A Lancaster

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A Lancaster Cardiff Centre
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Plant Genomics, Commercialisation and Scientific
Knowledge Shifting Cultures of Scientific
Research

• Katrina Stengel (CESAGen)
• Mercy Kamara (CESAGen)Jane Taylor (Biology,
  Lancaster)Claire Waterton (Sociology,
  Lancaster)Brian Wynne (CESAGen)

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Aim and methods of project

• Main aim to throw light on the epistemic
  implications of commercialisation processes
  within plant genomics
• Methods interviewing/participant observation
  with academic plant scientists, research
  institute plant scientists, Biotechnology and
  Biological Sciences Research Council

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Interdisciplinary working a typology of
relationships (Wynne 2000)

• 1. Projects in which a common problem is defined
  which requires as-yet ill-defined social and
  natural sciences inputs, and negotiation over the
  precise intellectual problem
• e.g. disease risks - do genetic or environmental
  factors cause them? Under-determination of
  definitions of biological and social in specific
  cases.

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A typology of relationships (Wynne 2000)

• 2. Projects in which natural scientists or
  clinicians may be important for informing the
  definition of valid and productive social science
  questions and choice of methods
• E.g. may be important in the use of new
  technologies in science where few people have
  experience of issues

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A typology of relationships (Wynne 2000)

• 3. Projects where, conversely, social scientists
  may be important to help natural scientists or
  clinicians define better methods or approaches to
  their own disciplinary responsibilities
• e.g. feminist research making explicit gendered
  assumptions in biology (molecular biology
  primatology)

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A typology of relationships (Wynne 2000)

• Projects in which scientists or clinicians in a
  particular institutional role may be seen as
  stakeholders in some difficult policy or
  technical issue, typically involving conflict
  with others.
• Social scientists role to identify and render
  explicit implicit assumptions and meanings,
  making conflicts more tractable.

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A typology of relationships (Wynne 2000)

• Projects in which natural scientists,
  clinicians, or both, assume the role, by
  negotiation, of social science research objects
  whose cultural practices, routines and
  assumptions (including the technical practices
  and reasoning processes) are themselves under
  study as part of an anthropological ethnographic
  project.
• E.g. Plant Genomics, Commercialisation and
  Scientific Knowledge Shifting Cultures of
  Scientific Research

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Interdisciplinarity in Plant Genomics,
Commercialisation and Scientific Knowledge
Shifting Cultures of Scientific Research

• ESRC urged the Lancaster/Cardiff team to link
  with natural scientists (in medical and
  environmental areas)
• Research team consists of 4 social scientists
  and 1 plant biologist
• Katrina Stengel (CESAGen)
• Mercy Kamara (CESAGen)
• Jane Taylor (Biology, Lancaster)
• Claire Waterton (Sociology, Lancaster)
• Brian Wynne (CESAGen)

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Sites for in-depth interviewing and participant
observation

• John Innes Centre (JIC),
• Lancaster University
• York University
• Rothamstead Research Station
• IGER, Aberystwyth
• Manchester University
• Reading University
• BBSRC

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A co-dependency

• Why we need Jane Taylor (biologist)!
• Plant genomics - a complex science
• Janes knowledge of the UK community of plant
  scientists
• Our framing of the study
• What we find out
• Jane as sounding board
• Jane helping us interpret results and steering
  future questions

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A co-dependency

• What Jane Taylor gets out of the collaboration
• Increasing interest of biological sciences in the
  social dynamics of their science
• Research council-led?
• Government/treasury led?
• Crisis-led? (Strathern 2004)
• Recognition for interdisciplinary working e.g.
  through RAE publications

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The practice of collaborating across natural and
social sciences

• Language and understanding
• Contact
• Communication of /openness to different framings
  of research
• Communication of /openness to different
  methodologies
• Interpretation

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Challenges

• Knowledge as culture-in-the-making
• Knowledge as objective, determined by nature,
  allied to progress
• Common ground?
• Going against the cultural grain of science?
• Accountability
• What does the research mean and to whom?