SOCI 325: Sociology of Science

Agenda

Theme 2:
Scientific research
is social

  1. Administrative
  2. Studying scientists &
    laboratories
  3. Small-group discussions

Administrative

A QR code

Microsoft Teams site

A QR code

Group signup

Perusall scoring

Contributing to class Teams site

Group sign-up

  • Remember to sign up for a group using the “Group sign-up” sheet (also available as a tab in the General channel on Teams)
  • Students who do not sign up for a group by September 15 will be randomly assigned to a group

Studying scientists & laboratories

Studying scientists & laboratories

1

Individuals' context

2

Negotiation of findings

3

Communication

Studying scientists & laboratories

1

Individuals' context

2

Negotiation of findings

3

Communication

Individuals’ traits matter

  • Scientists’ personalities, goals, history, ego, and ideology alter scientific practice.
  • The questions one asks, the methods one uses, and the answers one comes up with are influenced by
    individual traits

The way one is seen matters

  • The respect of colleagues, the power of certain positions, gendered expectations, and ‘star’ power change the course of science.
  • Who gets credit; who is forgotten?
Black and white photo of a woman with short hair looking into a microsocope

Rosalind Franklin, pioneer in the discovery of the structure of DNA, did not receive
credit in her lifetime.

Studying scientists & laboratories

1

Individuals' context

2

Negotiation of findings

3

Communication

Methods and techniques are not clean-cut

  • Creating images, making and tuning equipment, refining techniques, …
  • Scientist must learn to, e.g. make visualizations for publication.

Skills are embedded in people

  • Scientists have skills, honing certain techniques.
  • They may keep methods secret to maintain a competitive edge.
  • Reproduction is not always straightforward
A scientific figure with six panels, each a different image of biological cells

Figure 1b from retracted article:
Obokata, Haruko, Teruhiko Wakayama, Yoshiki Sasai, Koji Kojima, Martin P. Vacanti, Hitoshi Niwa, Masayuki Yamato, and Charles A. Vacanti. 2014. “Stimulus-Triggered Fate Conversion of Somatic Cells into Pluripotency.” Nature 505 (7485) (January): 641–647.

Studying scientists & laboratories

1

Individuals' context

2

Negotiation of findings

3

Communication

Data are messy

  • Data rarely tell a clear story
  • Scientists must construct a narrative to to turn data into a finding

Interaction

  • Narrative is often resolved through interaction of multiple scientists.
  • Different members of the same lab, or different research groups, may advocate for competing interpretations
    E.g.: experimental data in quantum mechanics supports many competing interpretations (e.g. the “Copenhagen” and “many-worlds” interpretations).
Photo of 'The Dress'. A grainy, poorly exposed photo of a hanging dress. Different people see the dress's colors differently, either black and blue, or gold and white.
Screenshot from Fantasmas showing Bernardo Velasco saying 'It's Both'

Studying scientists & laboratories

1

Individuals' context

2

Negotiation of findings

3

Communication

Journals

  • Prestige of publication venue influences impact of findings.
  • High-profile journals have incentive to make a ‘splash’.

Scooping

  • Credit within scientific institutions awarded to first recognized finding.
  • Scientists feel push to finalize research quickly.

Broadly: incentive to hide messiness of scientific process

A photo of a cat looking at icons of a cat alive or dead in an open or closed box, with a large question mark superimposed over its head

Discussion

Discussion

In person

Online

Form groups of 4–5

  • At tables or outside of the classroom. Join a Teams room for your table

Form groups of 4–5

  • Choose a "discussion room" channel on Teams

Small-group discussions:

  • Choose one facilitator who will keep the discussion focused and make sure everyone is able to participate.
  • Choose one secretary who will take notes and summarize the group’s responses for submission.
  • Find the channel in Teams with your table number (there are two per table), go to the Files tab, and open the Word document.
  • Type your responses directly in the document and submit one document per group

Notes:

  • You do not need to reach consensus on the questions. Your write-up should mention the different points your group thought were relevant. One or two paragraphs worth of text per question should be sufficient.
    Please avoid bullet-point format.
  • You can discuss the questions in any order you like, and you do not need to respond to all of them. Read them all over before you begin!

Image credit

Black and white photo of a woman with short hair looking into a microsocope

Photo by MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology via Wikimedia

Photo of 'The Dress'. A grainy, poorly exposed photo of a hanging dress. Different people see the dress's colors differently, either black and blue, or gold and white.

The Dress, photo by Cecilia Bleasdale

Screenshot from Fantasmas showing Bernardo Velasco saying 'It's Both'

Screenshot from Fantasmas (2024)

A photo of a cat looking at icons of a cat alive or dead in an open or closed box, with a large question mark superimposed over its head

Cover image via Wikimedia

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