About event
Deakin Science and Society Network: Emerging Issues in Science and Society 2022
To meet the great challenges of this century we need the best science, but also the best social and humanities research. The answers that science provides are often not enough to make the changes we need to see in the world. Only when researchers work together across disciplinary divides can we be sure we are asking the right questions.
Deakin Science and Society Network’s Emerging Issues in Science and Society (EISS) symposium is supported by the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science and the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalization. This year, on 15th September at Deakin Downtown, scientists will be in conversation with humanities and social scientists to generate new answers and new questions to address some of the biggest challenges of our time.
Programme
Tea, coffee, welcome 9:00 – 9:30
Introduction and Acknowledgement of Country 9:30
Emma Kowal, Timothy Neale and Jen Martin
Session 1– Healthy Futures, 9:45 – 11:00
Using technology to intervene in the human brain; how far should we go?
In this session we will discuss how existing and emerging neurotechnology offer the potential to intervene in brain systems and function for the benefit of humanity. The two speakers will introduce their work as examples of a growing number of diverse interventional technologies. These include brain–computer interfaces, neurosurgery, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and transcranial direct current stimulation. Regardless of whether the goal is to treat, prevent or predict an existing condition, the use of such neuro-technologies raise significant technical, ethical, and social issues for science and society. These issues lead us to ask: how much should we intervene in the brain and mind? And what is stopping us going further and exploring the realms of enhancing cognitive ability beyond the current normal range of capabilities?
Speakers: Frederic Gilbert (UTAS) & Pete Enticott (Deakin)
Chair: Jeffrey Craig (Deakin)
Session 2 – Data Cultures, 11:15-12:30
Bossware: I, for one, welcome our new productivity overlord?
Bossware is a prevalent mechanism that organisations can use to monitor their employees. This is especially salient during our transition into blended working environments. However, what exactly are employers looking at, and what do they do with that information? Is this monitoring expected to be the new normal for organisational tracking and monitoring? As an employee, do I have a say in this? Join Dr Luke Heemsbergen from the Deakin University School of Communication and Creative Arts, and Allan Jones, General Manager of Software Engineering from the Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute as they engage in a moderated discussion about Bossware in Australia, chaired by Dr Leonard Hoon from the Applied Artificial Institute.
Speakers: Luke Heemsbergen (Deakin) & Allan Jones (A2I2, Deakin)
Chair: Leonard Hoon (Deakin)
Session 3 – Indigenous Knowledges, 13: 15 -14: 30
Should Indigenous people commercialise their traditional knowledge?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia hold traditional and cultural knowledge about their Country. Some draw on this Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) in commercial enterprises, from bush food to environmental services. This panel will consider plant knowledge and the potential for Indigenous-led and -controlled commercialisation of Indigenous medicines. Who has rights to commercialise this knowledge? And should it be commercialised in the first place? Dr Virginia Marshall from the Australian National University, an expert in ICIP, will be in conversation with Luke Williams, toxicologist and PhD student at RMIT, moderated by anthropologist Alfred Deakin Professor Emma Kowal from the Alfred Deakin Institute.
Speakers: Virginia Marshall (ANU) & Luke Williams (RMIT)
Chair: Emma Kowal (Deakin)
Discussion and closing 14: 30 – 15:00
Jen martin
Apology: Change of programme
We regret that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the Environmental Challenges session ‘What’s the trouble with wilderness?’ originally advertised as session 1, with Michael-Shawn Fletcher, has been cancelled. The programme thus ends earlier.
Join the symposium:
This symposium will be hosted in person at Deakin Downtown, Level 12, Tower 2, 727 Collins Street Melbourne Victoria 3008. Spaces are limited and registration is free but compulsory. Recordings of each panel will be uploaded to our YouTube channel within 2 weeks
If you have any questions, please contact ssn-info@deakin.edu.au
Event Contact:
ssn-info@deakin.edu.auShare