Theme Announcement: Knowledge and Access

The Center for Science and Society is excited to announce that, for our fifth anniversary, we will investigate the intersection of science and society through the lens of the theme: Knowledge and Access. In order to scale up the benefits of science and technology, we need equitable, protected, and inclusive policies, systems, and digital spaces. As a Center dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary conversations between the sciences and humanities, we are well placed to advance the debate around these issues. 

We plan to focus our exploration of  Knowledge and Access through the following topics:

• Equity in access to information, health and technology across societies and groups within societies. Historic and ongoing racism in the health care and criminal justice systems has created a direct link between health inequities and the over-criminalization and disproportionate incarceration of Black and Latinx individuals. Justice means making sure people and communities are no longer criminalized for health-related conditions. Building on the success of its conference No Health = No Justice: Dismantling Systemic Inequity in Criminal Justice & Health, the Research Cluster on Historical Study of Race, Inequality, and Health will continue to confront the issues of racism and inequality within both the health and criminal justice systems. 

• Ethical use of technology and data and biases. Rapid advances in technology have undoubtedly empowered people by facilitating connection and access to information. However, global technological disruption has outpaced democratic checks and people around the world are facing issues concerning Digital rights, Data protection (securing data against unauthorized access), Data privacy (defining who has and defines authorized access to your data), Internet blackouts and Net discrimination. The Research Cluster on Big Data and Science Studies will continue to investigate at the social, political, and ethical ramifications of data mining and big data through a series of workshops on The History of AI that began spring 2019.

• The displacement of people and publics due to lack of access, and inclusion and exclusion. War, economic downturns, environmental changes and other sociopolitical factors have increased the number of displaced individuals, leading to loss of connection to information and technology. Columbia faculty members, supported by the Center, have developed cross-disciplinary courses to explore, analyze, and counteract these effects. These include: The Sciences of Black Life; Media, Science and Technology in South Asia; Histories of Cold; Global Politics of Reproduction; Genocide in American Culture; and a recent collaboration created by the Science and Subjectivity Research Cluster and taught by Samuel Roberts, leader of the Historical Study of Race, Inequality, and Health. Marginalization and Medicine focuses on the impact that social determinants like poverty, structural violence, racism and geography have on access to health.

• Who holds the knowledge of the future? While the current period of rapid technological disruption can make the future feel uncertain, there is history to fall back on — from the transitions to steam power and electricity, to the birth of computing. Through these times of accelerated change and growing complexity, the most valued human skills also evolve and adapt. In the spring, the Big Data and Science Studies Research Cluster organized Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of Art?, which looked at the nature of creativity and originality in the age of AI. Upcoming Center events will explore the traits that still make us uniquely human, including a conversation about the utility of Boredom from the Research Cluster on Curiosity, and a seminar series to explore models for human and machine collaboration and to increase the human advantage for lifelong learning and problem solving.  

• Expert knowledge and how it shapes the metrics, production, and evaluation of knowledge. Universities recruit and rely upon experts from many fields to share their knowledge with the next generation. But often this expertise is only shared with an elite few, sequestered in journals and libraries, behind paywalls, or otherwise siloed. How do we make knowledge more accessible? The Making and Knowing Project has spent five years transcribing, translating, and recreating the entries in a 16th century artisanal and technical manuscript. In December 2019, the publication of its open-access Digital Critical Edition and the dissemination of the pedagogical framework that shaped this project, will provide a new avenue for students, scholars, and members of the public to explore this type of research. 

• Mobilizing for access to knowledge and its redistribution. According to a study by Science, researchers mapped internet access worldwide and compared that to a list of ethnic settlement regions to show that less powerful ethnic groups are at a disadvantage when it comes to internet access. Through a series of workshops and the development of a Global Histories of Science Reader, the Global Histories of Science Research Cluster is primed to analyze such issues as its aim is to explore a broader, more inclusive and interlinked history of science among regions and geographies.

• How can we better access knowledge that is produced both inside and outside of the university setting? The Center organizes a number of events each year to educate and inform the public on pressing concerns in science and society, such as our conferences on trauma, embodied cognition, and narrative. During this milestone year, the Center will organize a series of public events on technology, innovation, and access. However, acknowledging that not all expert knowledge comes from academia, the Center is developing a workshop to highlight the importance of indigenous and intergenerational knowledge, inviting immigrant and refugee communities based in NYC to talk about and demonstrate the artisanal and craft knowledge they bring from their countries of origin.  

We look forward to an exciting year ahead. Stay tuned for updates on events, resources, and opportunities regarding this theme!