RTTA 4/2: Laboratory Engagement Studies

RTTA 4 leader Erik Fisher speaks to a group

RTTA 4/2 Laboratory Engagement Studies are not traditional laboratory ethnographies with a focus on observation and explication, but rather efforts to integrate social science and humanities with NSE research.

One of the ongoing laboratory engagement studies that CNS-ASU conducts is the Socio-Technical Integration Research (STIR) project, led by Dr. Erik Fisher. The project trains a group of ten doctoral students in Fisher‘s midstream modulation framework in order to conduct socio-technical collaborations and to assess the policy relevance of their outcomes. In addition to seven laboratories at ASU, STIR engagement studies have commenced or been completed in 21 other laboratories around the world.

Other examples of this work include:

  • Ethics in the Lab project with the Helms-Tillery's neurobiology lab that explored the ethics and broader implications of neural implants and working with laboratory animals.
  • Co-funding a position embedded in the Biodesign Institute's Tubes in the Desert project to observe, interact with project members on societal aspects and perform research on other aspects of the project.