STS Meets Synthetic Biology 2010

22nd-23rd November 2010

ICoSS, University of Sheffield

All the Networks in Synthetic Biology (NSBs) include social science researchers. A subset of those researchers work in the field of Science and Technology Studies, or STS, a field established several decades ago to study the social dimensions of science and technology.
A key aim of the Networks was to establish communication and networking between researchers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and, to that end, STS researchers have been particularly active in engaging with synthetic biology developments. Therefore, the UK STS community has held a workshop to discuss both existing work and potential contributions of STS in the field of synthetic biology research.

The workshop:
• Introduced the field of STS to non-specialists
• Clarified how STS is distinguished from other social scientific approaches (e.g. bioethics, ELSI, philosophy of science)
• Gave an overview of trends in `public attitudes´ and `public engagement´ research
• Showcased STS methods and approaches to researching the field of synthetic biology
• Presented `early day´ findings from STS engagement with the NSBs
• Provided opportunities to network and develop collaborative links

The workshop included oral and poster presentations, discussion sessions, Q&A and informal discussion opportunities over mealtimes.
The event was supported by the MATEs, SynbioNT, and Standards NSBs in the first instance. The MATEs network will provided lunch on both days of the workshop and evening dinner on the Monday night.
The workshop took place in ICoSS, (http://www.shef.ac.uk/icoss/) at The University of Sheffield, from midday on Monday 22nd November, finishing with lunch at 1pm on the 23rd.