Governments the world over require scientific knowledge to inform policy makers' decision-making processes. The recontextualization of this information for nonscientific audiences has received much attention, though it has primarily focused on publicly available texts. Little is known about the discursive nature of how science is transformed and…

Biologists produce knowledge that can be applied to both global and personal challenges. Thus, communicating this knowledge to the general public is becoming increasingly important. One way information can move between different communities is through boundary spanners. Boundary spanners are individuals embedded in both communities who can…

This paper summarizes the history and current directions of the Science for Citizens program at the National Science Foundation and notes the role evaluation and evaluators might play with respect to it. The goal of the program is to help scientists and citizens participate knowledgeably in policy-making with respect to issues in which science and…

Reviews issues involved in demands for greater public participation in science and technology policy. Analyzes sources of conflict and various "publics" involved, describing diverse fears about science/technology leading to participatory demands. The central and pervasive issue (the source of many conflicts) is the question of who…

Discusses the processes by which science education policy is determined at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Included are the degree of the involvement of different groups in policy-making, major issues related to the role of the NSF, and policies currently in effect. (HM)

Points out that policy decisions about nuclear weapons evolve from politics, bureaucracy, and technology, indicating that intelligent people can learn enough about technology to make judgments about policy issues. Suggests, however, that much more thinking is necessary to arrive at a coherent perspective about what constitutes nuclear weapons…

Offers a viewpoint that, in the decision-making process, historical junctures related to the decision at hand should be reviewed where alternative decisions were considered. An example is provided with the Individual Criterion Referenced Test (ICRT) program. (CS)

This study is concerned with certain features of the curriculum decision-making process including ways in which alternatives are argued, the types of reasons entertained for preferring one option over another, and the basis on which some proposals are ultimately accepted and others rejected. It is argued that, with respect to these features,…

Proposes a faculty retreat as an opportunity to approach decision-making through consensus-building strategies. Identifies four decision-making stages and outlines techniques to be used at each stage. (JM)

Discusses the role of scientific information in four areas: research management, distinctions between science issues and policy issues, criteria development and standard setting, and risk analysis. Recommends ways to improve the process by which scientific data are evaluated and incorporated into standard-setting actions by EPA decision makers.…

This multidisciplinary, self-contained curriculum unit focuses on the management of the Chesapeake Bay, a threatened and complex environmental system. Major unit goals include identifying and analyzing conflicting interests, issues, and public policies concerning the Bay, and determining their effects on people and the environment. The unit…

Discussed are the intentions and strategies needed for developing a national technology policy. A critical technologies list prepared for the U.S. is compared to Japan's priority list. The history of technology legislation is presented. (KR)

A Task Force created in 1989 was asked to provide the Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government with a brief statement outlining both functional needs in environment and energy and institutional forms to enhance the government's capability to address the emergent issues. One key need the Task Force has identified is for a greater…

This monograph contains the text of a lecture given on August 4, 1987, at the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A viewpoint is advanced advocating personal involvement in the movement to insure that environmental balance and security can be sustained for future generations. Discussed are trends in national…

"Environmental Dilemmas" is one of the "Preparing for Tomorrow's World" (PTW) program modules. PTW is an interdisciplinary, future-oriented program which incorporates information from the sciences and social sciences and addresses societal concerns which interface science/technology/society. The program promotes responsible…