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NESTA gives researchers room to experiment together (02/05/2008)
Thirty up and coming researchers from across the world of science and social science came together this weekend for the first of four innovation Labs being run by NESTA (The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), designed to act as spring boards where researchers can take risks, and embark on new collaborations across a range of disciplines.
The Crucible programme is now in its fifth year and aims to inspire innovation by bringing together early career researchers from different disciplines, to develop new ideas and explore the wider potential that collaboration can bring to their work. This year Crucible has been expanded to consist of four residential Lab weekends, and an even wider range of participants who are encouraged to continue working together once the programme has completed.
Crucible 2008 sees the broadest range of disciplines collaborating on the programme yet. Participants this year include university-based researchers in as varied subjects as structural biology and nanotechnology; industry people from corporations such as Proctor & Gamble and ColorMatrix Europe; and fellows from institutes and universities from Dundee to Sussex, as well as the Wellcome Trust MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology.
One of the exceptional participants to attend the Labs this year is Hua Dong, a lecturer at Brunel University, and co-founder of the Human Centred Design Institute. Dong has recently published a book on the topic ‘Design for Inclusivity’. Also attending is Alison Holt, an ecologist and researcher from the Catchment Science Centre at the University of Sheffield. Alison is currently setting up a consultancy to deliver advice to public and private sector businesses....more>>
New Booklets from Intute: Social Sciences (09/04/2008)
Two new A5 subject booklets have been published by Intute: Social Sciences this month; "Internet resources for education" and "Internet resources for Olympic studies". The booklets offers a taster to some of the best online information resources for researching the Olympic Games and education studies, which have been selected, evaluated and made available through the Intute: Social Sciences Web catalogue.
These are two of eight new titles that are freely available in three different versions for ease of use. Print copies are available to order online; subject to availability. Online versions (PDF for downloading and printing, and html for online access with clickable links) are available via the Intute website.
Over 24 booklets have been published by Intute in recent years, and everyone is welcome to copy, re-purpose and distribute the booklets for non-profit, educational use with suitable attribution, as the work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence.
Attention all BSA Annual Conference Delegates - Changes to the advertised Conference Plenary Session (25/03/2008)
Due to unforeseen circumstances Professor Nikolas Rose has had to cancel his plenary on “The Normal and the Pathological: Managing Bodies and Minds in the Age of Molecular Medicine“ which was scheduled for 14:00hrs on Saturday, 29th March. Professor John Urry will now present “Complexity and Climate Change” - further details can be found on the Annual Conference Plenary Speakers webpage.
UK Scientists to Tackle Problems of the Developing World (20/03/2008)
An innovative new scheme that will match-make UK scientists with communities in the developing world facing particular problems will launch today with support from the National Endowment for Science, technology & the Arts and the Sloane Robinson Foundation.
Established as a new not-for-profit organisation, ‘Science for Humanity’ will bring together scientists, international development agencies like Practical Action, and local social enterprises to develop workable and sustainable science based solutions to specific problems in developing world communities.
Issues around water, energy, disease diagnosis and treatment, environmental sustainability and agriculture will all be posed to scientists from across a range of disciplines, who will be encouraged to come forward with ideas for potential solutions.
Science for Humanity will then work with scientists, NGOs and a wide range of community partners on the ground to help raise the necessary funds and provide support for those ideas to be put into practice.
Scientists who would like to get involved or who think their research could have broader applications in the developing world are being encouraged to sign up www.scienceforhumanity.net.
Intute Social Sciences Blog: Favourite Blogs - Sociology (07/03/2008)
As part of the Festival of Social Sciences, Intute are running a series of articles on their favourite social sciences blogs - today's being on Sociology. Find out who Suzanne Barbalet has identified as her favourites at Intute: Social Sciences Blog.
Nominations for Associate Board Members of Sociology (07/03/2008)
Nominations are invited to join the Associate Board of the BSA journal, Sociology. Nominations should be submitted by Friday, 25 April 2008. Download the Invitation to Join the Associate Board of the BSA journal, Sociology and Application Form.
Sociology of Religion - New Postgraduate Essay Competition (12/02/2008)
There are still nearly three weeks to go until the deadline for entries to the new Postgraduate Essay Competition (28th February 2008).
The aim of the essay competition is to encourage new scholars in the Sociology of Religion. Essays are welcome from postgraduates at all stages of their studies and on any aspect of contemporary religion grounded in a sociological perspective. The winning essay will receive £100, and there will also be an opportunity to publish the winning entry in the Journal of Contemporary Religion, subject to the journal's normal peer review processes. Full details are on the Sociology of Religion Study Group's website - there is also a poster available for download.
Pandemic Influenza Study at LSE (12/02/2008)
A team at the London School of Economics and the University of Edinburgh is currently making a study of the United Kingdom's preparedness for responding to an epidemic influenza (Pandemic Influenza). As part of this project, they are trying to assemble a database of social scientists (interpreted very widely) who have expertise in any areas which might inform such a study. The team would be most grateful if people with such interests and expertise would send them a note of their names, institutional affiliation(s), qualifications and relevant research experience, and any significant publications which may be relevant to the study. It may be the case that people have been researching responses to disasters or other infectious disease epidemics - their experience would be relevant as well.
If you are working (or have worked) on the sorts of projects mentioned above could you please send an email to A S Barnett "PI socscien" in the subject field.
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