Kiera Reifschneider - Arizona State University. School for the Future of Innovation in Society.

Science Outside the Lab: Changing perspectives on the role of scientists and engineers in society

Over the past ten years, we have brought graduate-level scientists and engineers to Washington D.C. to participate in a two-week summer workshop that offers contrasting views on U.S. science and technology policy issues. Participants leave the program appreciating the potential of science to serve societal needs, complemented by an increased understanding of the complexity and diversity of stakeholders that contribute to the construction of science and technology policy. While science and technology can enhance the well-being of individuals in unprecedented ways, disconnects between technological progress and societal good still exist. One factor that may contribute to a disconnect is the way scientists and engineers are trained, in the lab, to focus on “pure” science at the expense of other subjective or societal considerations. This insight resonates with calls in E.U. frameworks for pursuing grand challenges and responsible innovation. With our Science Outside the Lab (SOtL) program, we pursue a supplemental mode of education that allows scientists and engineers to grapple with the relationships between their technical work and societal context. Using a discussion-based pedagogy, we involve analysts, lobbyists, business people, and decision makers from across the political spectrum in programming, highlighting their diverse perspectives. The SOtL program set in the U.S. context incorporates elements of democracy, ethics, and sustainability in science.

Yann Serreau – Directeur Exécutif InnovENT-E CESI

Repository of competences for Ethics

InnovENT-E is a French program initiated by 4 groups of engineering schools (INSA –Institut National de Sciences Appliquées-, UT -Université de Technologie-, CESI –Centres d’Etudes Supérieures Industrielles-, ENSGSI – Ecole Nationale Supérieure en Génie des Systèmes et de l’Innovation, l’université de Lorraine-). InnovENT-E impacts more than 75 institutions of Higher Education and more than 100000 students. It aims at providing a shared training offer dedicated to SMEs about innovation and export. This offer is based on a skills repository, co-built. In order to help future professionnals in facing the issues relative to ethic in connexion with innovation and international relationships, an ethical competence was thus defined: “To handle ethical issues”. It is described through 12 habilities and observable criteria. This ethical competence description will serve as reference for designing ethics training for all these institutions. The following step is the current designing of a common event in which students may be involved to handle some ethics issues.

Further Information: http://www.innovent-e.com/

=== Tatiana Smetanina - Udmurt State University

Sustainable Development Activity: Tools for International Project Cooperation

I would like to share my practice in teaching Environmental Management course to discuss with the colleagues ways for the science, government and public cooperation to manage Environmental problems together. I would be glad to give my private experience for doing a little part of great work in forming multilevel interdisciplinary basis for lifelong education system.

We could look at teaching practice (for bachelors and masters, etc.) through the following structured points:

• Green Paradigm content (Introduction, background. history and perspectives),
• International Environmental Activity Principles (on the basis of IE Law),
• Environmental licenses and certification (permissions, passport, and control system),
• International Standards, International Environmental Standardization (for students teaching course it is done by video-support and training practice),
• Environmental management tools (micro- and macro-level): CP, EAc, LCS, LCC, MET, MIPS, DfE, EA, EPE, EMS, Environmental Taxes, Eco-Label and Green Public Procurement,
• Waste World Problem and Waste Treatment BAT (for teaching - via the workshop and case activity)
• BAT implementing effects (the system, practice, profit, perspectives)
• Green Public Procurement (theory and education) for the national criteria convergence in Global Trade
• The practical role and questions of (& for) the social initiatives and public organizations
• Project final work according the group level and current interest (working practice).

Further Information: Environmental Management Tools: International Practices for Russia