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International Conference on Science in Society

The Science in Society Conference 2010

Background
Supporters

Welcome to the website of the Second International Conference on Science in Society, to be held at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Spain from 11 to 13 November 2010. This Conference will address disciplinary and interdisciplinary challenges in the sciences, and in particular the relationships of science to society.

Key themes addressed by the Conference include the social impacts of science, the values and ethics of science, the pedagogies of science, the knowledge-making processes of science, the politics of science and the economics of science. At first glance, the scope and concerns of the Conference are enormous. However, in contrast to conferences with a specialist disciplinary focus, this Conference aims to explore, in an interdisciplinary spirit, linkages between different areas of concern and practices of investigation. We welcome presentation proposals which range from broad explorations of philosophical, theoretical, methodological and policy questions, to proposals which present finely grained evidence of the connections of science to society in microcosms of research, teaching and practice.

Participants at the Conference will include researchers, teachers, administrators and policy makers from the basic natural-physical sciences, the applied sciences, the social sciences, history and philosophy of science, the humanities, and the professions.

Plenary speakers will include some of the world’s leading thinkers in the various fields which are concerned with the relationships of science to society, as well as numerous paper, colloquium and workshop presentations by practitioners, teachers and researchers.

Participants are welcome to submit a presentation proposal either for a 30-minute paper, 60-minute workshop, or a jointly presented 90-minute colloquium session. Parallel sessions are loosely grouped into streams reflecting different perspectives or disciplines. Each stream also has its own talking circle, a forum for focused discussion of issues. For those unable to attend the Conference in person, virtual participation is also available.

We encourage all presenters to submit written papers to The International Journal of Science in Society, a fully refereed academic Journal. Virtual participants may also may also submit papers for consideration by the Journal. All Conference participants who have finalised their registration will receive a complimentary online subscription to the Journal. This subscription is valid until one year after the Conference end date.

If you would like to know more about this Conference, bookmark the Science in Society site and return for further information-the site is regularly updated. You may also wish to subscribe to the Conference and Journal Newsletter.

For all inquiries, please contact the Conference secretariat.

The International Journal of Science in Society

Conference participants may submit papers to the Science in Society Journal, before the Conference and up until one month after the Conference. Papers submitted for publication will be fully refereed. The publication decision is based on the referees’ reports.

For those unable to attend the Conference in person, a virtual registration will provide participants access to the electronic version of the Journal, as well as the option to submit papers to the Science in Society Journal.

For more information about the Journal please visit the Publish Your Paper page.

Supporters

  • Forum for the Future of Public Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Forum for the Future of Public Education, housed in the College of Education at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign, is a strategic initiative designed to engage academics, practitioners, policy makers, business and community leaders, and others in reflective dialogue and to encourage research on key policy issues influencing the future of public schools, colleges and universities. Pivotal to the Forum’s agenda are questions of access, equity, affordability, accountability, and responsiveness at all levels. The ultimate mission of the Forum is to enhance the dialogue around the future of education by injecting credible and timely information into the public debate.
  • UNIVERSIDAD CARLOS III DE MADRID
Universidad Carlos III (UC3M) is a public university characterized by its strong international focus, the quality of its faculty, excellence in research and commitment to society.

UC3M is a young institution, founded in 1989, but in a short time its achievements have placed it among the top universities in Spain:

  • In 2009 UC3M was one of five Spanish universities selected as a Campus of International Excellence, a four-year project which will enable us to compete with top European universities. The project is backed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Ministry of Education and an international commission of experts.
  • UC3M was the first university in Spain to adapt all of its degree programs to the European Higher Education Area (the Bologna Process), it has the largest selection of bilingual Undergraduate Degrees in Spain and it was the first public university to offer
    dual undergraduate degrees. The current course catalogue includes 30 Undergraduate Degrees.
  • The average admissions score for incoming students is 7.3 out of 10, making it one of the highest in Spain; our graduates are also highly valued – 97% find work in their field within six months of graduation. We also offer an extensive program of international in-company internships. Another aspect which distinguishes our university is the attention given to the integral education of our students; in addition to honing their professional skills, we look to their personal development through a wide variety of courses in Humanities, required of all students, as well as cultural, sports and volunteer activities.
  • Our Postgraduate Studies have a strong international flavor which can be seen in our Master’s programs in collaboration with different European universities, as well as in the number of programs offered in English. Our 2010 Graduate School catalogue offers 18 PhD programs, 26 Master’s Degrees, 41 UC3M-Accredited Master’s and 7 specialization courses.
  • UC3M has agreements for dual undergraduate degrees with European and US universities; it was also one of five Spanish universities selected in 2009 to offer a new Erasmus Mundus Master, and one of two Spanish universities to lead one of these programs.
  • The UC3M faculty is one of the youngest among Spanish universities and has one of the highest proportions of positive research evaluations (CNEAI – the national research evaluation agency); our faculty ranks first in the S index which measures relative success in professor evaluation processes at each university.
  • UC3M also has various programs for visiting professors and researchers in conjunction with top European and North American universities. Thanks to the UC3M-Banco Santander Chairs of Excellence programs, outstanding researchers from around the world form part of our university departments and research institutes each year.
  • UC3M ranks first in Spain in research competitiveness, as shown by projects awarded (COTEC 2006), and second in articles published per faculty member (WoK 2008).
  • Our highly qualified Administrative Staff has received quality awards from the Community of Madrid. UC3M is one of only four public Spanish universities to have implemented an Internal Quality Assurance program for all its campuses.
  • UC3M is located in the Community of Madrid, and our three campuses in the towns of Getafe, Leganés and Colmenarejo, are all within easy access of downtown Madrid. The campuses offer an attractive place for students to study and relax with four fully centralized and automated libraries, two modern sports centers, cafeterias, etc.
  • The University is committed to the promotion of the equality and social integration of all its students, faculty and staff, as well as to the environmental sustainability of its facilities.

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid is a public university characterized by

  • Quality teaching
  • Excellence in research
  • International focus
  • Recognition of effort and individual merit
  • Well-rounded, integral education for all its students
  • Solidarity, cooperation and respect for the environment
  • Contribution to society through the transfer of research knowledge

For more information on Universidad Carlos III de Madrid please download the following information from this link. http://science-society.com/files/2010/10/presentacion20corporativa_ingles.pdf
  • CSIC
This conference has been partially supported by funds coming from the project FFI2008-03599 – Philosophy of Human and social Technosciences (Institute of Philosophy, Spanish National Research Council – CSIC, Ministry of Science and Innovation)
  • Semana