How will smart roads and edge cities change America in the 21st century? How do the fields of biotechnology and ethics affect computer scientists and geneticists? What does a future business person - or historian, or journalist - have to know about the Internet?

The College Park Scholars program in Science, Technology and Society (STS) offers students a broad context for understanding the role of science and technology in contemporary society. Students in scientific and technical disciplines gain a wider understanding of the social implications of their studies, and students in non-technical disciplines acquire the tools for engaging in the debates about the role of science and technology in American society.

First-year colloquia investigate topics such as: Transportation in the 21st Century; New Digital Technologies; Science, Religion, and Belief; Biotechnology; and Is Space a Safe Place? Second-year students continue exploration of issues in science, technology and society through a one-semester, three- credit course. Award-winning teachers from engineering, the social sciences, the history of science, computer science, and many other disciplines introduce students to cutting edge controversies and debates that make the headlines today and drive the research of tomorrow.

The STS program offers students many enriching internship opportunities. These include hands-on workshops for elementary school students, developing web pages for University of Maryland clients, contributing to a STS web-magazine, and working on projects in conjunction with the Smithsonian, U.S. Patent Office, and National Archives. Independent internships abound with research faculty, local technology firms, and advocacy groups in the Washington area. However they are engaged, students will learn about both theoretical and practical relationships between science, technology and society.