CU seminar looks at need to involve citizens in assessment of technology

"Why Ask Them? Citizen Participation in Technology Assessment" is the title of a public symposium at Cornell scheduled for June 14 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in 404 Plant Science Building, featuring Ida-Elisabeth Andersen, project manager at the Danish Board of Technology (DBT).

Also participating in the panel will be Bruce Lewenstein, associate professor in the Department of Communication and the Department of Science and Technology Studies; Rebecca Nelson, associate professor in the Department of Plant Pathology; and David Pelletier, associate professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and director of the Cornell Participatory Action Research Network.

"The intent of the symposium is to examine both the purposes and need for engaging citizens in assessment, decision-making and planning of diverse technologies and on methods to accomplish that involvement," said organizer Ellen Harrison, director of the Cornell Waste Management Institute.

"Scientists may believe that comprehension sufficient to contribute to such thinking is beyond the grasp of 'the public,'" Harrison said. "Yet many of the questions surrounding technological developments include ethical, political and lifestyle issues which are questions of public concern. The DBT has been an international leader in developing and implementing methods such as consensus conferences, citizen juries and other innovative means of working to provide input regarding citizen judgement on technology to the Danish parliament."

The symposium is organized on behalf of the Cornell Environmental Outreach Group. The outreach group was established to maximize the impact of university-based science on change in knowledge and behavior of individuals, businesses, communities and government, as it pertains to the environment. The group of faculty and staff from many departments and disciplines, including the natural and social sciences, has been discussing related issues over the past year.