just stimulating conversation
Risk Rage
When is understanding risk less about Likelihood x Impact and more about Hazard x Outrage? Answer: When risk is being assessed by intuition, feelings and personal values – which drive many risk perceptions towards technologies such as nanotechnologies, genetically modified foods or infant vaccination. Science communicator Craig Cormick joins Di Bowman in an entertaining discussion on the social values that govern much public perception of risk, and a look at why otherwise rather intelligent people (unlike ourselves) can sometimes believe rather dumb things (unlike ourselves -?).
Panelists
Dr. Craig Cormick is an Australian science communicator who has been working on public engagement with new technologies including as nanotechnologies and biotechnologies for over ten years. He is visiting the USA to talk on public engagement of science and technology at the conferences of the Society for Social Studies of Science, and the Society for the Study of NanoScience and Emerging Technologies.
Dr. Di Bowman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Management & Policy, School of Public Health, at the University of Michigan and a visiting international scholar in the Faculty of Law, KU Leuven (Belgium). In addition to these roles Diana serves as a member on the Australian Government’s National Enabling Technologies Strategy Expert Forum. Diana’s research has focused primarily on legal, regulatory and public health policy issues relating to new technologies, in particular nanotechnologies. Diana is the co-editor of several books including New Global Frontiers in Regulation: The Age of Nanotechnology (2007, with Hodge and Ludlow) and Nanotechnology Risk Management: Perspectives and Progress (2010, with Hull) and the International Handbook on Regulating Nanotechnologies (2010, with Hodge and Maynard). Diana has qualifications in science and law (Monash University, 2003), a PhD in Law (2007), and is admitted to practice as an Australian Lawyer.
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