Interactions: Artifacts & Us - Call for Papers

Call for Graduate Student Abstracts

Interactions: Artifacts & Us
A Graduate Student Conference Exploring Our Relationships with Things and Theirs with Us

September 7-9, 2007
Blacksburg, Virginia


The Science & Technology Studies graduate students at Virginia Tech welcome abstract submissions on topics relating to concepts and artifacts, the uses they are put to, the evolution and impacts of technology, scientific objects and their study, the role of the engineer in design, and more.

Possible topics could include: the role of phlogiston in chemical theorizing, the use of social networking on the internet and how it changes relationships, the use of medical technologies in the classification of disease, the role of a disease concept in the experience of illness, the way telescopes and microscopes change how we envision the world, the role of failure in engineering design, the use and misuse of technology in everyday life. Basically, anything you can argue fits in the topic will be considered!


Deadline for Submission: June 1, 2007

Submissions should include a cover sheet with the title and author name(s), institutional affiliation, and contact information, as well as an abstract page prepared without identification of the authors or affiliations. Abstracts will be selected for oral presentation and discussion by blind review. Please keep abstracts under 500 words.

Submissions should be emailed as Word or PDF attachments to: Ashley.Shew@gmail.com,
with a subject line of “Interactions Conference Submission”