SKAT 25 Conference

Conference Description            Conference Program

Conference Photos

SKAT 25: 

New Directions after a Quarter-Century of the Sociology of Science, Knowledge, and Technology

A mini-conference organized by the Science, Knowledge, and Technology Section of the American Sociological Association

August 21, 2015, 9:00 am to 7:00 pm

Prentice Women’s Hospital 3rd Floor Conference Center

250 E. Superior St., Chicago, IL 60611

Confirmed plenary speakers:

Ruha Benjamin, Monica Casper, Adele Clarke, Tom Gieryn, Sheila Jasanoff, Amit Prasad, Michael Rodríguez-Muñiz, and Janet Vertesi 

Former SKAT section chairs in attendance:

Susan Cozzens, Karin Knorr Cetina, Tom Gieryn, Michael Lynch, Jennifer Croissant, Kelly Moore, Daniel Kleinman, Monica Casper

Key info:

  • Date: August 21, 2015. This is the day before the ASA annual meeting begins and the day before our ASA “section day” (August 22).
  • Location: The mini-conference will be held at the Prentice Women’s Hospital 3rd Floor Conference Center, 250 E. Superior St., Chicago, IL 60611 (part of Northwestern University’s Downtown Campus). The venue is 1.3 miles from the Palmer House and 1.8 miles from the Hilton Chicago (the two sites of the ASA meeting). We encourage attendees simply to arrive at their ASA hotel a night early on Thursday, August 20, and walk, take public transportation, or take a taxi to the mini-conference. Enter the building on either E. Superior St. or E. Chicago Ave. and proceed to the third floor by elevator or escalator. The conference venue is wheelchair accessible.
  • All registrants are welcome, up to the maximum permitted at the venue.
  • Cost: Registration for the mini-conference will be free for SKAT section members who have paid section dues as of July 31, 2015. Anyone planning to attend who is not currently a section member is urged to join by that date (http://www.asanet.org/sections/fees.cfm). Alternatively, attendees may pay a $25 registration fee (cash or check) at the door.
  • During the day there will be two break-out sessions during which selected participants will present papers on panels.

Key dates:

  • April 1:  Deadline to submit abstracts to present papers in the parallel sessions.
  • April 1:  Registration opens.
  • May 8:   Participants who submitted an abstract will be informed whether their abstract has been accepted.
  • July 21:  Registration closes. All attendees must register in advance so that we can plan accordingly.
  • July 31:  Deadline to qualify for free conference registration by paying your section dues for 2015 at (http://www.asanet.org/sections/fees.cfm). (Otherwise, the registration fee is $25 in cash or check at the door.)
  • August 21:  The event! Click here for the complete schedule for the mini-conference.
  • August 22:   The ASA meeting begins. SKAT sessions, business meeting, and reception all take place on this day.

We are grateful for generous support from the following co-sponsors:

  • Northwestern University (the Department of Sociology, the Science in Human Culture Program, the Medical Humanities & Bioethics Program, and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences)
  • The Morris Fishbein Center for the History of Science and Medicine at the University of Chicago
  • Loyola University, Chicago (the Department of Sociology and the College of Arts and Sciences)
  • The University of Illinois at Chicago (the Department of Sociology and the Institute for the Humanities)
  • The Vanderbilt Program in Medicine, Health & Society

SKAT 25 Planning Committee:

  • Steve Epstein, Chair
  • Mathieu Albert
  • Daniel Breslau
  • Claire Decoteau
  • James Evans
  • Anne Figert
  • Marion Fourcade
  • Kelly Moore
  • Casey Oberlin
  • Elise Paradis
  • Janet Vertesi

SKAT 25 Local Host Committee:

  • Kellie Owens, Chair
  • Robin Bartram
  • Danielle Giffort
  • Jaimie Morse
  • Christopher Robertson
  • Ari Tolman
  • Kelly Underman