Science and Technology Innovation Program
Events
Government Foresight: Myth, Dream, or Reality?
November 21, 2002 // 12:30pm — 2:00pm
Beginning in the summer of 2002, the Foresight and Governance Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center began commissioning papers from leading scholars and practitioners in public administration to explore ways to increase and improve foresight in the public sector. The authors of these papers will be presenting their ideas throughout the coming year and the key recommendations will be summarized in a final report.
Nanotechnology and the Environment
November 19, 2002 // 12:30pm — 2:00pm
Following on the footsteps of Bill Joy's now famous Wired article (Why the Future Doesn't Need Us), a number of people and organizations have begun to raise serious questions about the potential social and environmental impacts of nanotechnology. A recent piece by the ETC Group (No Small Matter! Nanotech Particles Penetrate Living Cells and Accumulate in Animal Organs) has received significant coverage in the popular press. How much do we know about the environmental impacts of nanotechnonly? Who is looking at these issues and who should be? How do we separate science from pseudoscience and hype? And what can we do to ensure that the public and policy-makers do not become so fearful of nanotechnology's risks that they reject or restrict its promise?
Positive Feedback, Technology Lock-in, and Implications for Policy
November 14, 2002 // 8:00am — 9:30am
David Kline, Ph.D.National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
Who Owns the Genome?
September 24, 2002 // 7:00am — 8:15pm
What Might the World Look Like in 50 Years?
May 20, 2002 // 12:00am
Planning Twenty Years Out
January 17, 2002 // 11:00pm
Mapping the Human Genome: Risks and Benefits
David Rejeski, director of the Wilson Center's Foresight and Governance Project, lauds the benefits but warns of the ethical and moral implications of the sequencing of the human genome.
The Future of Technology Assessment
The Foresight and Governance Project has released a new report titled The Future of Technology Assessment, a collection of three essays designed to explore the issue of technology assessment with a look towards the future--a future that will be continually transformed by investments in science and technology.
Governing on the Edge of Change
Imagine, for a moment, a world that is rapidly changing along three dimensions: Structure: a shift from hierarchies to networks; Ownership: transitions from proprietary to open-source models; and Exchange: a movement from classic markets and commodities to a gift or contribution economy. For public policymakers, this emerging zone creates opportunities to craft next generation policy, leadership, and management strategies that can work on the edge of change.
