Why study the natural sciences and technology from a different perspective?
Science and technology play a significant role in contemporary society by healing people, internationalizing connections, and expediting processes, often taking center stage in public policy. Therefore, it is imperative to have a comprehensive understanding of these topics. The mission of the STS-I is to advocate for the successful implementation of a Science, Technology, and Society (STS) program. Students who pursue the program will receive robust training in the sciences and technologies, coupled with a holistic understanding of these subjects within their full historical, social, and cultural contexts. Additionally, the initiative will survey how scientific and technological knowledge is advanced, taught, and contested on the political stage. This initiative aims to bridge intellectual gaps among students and faculty across various colleges, schools, and departments at USD that interact with the sciences and technologies.
Erika’s Work
A New Project?
Program goals
- Educate and inform University of San Diego stakeholders, students, and faculty about the principles and significance of Science and Technology Studies.
- Highlight and quantify student interest and demand for Science and Technology Studies programs.
- Showcase the institutional benefits of incorporating Science and Technology Studies into the University of San Diego’s curriculum.
- Recruit faculty with expertise in Science, Technology, and Society.
- Successfully design and implement a Science and Technology Studies minor at the University of San Diego.
Founding story
The STS-I was founded by Erika Atienza, a fifth-year undergraduate student at the University of San Diego, and her partner, Léo Ambrogelly, an undergraduate student at Pomona College. At USD, they observed the contagious changemaking attitudes and its deep commitment to research rooted in the liberal arts experience. They sought to further contribute to USD’s outlined missions by launching the STS-I to foster intellectual inquiry in a world that increasingly separates STEM from the humanities and social sciences.
Frequently asked questions
What is Science and Technology Studies (STS)?
STS remains a nascent academic field, emerging during the Cold War. The father of STS is understood to be Dr. Thomas Kuhn–a formerly-trained physicist turned historian and philosopher–who authored his seminal 1962 work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Some of his monumental contributions include (1) scientific fields undergo “paradigm shifts” as opposed to a linear path toward universal truth and (2) our current understanding of what is factually true is a function of the dominant model of epistemology, determined by scientists, their priorities (as well as society’s), and the existing tools they had access to measure their observations.
How is this field of study different from Biomedical Ethics?
Great question! While we recognize USD already hosts a Biomedical Ethics (BME) minor, our focus is distinct. As of January 2025, a Technology & Society Minor is also being developed. The initiative aims to include the sciences and integrate faculty trained specifically in Science, Technology, and Society (STS). Unlike Biomedical Ethics, which primarily addresses ethical dilemmas in medicine and biology, STS explores science and technology within their broader cultural, social, and historical contexts. Moreover, STS emphasizes understanding the history of the sciences and technologies—an area we have noticed is underrepresented in USD's BME curriculum. By situating science and technology within these frameworks, our goal is to offer a more comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to these critical fields.
What topics do STS scholars explore?
For natural scientists interested in the biological sciences, examples include the history of medicine, the social dimension of gene-editing, the politics of medicine and healcare provision, and much more! Physicists, like Dr. Thomas Kuhn, the father of STS, have studied shfits in how we understand motion. STS scholars are also leading experts in the 'science of science,' understanding and mitigating inequalities or methodological issues across fields.
Why is STS important?
The more we learn about our fundamentally complicated reality, the more we realize there is much more to uncover. In response, we build tools to analyze the world from new perspectives. We built the microscope to observe bacterial growth, only to learn we need another tool to observe structures at the atomic level. These very tools, paradoxically, have been used to both heal and harm ourselves. Science and technology evidently dominate our lives; we rely on them and are regularly confronted by their influences. Many of their applications are and have been hotly contested. Many scientists and technologists—let alone laypeople and our governmental representatives—are not fully informed about the historical and contemporary implications of these fields. Policy determines their accessibility and uses. It is our duty to be well-informed contributing members of society, capable of assessing the extent to which the knowledge produced and reinforced is fully addressed. This mission is achievable through the scholarship of an STS program.