Science Technology and Innovation Studies
The Science Technology and Innovation Studies subject group, has been formed to bring together the interdisciplinary network of researchers working in these fields. The University of Edinburgh is a leading centre for such research.
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Interplay of authority and expertise in online self-improvement communities
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-08-06)In online environments, users who wish to learn anything face several problems. Other users are usually anonymous or pseudonymous, information is plentiful and its quality variable, and it can be difficult to discern ... -
Infrastructuring Yachay: contexts in action, temporalities and expectations in Ecuador's 'Yachay the city of knowledge'
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-08-06)This thesis explores the temporalities involved in the infrastructuring of “Yachay, the city of knowledge” - the most ambitious and controversial public infrastructural project in Ecuador’s history. Yachay, which means ... -
Fabricating Silicon Savannah
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-07-06)This PhD research thesis offers an historicised account of Silicon Savannah, a digital technology entrepreneurship arena in Nairobi, Kenya. Silicon Savannah is an opportunity to study the appropriation of technology ... -
How co-innovation anticipates scaling: the modulating function of a co-innovation space
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-07-06)Characterised as a mindset rather than method, co-innovation is a systems-inspired approach to agricultural innovation activity. The application of co-innovation is underpinned by guiding principles of collaboration, ... -
WTO and technological development of transition economies: the 'crucial case' of Kazakhstan
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-07-06)After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, former communist republics started the process of integration into the global economy by joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO). To become members, transition economies were ... -
Selective citation and the shaping of scientific knowledge: citation network analysis and the diet-heart debate
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-07-06)Scientific knowledge is based, in part, on empirical evidence. Scientists contribute to a particular evidence-base by publishing the results of their experiments and observations, but in writing their papers they also use ... -
Scottish space sector and innovation: a PERIpatetic study of an emerging innovation system and the roles of innovation intermediaries
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-07-06)This thesis seeks a more effective understanding of Open Innovation (OI) and the available strategies for its development within (geographically–bound) sectoral systems of innovation (GSSIs). Theoretically, it draws upon ... -
How do planets find their way? Laws of nature and the transformations of knowledge in the Scientific Revolution
(The University of Edinburgh, 2020-01-13)Laws of nature are perceived as playing a central role in modern science. This thesis investigates the introduction of laws of nature into natural philosophy in the seventeenth century, from which modern science arguably ... -
Telegraphists’ cramp: the emergence and disappearance of an occupational disease between 1875 and 1930
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-25)This thesis is a historical, qualitative case study of the emergence and disappearance of telegraphists’ cramp in the British Post Office between 1875, when it was first reported, and 1930, by which point it was in ... -
American imperialism, anthropology and racial taxonomy in the Philippines, 1898-1946
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-11-25)Racial classification and taxonomy of the population in the Philippines was formed primarily based on the colonial perception of race. In the time of the Spanish colonial era that spanned across three centuries, the ... -
Life as-we-don’t-know-it: research repertoires and the emergence of astrobiology
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)This thesis presents an ethnographic study of the repertoires, sets of social and material practices, that scientists adopt to practice and promote the search for life in the universe, commonly known today under the ... -
Amphibious researchers: working with laboratory automation in synthetic biology
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)This thesis analyses the use of robots and automation in academic biosciences laboratories in the UK. Both system vendors and policymakers argue that robots, specifically liquid-handlers and robotic arms, offer more ... -
Particle physics in public: legitimising curiosity-driven research on the Higgs boson and beyond
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)The publicity surrounding the discovery of the Higgs boson hints at the enduring status of curiosity-driven research in modern society. However, the contemporary governance of scientific research emphasises efficiency, ... -
Dynamics of expectations and linked ecologies: a case study of the Copyright Hub
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)This thesis examines the development of the Copyright Hub, an emerging infrastructural initiative, designed to streamline the processes of expressing, identifying and communicating Intellectual Property (IP) rights ... -
‘Though their causes be not yet discover’d’: occult principles in the making of Newton’s natural philosophy
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)This thesis aims to provide a fuller understanding of a highly important but still controversial aspect of Isaac Newton’s natural philosophy: the role of occult, or at least non-mechanical, principles in his natural ... -
‘Suitable and sufficient’? UK regulation of post-construction fire safety
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)There have been considerable reductions in UK fire deaths and casualties over the last fifty years, but on-going innovation in the built environment means that fire risks need constantly to be reappraised and addressed. ... -
Between autonomy and engagement: interpreting and practising knowledge exchange in UK academia
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)Scholarly interest in “impact” - the focus on the social and economic relevance of science as a research assessment criterion - has been steadily rising in UK academia since the early 1990s. In this context, knowledge ... -
Unbundling ‘indigenous space capability’: actors, policy positions and agency in geospatial information science in Southwest Nigeria
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)Ever since the operation of the first civilian Earth observation (EO) satellites gained momentum in the 1970s, their history has been accompanied by debates over whether in developing countries social and economic ... -
Implementation challenge of smart specialisation innovation strategies in catch-up regions: the role of institutions, governance and capacity building
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)This thesis examines public policy implementation in catch-up regions through the analytical lens of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). Smart specialisation is a regional innovation strategy, introduced in 2010 as the ... -
Climate blogging in a post-truth era: opportunities for action and interaction. Mainstream scientist-produced climate blogs as a climate science communication niche
(The University of Edinburgh, 2019-07-08)This thesis is concerned with the meaning of using blogs to convey knowledge about a consequential but contentious issue and the qualities that render blogs a useful tool for the communication of science. More precisely, ...
