Title: NSF/Tokyo Report: The Prospects for Interdisciplinary Studies of Science, Technology and Society in Japan Date: 4/28/97 The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission. These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy makers; they are not statements of NSF policy. Special Scientific Report #97-07 (April 16, 1997) The Prospects for Interdisciplinary Studies of Science, Technology and Society in Japan The following report was prepared by Dr. Edward J. Hackett, Program Director for Science and Technology Studies at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Hackett visited Japan from March 1 - March 14 as a Visiting Research Fellow (short-term) under the sponsorship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Professor Mariko Sano of Hiroshima University served as host scientist for Dr. Hackett . Dr. Hackett may be reached via email at: ehackett@nsf.gov. I. Summary of Activities During my time in Japan I visited several universities, gave a lecture, met informally with faculty, students, university administrators, and government officials, and attended a two-day workshop on international science and technology policy. A. Visits to Institutions. Much of my time was spent in Hiroshima and in Tokyo, with trips as far south as Kyushu and as far north as Sendai. In chronological order, the sites I visited were: Nara Women's University Kyushu University Hiroshima University National Institute of Science and Technology Policy University of Tokyo Tohoku University B. Formal Lecture. At the invitation of my host, I gave a formal lecture at Hiroshima University titled "Science and Technology Studies in the United States: The Prospects and Possibilities of Interdisciplinary Research." In brief, this lecture first offered an overview of the organization and workings of the National Science Foundation, to set the context, then proceeded to review the structure, history, major accomplishments, and future research concerns of the interdisciplinary field of science and technology studies. The talk concluded with information about how to become more involved with persons in the field. A copy of the transparencies used in the talk is attached to this report. I had been prepared to expect a quiet and passive audience, and so was surprised and delighted by the number, variety and insightfulness of the questions that arose during the hour-long discussion period. My host, Professor Mariko Fujita Sano, greatly facilitated this exchange by offer! ing extensive translations of questions and answers. C. Informal Meetings. My host and I arranged for many meetings with small groups of faculty, students, and administrators--more than 30 in all--to discuss substantive topics in science and technology studies, procedural matters concerning university organization and functioning, and strategies for promoting interdisciplinary research and education in STS and more generally. Some of these meetings lasted for 3 hours or more and will certainly lead to further exchange and collaboration. D. Workshop on International Science and Technology Policy. My visit to Tokyo coincided with a NISTEP-sponsored workshop on international science and technology policy which I attended. The format of the workshop allowed considerable discussion and exchange, and I used this opportunity to suggest ways to integrate research on the social organization of science and technology with policy concerns. The workshop also allowed me to meet and talk with several additional faculty members and government officials. II. Specific Impressions Conversations with students, faculty and government officials during my two-week visit to Japan were exceptionally frank and extensive. In return, I hope the information, ideas, and advice I offered were of some use to my colleagues. In the same spirit I wish to offer in writing some observations about the prospects for STS education and scholarship in Japan. But the impressions offered below must be prefaced with the caution that they are based on a very brief and superficial exposure to the STS community in Japan, and the STS community is but a small and distinctive cross-section of Japanese higher education. 1. Identifying and developing scientific and engineering talent was a theme that lasted throughout the entire visit, arising first in conversation with Professor Niwa, President of Nara Women's University, recurring in conversation with Professor Takemura at Hiroshima University, reappearing during my lecture at Hirodai, and finally emerging again at the policy workshop in Tokyo. Perhaps most striking was mention of survey data showing a sharp reduction in the proportion of young Japanese who have a positive impression of science and technology. We talked at length about similar circumstances in the U.S., and considered possible explanations and remedies. Three sorts of strategies for addressing this concern emerged from our conversations: (1) recruiting, developing and retaining persons from groups traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering; (2) studying the educational and career dynamics that bring students into science and engineering to understand why some are not attracted to such careers and why others change educational and career plans; (3) creating interdisciplinary curricula that combine science and engineering with social science and humanities in order to satisfy students' desire to integrate scientific and technical knowledge with an understanding of history and the human condition. 