Program on Science, Technology and Society at Harvard

Mission Statement

The Program on Science, Technology and Society (STS) at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government is dedicated to enhancing the quality of research, education, and public debate on the role of science and technology in contemporary societies. Through integrated, cross-disciplinary initiatives in research, teaching, training, and public outreach the Program seeks to develop foundational, policy-relevant insights into the nature of science and technology, and the ways in which they both influence and are influenced by society, politics, and culture. Among the fields that significantly contribute to the STS Program’s core mission are science and technology studies, anthropology, comparative politics, history, government, law, and sociology.

The Program takes as its point of departure salient issues at the intersection of science, technology, and public policy. It illuminates these through rigorous and sustained research on both national and international topics. Research projects in the STS Program range broadly across the legal, political, and cultural studies of science and technology, but program faculty and fellows have developed a special focus on topics involving the life sciences, especially genetics, biotechnology, and the environment.

The Program addresses several broad and overlapping constituencies:

• Harvard University students, faculty, fellows, and visiting scholars interested in science, technology, and society;
• Kennedy School faculty and students with policy interests that intersect with developments in science, technology, medicine, and society;
• Harvard scientists active in or concerned with social and ethical issues in science, engineering, and medicine;
• Boston area faculty and students, including those from MIT, who share disciplinary interests in science and technology studies;
• Scientists, policymakers, journalists, museum workers, and others concerned with the ethical, legal, and social implications of contemporary science and technology.

To serve these constituencies, the STS Program sponsors a weekly discussion group, public lectures and panels, and occasional larger events such as conferences and workshops, often in collaboration with other Harvard academic units and research centers.