applications for 2011-12 are due 31 December
http://www.ifz.tugraz.at/index_en.php/article/articleview/1962/1/48/

The conference is 2-3 May 2011; abstracts are due 24 January 2011. See
below for more information.

Prof. Tanja Paulitz, historian of technology and a member of the IAS-STS,
will be visiting UCLA 8 Jan-11 Feb and giving some talks.

Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society (IAS-STS)
GRAZ - AUSTRIA

The IAS-STS in Graz, Austria, which is hosted by the IFZ - Interuniversity
Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture (www.ifz.tugraz.at),
promotes the interdisciplinary investigation of the links and interactions
between science, technology and society, technology assessment, as well as
research on the development and implementation of socially and
environmentally sound technologies. Therefore, IAS-STS hosts international
fellows and research associates through its fellowship programme.
Additionally, the institute organizes an annual conference on "Critical
Issues in Science and Technology Studies".

10th Annual IAS-STS Conference, May 2-3, 2011
"Critical Issues in Science and Technology Studies"
http://www.ifz.tugraz.at/index_en.php/article/articleview/111/1/74

CONFERENCE THEMES

** -- Special session
1: "Issues of Inclusion and Exclusion in Web 2.0" For this part of the
conference, contributions on the topic "Issues of Inclusion and Exclusion
in Web 2.0" are looked for. Web 2.0 is considered as user-centred and
democratic: Everybody is said to be able to participate and it seems that
nearly everybody does. However, this is not the case of course. The
Internet with all its interactive applications is not as colourful as it
could be, it does not represent the `real' world and it is definitely not
democratic per se. In this session we want to discuss - boundaries and
possibilities, - theoretical inputs and empirical research, - gender,
queer and intersectionality issues of the current Internet. Besides a
critique on the current Web 2.0, we will discuss utopias as well - how can
the Internet be further democratized? -- Workshop: "The Concept of
`Heteronormativity' and its Methodological Implications" Conference
participants interested in joining this workshop please contact Birgit
Hofstätter (hofstaetter@ifz.tugraz.at) by March 31, 2011

**Ethical, Legal and Social Aspects of Human Genetics and Agricultural
Biotechnology**

A main focus of the conference will lie on research projects providing a
critical analysis of human genetic research or of agricultural
biotechnology. Researchers investigating either ethical, legal and social
aspects of genetic testing in the medical domain or risk policy and wider
governance issues related to agricultural biotechnology are especially
encouraged to contribute.

**Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP)**

SCP seeks to promote social and economic development within the carrying
capacity of ecosystems. New strategies and concrete tools are needed to
change individual and institutional patterns of consumption and to enhance
corporate responsibility (CR) of organisations. Researchers investigating
patterns of consumption and intervention strategies to promote sustainable
lifestyles among both public and private consumers or working within the
thematic field of ecological product policy are encouraged to give a
presentation. Research projects integrating product assessment tools such
as LCA, carbon footprint, MIPS or related methods are also of special
interest.
-- Special Session 2: Trans-disciplinarity in sustainability studies
We invite presentations dealing with concepts, models and experiences of
trans-disciplinary research (TDR) in the context of ecological and social
sustainability. We are interested in reflecting the possibilities and
limits of this type of research. The trans-disciplinarity panel will be
organized along specific sessions, and we are looking forward to
experience based or conceptual papers with a focus on one of the following
issues:
1. Integrated knowledge production: An important aspect of TDR refers to topics
of the production of new and integrated knowledge. We shall discuss
questions about the ways in which different kinds of knowledge -
represented by the different actors participating - are both being treated
and integrated in the research process.
- How do TDR actors work together to develop mutual learning, new
understandings and to produce new and integrated knowledge?
- How does social learning relate to knowledge integration?
2. (policy) Intervention: Interventions resulting from trans-disciplinary
research activities may proof the specific relevance of this specific type
of research. We would like to reflect on the potential for interventions
based on empirical papers, which describe interventions that have been
taking place in the context of carrying out TDR, and under what
circumstances that happened.
- Which kinds of interventions take place in TDR?
- How can TDR be designed in order to allow for interventions?
3. Societal relevance of trans-disciplinary research: TDR is considered being a
useful tool for solving complex `real world' problems. The added value of
this mode of research is often ascribed to its societal relevance and a
high potential for societal impact. In this session we want to discuss the
societal relevance on the basis of concrete cases.
- How do specific cases illuminate the societal relevance of TDR-activities?
- Which methodological tools can be applied to assess the societal relevance of
TDR?
The sessions will be affiliated to the final conference of the project
"Sustainable behavior at work and in private life" organized in parallel
to the IAS-STS conference.
-- `Sustainable behavior at work and in private life' - final conference
The first part of the conference deals with the specific characteristics and
quality criteria of trans-disciplinary research projects. The experiences
gained in the project `Sustainable behavior at work and in private life'
are contrasted with contributions of other researchers in the field of
sustainability. The second part of the conference is limited to the German
speaking audience and will be organized as a half-day workshop. The main inputs
and conclusions will be summarized and fed back to the IAS-STS conference.

