UCL Science and Technology Studies (STS)

📢 We’re hiring! We are currently looking for a Lecturer in Medicine, Health and Society to join our Department from September 2025. For more info and to apply, please visit: https://bit.ly/41CTiXk Closing Date: 2nd March 2025   #medicine #health #society #science #technology #scienceandtechnologystudies #WeAreSTS

Call for Papers: Leviathan and after – a celebration of the history of science, the field, and its future. On 12th May 2025, we will mark the 40th anniversary of Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer's field-changing Leviathan and the Air Pump with a landmark celebration of history of science, the field, and its future.   Keynote: Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer in conversation with John Tresch at the Science Museum, London. For the opportunity to present at this celebration and have Professors Steven Shapin and Simon Schaffer respond to their work in conversation with Professor John Tresch, early career scholars are invited to send abstracts of max. 200 words for 20 minute papers. For more details go to: https://lnkd.in/ePB37W26

Jack Stilgoe tells us about a weird London statue that ranks among his favourites of London's impressive array of weird statues. This one is connected to the UK's devotion to TECH 🚂🚂🚂 https://lnkd.in/eQcbxDh5

“Visual content is as important as textual content when you want to convey a message”. Kelly Krause, Creative Director at Nature Magazine, gave a Brunchtime Talk this week on visual communication in science journalism. “We have a mantra that is 'show, don’t tell’”, she said, showing students how different visual contents (e.g., graphs, photos, illustrations) have different rules, depending on the audience and the message to convey. “What makes it science journalism," she said "is we’re telling a story, it has a narrative”. Kelly also explained how editing “is a lot like writing: you see what you can take away, and the more edited it is, the better it becomes”. Criticism is also crucial: “every piece of design needs a second pair of eyes to be good”. All in all, an insightful and inspiring talk! Brunchtime Talks are organised by Science Communication MSc students at STS.

We have a new undergraduate brochure 🤓🤓🤓!! The brochure provides an overview of the field of Science and Technology Studies and everything you need to know about our BSc in Sociology and Politics of Science and our BSc in History and Philosophy of Science (alongside lots of other information about studying at our department). https://lnkd.in/diuvFgDd

🎧 New episode of series 3 of our UCL 'Unlocking the #SDGs' #podcast, which I’m honoured to co-host with Professor Priti Parikh FICE from The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction UCL, is out now! In ep. 1, we were joined by Professor María Pérez Ortiz from UCL Computer Science and Professor Jack Stilgoe from UCL Science and Technology Studies (STS) to explore how #technology and #artificialintelligence are being used to support #GlobalGoals implementation. UCL Global Engagement Whittington Health Churchill Fellowship https://lnkd.in/eFPA2Tz9

“It’s not about the knowledge, it’s about inspiration”. For this week’s Brunchtime Talk, our students had the opportunity to hear from Kat Nilsson (she/her), Head of Public Engagement with Science at the The Francis Crick Institute. After a tour round the Hello Brain! exhibition, Kat described what happens behind the scenes of a major science exhibition. “Behind every exhibition is a big idea - a message that it’s trying to get across”, she says. And that’s just the beginning. There is a whole process of ideating and iterating to get it right, many components to think about and connect together, such as audience, content hierarchy and cost. In the end, when asked what makes a good science museum, she pondered, “I think a good science museum has excellent, inspired, engaging interpretation”.

Our PhD student Rachel Hill has weighed in on the mystery surrounding the UK's oldest space satellite. Skynet-1A has been moved by somebody and no one knows who or why. You can read Rachel's theory, based on research for her PhD, here: https://lnkd.in/esFWvwUY You can also listen to an interview with Rachel on BBC 'Newshour' (from 26 min 42 sec): https://lnkd.in/eqhwCpvn

Series 3, Episode 1 of Unlocking the #SDGS by UCL Sustainable Development Goals is now available on Soundcloud (or wherever you listen to podcasts)⬇️: https://lnkd.in/dG9NN2hP STS Prof Jack Stilgoe takes a look at the role of #technology and #AI in supporting the implementation of the goals. UCL UCL Research

Professor Carina Fearnley has been featured in The Standard as one of the 100 people shaping London in Science & Medicine and Environment! You can follow Carina’s brilliant work on warnings and science communication via UCL Warning Research Centre. https://lnkd.in/ds64dNPW