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NEWS RELEASE

06-30-03

Contacts:
Peter Orazem, Economics, (515) 294-8656
Yong Lee, Political Science (515) 294-8892
Dave Gieseke, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Public Relations,
(515) 294-7742 (dgieseke@iastate.edu)

BOARD OF REGENTS APPROVE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND SOCIETY AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

AMES, Iowa -- The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the new Institute of Science and Society at Iowa State University during its June meeting.

Faculty researchers in the Institute of Science and Society will study how attitudes and ethics about science are formed, how understanding of previous discoveries and advancements affects views about the future and what's best for society, and the rate at which new technologies are accepted and adopted.

Institute research will analyze how scientific advances may improve the welfare of people's lives -- if the impacts, in fact, are positive.

Iowa State's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the lead college for the Institute of Science and Society. The College of Agriculture and the Plant Sciences Institute are partners in the project, which was one of eight projects funded last fiscal year through the University's enhancement funding. More than 90 faculty members from 15 different academic departments are affiliated with the Institute of Science and Society in a variety of academic disciplines.

The Institute of Science and Society is co-directed by Peter Orazem, university professor of economics, and Yong Lee, professor of political science.

"We will try to examine more systemically, rather than ad hoc, the impact of science on social values, as well as the impact of political and social dynamics on the pace of scientific inquiry," Lee said.

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