**Energy and Climate**

Presentations in this field should develop appropriate measures and strategies
for the promotion of renewable energy sources and for the transition to a
sustainable energy system. Regional governance, climate policy strategies,
innovation policy, technology assessment, and the role of users in the
area of energy technologies should play an important role.
--Special Session 3: "How do you manage? Unravelling the situated practice of
environmental management" People manage their environments, all of us in
everyday life, and some more specifically as
professionals. Many of the decisions we take and activities we practice, in
everyday life as well as in professional roles, have consequences on our
environments. In order to explore more sustainable ways of living in this
world, however, we need to better understand these various forms of
environmental management. This session will discuss environmental management
as a practice, as a situated unfolding of social relationships, desires,
routines, and materials. Thereby, we aim to gain insight into some of the
processes by which sustainability and unsustainability are being produced.
Contributions to this session may address, but need not be limited, to the
following questions: How do people "manage" their environments in everyday
life? How do those who are explicitly considered environmental managers
understand their mission, opportunities and limitations? How do particular
forms of knowledge, organizations and implementation instruments structure
the engagement of the "manager" and her subject matter? And how does this
subject matter itself figure as an active participant in the process? The
session is organised by IFZ in cooperation with the Environment, Management
and Society research group (http://www.ems-research.org).

** Information and Communication Technologies**

The fifth focus of the conference will be put on novel developments based on
ICT from an STS perspective. Topics like ICT and agency, ubiquitous
computing or ICT and mobility shall be analysed with respect to their
wider social and political implications. Further issues of interest are
the social shaping of ICT developments, innovation policies, risk
management and participatory approaches to the design of ICT systems and
applications.

ORGANIZATIONAL DETAILS

*Participants*
The 10th IAS-STS conference invites all current and former fellows of the
Institute for Advanced Studies as well as other interested researchers in
the area of science and technology studies. The conference provides a
forum to discuss on a broad variety of topics in the STS field and
especially papers are encouraged which include some aspects of the above
mentioned conference themes.

*Abstracts*
Abstracts should include no more than 250 words, comprising detailed contact
information, affiliation and specification of the conference theme you are
referring to. Submission of abstracts should please be send to Birgit
Hofstätter (conference@ifz.tugraz.at) by *Monday, January 24, 2011*.

We also appreciate proposals for poster presentations and specific sessions in
the line with the conference themes. Proposals for sessions shall include
a preliminary title of the session, names of possible speakers and a short
outline on the issues to be discussed (max. 250 words) and should be send
to the above mentioned email address by *Monday, January 24, 2011*.

*We also welcome participants attending the conference without presenting a
paper themselves.

*Conference fees*
100 € (including conference folder, coffee breaks, lunch sessions)

No conference fees for current fellows of the IAS-STS fellowship programme
2010/11 and for graduate or PhD students.

*Grants covering conference fees*
Participants from central, eastern and south-eastern Europe may apply for a
reduction or exemption from conference fees. Please announce your
application in the online registration
form, which will be available soon after confirmation of accepted abstracts.
Registration will be open until *Monday, March 21, 2011.*

*Grants partly covering travel expenses*
We can offer grants partly covering travel expenses for:
- graduate or PhD students
- participants from central, eastern and south-eastern Europe

Up to 50 percent of the travel costs with a maximum amount of 100 € can be
reimbursed. If you would like to apply for a travel grant, please
checkmark it in the registration form. Reimbursement for travel expenses
will be given only after submitting your original tickets (eg. train,
flight tickets,etc.).

*Registration*
Registration for the 10th IAS-STS conference on "Critical Issues in
Science and Technology Studies" will be open until *Monday, March 21,
2011.*. The online registration form will be accessible by the beginning
of February 2011.

**Conference Venue**
IFZ- Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture
Schlögelgasse 2, 8010 Graz, Austria

For more information: www.sts.tugraz.at

******************************************************
Mag.a Birgit Hofstaetter

IFZ - Interuniversitaeres Forschungszentrum fuer Technik, Arbeit und Kultur
Inter-University Research Centre for Technology, Work and Culture
Schloegelgasse 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
Tel./Phone: +43/316/813909-26; Fax: +43/316/810274
E-Mail: hofstaetter@ifz.tugraz.at; http://www.ifz.tugraz.at

Das IFZ ist der Grazer Standort der Fakultaet fuer Interdisziplinaere Forschung
und Fortbildung (IFF) der Alpen-Adria-Universitaet Klagenfurt.

IFZ is the Graz unit of the Faculty for Interdisciplinary Studies (IFF) of the
Klagenfurt University.