2. The social organization and physical layout of the Japanese university was a second recurrent topic that arose in conversation with President Niwa of Nara Women's University, President Harada, Dean Seiwa and Professor Arimoto of Hiroshima University, Professor Ebuchi of Kyushu University, Professor Shima of Tohoku University, and many others. At issue in all these discussions was how new educational and human resource needs, and the integrative demands of contemporary scholarship, may be served by changes in academic organization and physical structure. Hirodai's recent relocation, and the planned move of Kyushu University, present the most dramatic opportunities for physical change. But potentially more significant are the social reorganizations brought about by the formation of new faculties such as Hirodai's Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, ongoing reorganizations (such as those underway at Tohoku University), innovative new forms of organization (such as RC! AST at the University of Tokyo), and exchanges and partnerships involving universities and other organizations (such as are being developed at Nara). By creating such flexible, fluid and permeable organizations, Japanese higher education will be well-positioned to respond to the rising challenges of interdisciplinary education and research. In the United States, for example, the National Science Foundation has created new research and training initiatives that draw traditional disciplines together to study Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence, Learning and Intelligent Systems, and various topics concerning the environment (e.g., Human Dimensions of Global Change, the Long-Term Environmental Research sites, and Life in Extreme Environments). The success of such initiatives depends upon cooperation across traditional academic disciplines, which in turn require changes in faculty behavior and university organization. Further, interdisciplinary fields such as Science and Technology Studies, Ethics and Values Studies, Environmental Studies, or Law and Social Science, rely on cooperation among scholars and serve to draw scholars together (sometimes to the extent that new university departments form to give organizational presence to the intellectual confluence). There is rising interest in such interdisciplinary topics in Japan, and Japan's new forms of academic organization will provide welcoming environments for collaboration. For example, the Integrated Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Hirodai is well positioned to work at the intersection of science, the humanities, and the social sciences on topics concerning the environment or the social and ethical dimensions of science and technology. That said, it must be noted that interdisciplinary teaching and research also brings complications, such as difficulties in evaluating scholarship across disciplines, extra burdens of collaborative teaching, and finding a specific intellectual focus in a topic as broad as "the environment," "peace studies," or "science, technology and society." 3. I was most impressed by the intelligence, curiosity, and energy of younger scholars in Japan: persons ranging from associate professor down to graduate student. I had read much about the hierarchical character of Japanese universities, and was delighted to find such intellectual power among the younger generations. They asked many insightful questions, during my lecture and in private conversations, and are taking a leadership role in many important academic endeavors. 4. Many people I met wished to learn more about the NSF merit review process for research proposals, which places the research community at the center of decisions about the allocation of research funds. I heard much approving interest in this manner of resource allocation, but also received lengthy lectures about the complications of Japanese higher education and research support. In the current climate of rising research funding, energetic and talented young scholars, and academic innovation and reorganization, it may be possible for JSPS and other agencies to experiment with such funding mechanisms. 5. Of greatest importance for the field of Science and Technology Studies, a group of Japanese scholars is organizing Japan's first international conference in STS, to be held in March 1998. This is an exceptionally important event for several reasons. Not only does it alert STS scholars worldwide to Japan's efforts in this field, but it also signals Japanese scholars about the field's maturity and possibilities. Further, STS derives major benefits from this expansion, as the field knows little about science and technology outside the Western context. Finally, a rise in studies of science and technology within Japan can provide information of value to policymakers in Japan and outside. For all these reasons I am most enthusiastic about this international conference, and will provide whatever assistance I can to the endeavor. I would be most pleased to cooperate with JSPS in doing so. III. General Comments The rising interest in STS will benefit Japan in many ways. As a field of study, it will offer undergraduate and graduate students a way to integrate instruction in science or engineering with education in the humanities or social sciences. This may stimulate further interest in science or engineering, and may give rise to a new sort of scientist or engineer, one who is equally conversant with biotechnology and ethics, with knowledge networks and epistemology, with engineering design and social organization. Such scholars will be uniquely qualified to work in the challenging decades before us. As a field of research, STS may address some of the most significant and profound questions facing an advanced, technological society, including matters of human resource development, environmental consequences, ethical considerations (ranging from bioethics to environmental justice), and the social organization of an innovative research system. There is reason for great optimism about the prospects for STS and other interdisciplinary fields in Japan, based on rising research resources, innovative academic organizations, and, especially, the energy and imagination of new generations of scholars. On a personal note, I hope JSPS and NSF will cooperate in such efforts, and that I will have further opportunities to contribute. IV. Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful to my host, Mariko Fujita Sano, for her gracious hospitality during my visit, providing a warm welcome and an essential education in matters Japanese. Dean Seiwa at Hiroshima University arranged my lecture there and opened the door for many of my appointments with faculty. Ms. Izumi Inose and Mr. Hisahiko Kamizuru, graduate students of Professor Sano, were delightful companions and expert guides during my travels. Finally, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science was exceedingly generous in awarding me a fellowship, and I am most grateful for the honor and opportunity.