Subject: Science & Tech Activists in DC Loka Alert 2:2 (7 Feb. 1995) Friends and Colleagues: This is one in an occasional series of electronic postings on democratic politics of science and technology, issued by the Loka Institute. You are welcome to re-post or publish it anywhere you feel is appropriate. --Dick Sclove Executive Director, The Loka Institute, P.O. Box 355, Amherst, MA 01004-0355, USA Tel. 413 253-2828; Fax 413 253-4942 E-mail: loka@amherst.edu ***************************************************************** SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ACTIVISTS GATHERING, WASHINGTON, DC, March 2-3, 1995 The upcoming 10th National Association for Science, Technology & Society (NASTS) Conference includes a mini-symposium on "Making Science Policy: Everybody's Responsibility." The purpose is to strategize a more democratic and socially responsive U.S. R&D (research and development) system. The registration fee for the NASTS conference has been waived for people who come only to participate in this mini-symposium. Progressive science & technology activists, non-governmental organizations (e.g., grassroots organizations, public interest groups, unions), concerned scientists, engineers, and policy analysts, etc. are warmly invited to attend and to participate in the opening plenary session and subsequent gathering to discuss and organize. NASTS Mini-Symposium Agenda: Thursday, March 2, 1995, 7:30 pm: Featured Event: "Making R&D Policy More Democratic" Chair: Prof. Rustum Roy, Penn State and NASTS founder Plenary Speaker: Edward E. David, Jr., science advisor to President Richard Nixon and former President of Exxon Research. David, who foresees massive cuts coming in both public and private sector U.S. R&D expenditure, will sketch his vision of a "Realistic Scenario for US R&D." This overview of impending change sets the stage for envisioning ways that change can be channeled more democratically, beginning with the views of... Responders: Kevin Aylesworth--President, Young Science Network Richard Sclove--Exec. Director, The Loka Institute Darryl Chubin--National Science Foundation Al Fritch--Director, Appalachia Center for Science in the Public Interest Friday, March 3, 1995, 10 am - Noon: NASTS Community Gathering. This will be an open discussion, strategy session on democratizing the U.S. R&D system. Co-conveners: Darryl Chubin (National Science Foundation) and Richard Sclove (The Loka Institute) The conference (including mini-symposium) will take place at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel, Arlington, VA (minutes outside of downtown Washington, DC, by Metro subway). For further information, contact Kathy Moir at NASTS: tel. (814) 863- 9983; fax (814) 863-7040. I, Dick Sclove, am looking forward to this opportunity to meet face-to-face with Loka-list and FASTnet subscribers in the greater Washington, DC area. In the meantime, I have my own substantive and strategic ideas about democratizing R&D, but I would be delighted to hear other ideas (especially any great brainstorming about how to proceed in light of the November U.S. election results). Send your thoughts to me personally (resclove@amherst.edu) or, if they will be of more general interest, please subscribe to FASTnet (see below) and post there. ***************************************************************** Traffic on Loka Institute e-mail list (Loka-L) is intentionally kept low (an average of one message every 3 or 4 weeks), to protect over-busy people from unwanted clutter. If you would like to be added to, or removed from, the list, please send an e-mail message to that effect to: resclove@amherst.edu If you would like to participate more actively in promoting a democratic politics of science and technology, please join the Federation of Activists on Science & Technology Network (FASTnet). Just send an e-mail message to: majordomo@igc.apc.org. Leave the subject line blank. The text of your message should read: subscribe FASTnet You will receive an automated reply giving more details. FASTnet and Loka Alerts are activities of the Loka Institute's Technology & Democracy Project, which promotes a strong grassroots, worker, and public-interest group voice in science and technology decision making. There are currently 895 people and organizations worldwide on the Loka e-mail list (plus others reading via the Inst. for Global Communications electronic conference loka.alerts, via repostings to other electronic lists, and via authorized republication in various newsletters and magazines).