About Us
We are a section of the American Sociological Association, and our purpose is to promote scholarly research and professional activity in relation to the sociology of science, knowledge, and technology. We began as a “section-in-formation” in 1987 and then became a full section the following year. As of 2018, our section has 586 members.
SKAT scholarship addresses a broad range of relevant questions, like: what makes some kinds of evidence credible? How do experts gain and lose trust? How do states set priorities for research funding, and who gets a say in the technological decision-making that undergirds decisions affecting population health, national security, or environmental sustainability? SKAT, therefore, engages with issues that are fundamental to building local communities, sustaining democracy and engaging human values.
The SKAT section organizes sessions at the ASA annual meeting, selects and presents awards for books and articles in our field, organizes mentoring activities, publishes three newsletters per year, and communicates with our members about relevant events, activities, and opportunities.
ASA-SKAT Section Officers 2023-2024
Chair: Jill Fisher, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chair-Elect: Janet Vertesi, Princeton University
Past Chair: Kelly Joyce, Drexel University
Section Secretary/Treasurer: Yu Tao, Stevens Institute of Technology
Council Members
Larry Au, City College, CUNY
Natalie B. Aviles, University of Virginia
Susan E. Bell, Drexel University
Catherine Lee, Rutgers University
Joan Robinson, City College, CUNY
Oliver Rollins, University of Washington
Alyson K. Spurgas, Trinity College
Student Council Members
Hayden Fulton, University of South Florida
Jack Linzhou Xing, Georgia Institute of Technology
American Sociological Association
How to Join the ASA-SKAT Section
Video editor: Janet Vertesi
Official website of the Science, Knowledge, and Technology section. 