CPSP 118T

The one-credit first year colloquium introduces students to relationships between technology and society (fall semester) and science and society (spring semester). Working in small groups, freshmen interview faculty and other experts about their research, funding and the broader social influences on and impacts of their work. Students create group presentations and write individual reflection papers about their activities.

Guest speakers in the 2007-2008 year included Eric Gilliland (director, Washington Area Bicycle Association), Dr. Fae Korsmo (National Science Foundation), Howard Feldman (American Petroleum Institute), and Dr. Jill Blockhus (The Nature Conservancy). Past speakers have included Dr. John Gibbons (Science Advisor to the President), Dr. Francis Collins (director, Human Genome Project), Dr. Janet Abbate (author, Inventing the Internet), and Dr. Rita Colwell (director, National Science Foundation). The STS program thanks all our guests for donating their time so generously.

The topic of CPSP 118T for the Fall 2008 semester is "The Human Body and Technology." Current and former STS students have proposed units for the course and have applied to be undergraduate instructors. One field trip will be a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Advanced Technology Center, during which students may interview veterans and the professionals who are helping them integrate prosthetic technology into their bodies.