Evolving
perspectives on nanoeducation
Ineke Malsch • nov. 19, 2020
CRC Press
just published the e-book 21st Century Nanoscience – A Handbook: Public Policy,
Education, and Global Trends (Volume Ten) edited by Klaus Sattler, including a
chapter on Evolving perspectives on nanoeducation and capacity development by Ineke
Malsch and Frank Kupper.
Ever since
governments started major public investment programmes in nanosciences and
nanotechnologies, around 2000, the issue of nanoeducation has been discussed.
Unlike more traditional, disciplinary areas of research, nanotechnology has
been planned from the start to be interdisciplinary and has raised expectations
of major impacts on society and the economy. Experts and stakeholders have been
discussing the aims, scope and organisation of education and capacity
development in nanosciences and nanotechnologies for over a decade.
Both in
the education of nanoscientists as well as the interactions between nanoscience
and other parts of society, it is important to build the capacity for reflexive
awareness of sociotechnical issues, potential impacts and the values at stake.
The tools we have developed in the EU-funded project Nano2All
for citizen and stakeholder dialogue sessions may be used for training purposes
in nanoeducation. Raising awareness of the potential impacts of nanotechnology
amongst the general public is a mirrored case of capacity development, focusing
on technological citizenship. This also entails reflexive awareness, but from a
different starting point.
In this
chapter, we analyse how the discussion on nanoeducation has evolved over the
years. We include more in-depth discussion of the role of capacity development
of stakeholders in the Nano2All project we are all contributing to, since this
has not been published before. Read more here
.
