It’s one of those fundamental tenets taught to every student: science is international; it’s the same everywhere, it respects no borders; the work is the same no matter where or when you are. Assessing this idea is a core task in STS. Our philosophers, historians, and sociologists work overtime on case studies to explore internationality. Our policy and communication experts grapple with variations and work to understand where there is consensus and where there’s consensus. 

In this episode, Beatrice Han (BSc Sociology and Politics of Science student) investigates science and internationality. As an international student, Beatrice is very familiar with borders and different systems in different places. She brings together three others in STS with similar experiences to talk about internationality and science: Dr Tiago Mata )Associate Professor in Science and Technology Studies), Isabel Lim (UCL Class of 2022), and Andrea Lekare (UCL Class of 2023 and another member of the STSNewsRoom2022). They each bring an international background when they talk about their experiences of scientific policies and knowledge in different countries. The conversation considers possible explanations for these differences. They also discuss whether its better to keep or eliminate outside factors. Is there value in preserving variety?

This is another contribution from the STSNewsRoom2022. Here in STS we want to give students work experience in science communication, so each summer we set up as many paid internships as we can, and we work with students to create content for publications, like our annual magazine, STS Alchemy. We also ask them to create a podcast episode. On any subject they choose. We want about 30 minutes. We want interviews. We want something STS. But most of all, we want ideas and creativity. 

Featuring

Reporter and original research
Beatrice Han

Interviewees
Dr Tiago Mata, Associate Professor in Science and Technology Studies
Isabel Lim, UCL Class of 2022
Andrea Lekare, UCL Class of 2023

Host
Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology

Music credits

Intro and Exit music
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Interval music
Midnite Dialog Short

Podcast information
WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast
This site also includes information for how STS students and staff can get involved with our programme.
WeAreSTS producer is Professor Joe Cain.
Twitter: @stsucl #WeAreSTS

WeAreSTS

#22 Thinking About Internationality: Is Science the Same Everywhere? | WeAreSTS

We sampled undergraduate projects in a previous episode. Now, it time for the Master’s students. Today’s episode offers a sampler of student-made podcasts. These were created by Master’s students in our science journalism module, run by Dr Jean-Baptiste Gouyon. 

The assignment was straightforward: imagine you’re working for a news magazine. Create a three-minute feature about a recent piece of research at UCL. The piece must include a short interview segment, and it must make sense within the context of the show. They have a tight deadline, and they have to work pretty much with the tools they have through a laptop and phone. The goal is to mimic real-world work as a freelance journalist.

The assignments students do in STS modules today are nothing like what they used to be. These days, they build portfolios with all sorts of things: short writing, long writing, posters, blogs, in-class presentations. Add to these, projects like podcasts, film clips, campaign strategies, briefing papers, debates, and proposals. Research of different kinds. Creativity. And Challenge. We diversify our curriculum because we’re training for a flexible future: a world of work that is as varied as we can imagine.

For today, I’ve brought together eight of the student projects that appeal to me. They’re varied, and they deliver the assignment is different ways. Think of this as a sampler. Details about each track are in the show notes.

The whole syllabus for HPSC0122 Science Journalism:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/testing/postgraduate-modules-draft/science-journalism-hpsc0122

Tracks

Track 1. Tackling Far-Right Extremism Online, Thorin Bristow

Track 2. Planetary bodies observed for the first time in habitable zone of a dead star, Bharadwaj Vangipuram

Track 3. Is it healthy for children to follow plant based diets?, Sophie Reich-Michalik

Track 4. New research in UCL on sex differences reveals the urgency of mental health gendered medicine, Eve Barro

Track 5. Covid-19: Misery for Care Home Residents and Staff Continued, Qitian Mao
Details to come.

Track 6. Impact of climate change on global food production and the role this plays in widening the inequality gap, Hania Tayara

Track 7. UCL’s COVID-19 Social Study is the largest scientific research on the psychological and social impact of the pandemic in the UK, Paula Munoz Arriaza

Track 8. The neurodevelopmental condition known as stammering, along with the mental health of children and young adults who have a stammer, Flo Cornish

Host

Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music credits

Intro and Exit music
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5

Interval music
“Laconic Granny,” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3960-laconic-granny
Both are available on the website: filmmusic.IO

Podcast information

WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast
This site also includes information for how STS students and staff can get involved with our programme.
WeAreSTS producer is Professor Joe Cain.
Twitter: @stsucl #WeAreSTS

NEW YEAR’S DAY BONUS: Journalism from STS Science Communication Master’s Students 2022 | WeAreSTS

#23 Journalism from STS Science Communication Master’s Students 2022 | WeAreSTS

Alex Hancock explores how research about museum collections is helping to connect British museums with more of the publics they claim to support. His emphasis is on decolonisation, engagement, and white European power. Ultimately, how do structural inequalities manifest in our museums, and how do we move to a new set of relationships? 
Alex undertook this project for the STSNewsRoom in summer 2021. His reporting focused on two specific events. 
First, Alex discusses with Tannis Davidson the “Displays of Power” exhibition at UCL Grant Museum of Zoology, which explores legacy of empire through objects in the museum and other natural history collections. Objects in these collections have complex histories of collection and ownership. We need to move past merely celebrating the collector and collecting, the exhibition argues, and instead highlight issues of power and control, removal and appropriation, privilege and the ability to ignore.
Second, Alex discusses critiques of representation and engagement in museums with Professor Emily Dawson in light of Black Lives Matter campaigning. Professor Dawson has a long history working with groups from many communities to explore what museums mean to them and how museums serve different groups. For some people, museums just aren’t welcoming places, Professor Dawson explains. 
Alex asks the straightforward question: where are these movements leading the future of museums? Is change likely in the near future?

Featuring
Presenter and researcher
Alex Hancock, UCL Class 0f 2021
Alex also contributed to STS Alchemy 2021

Interviewees
Tannis Davidson, Curator of UCL Grant Museum of Zoology
Professor Emily Dawson, UCL Professor of Education, Science and Society

In the break, you heard Jasmine Charkravarty, also part of the STSNewsRoom2021. 

Host: Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor in History and Philosophy of Biology

Music credits
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5
“Ecossaise in E-flat,” by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/3700-ecossaise-in-e-flat-woo-86-

In the episode, Alex also uses this music:
Young Logos, “Papov”, YouTube Audio Library
Bad Snacks, “Wallflowers”, YouTube Audio Library

Podcast information
“WeAreSTS” is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, and to leave feedback about the show, visit us online:
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast
STS Students and staff also can find on the website information about how to get involved with our programme.
“WeAreSTS” producer is Professor Joe Cain.
Twitter: @stsucl #WeAreSTS

For additional materials: 
https://profjoecain/wearests
Episode #24

#24 Who Are Museums REALLY Speaking For (And What About The Rest of Us) | WeAreSTS

Chances are you’ve had something to do with “mindfulness” recently. Maybe you’ve been sent to “mindfulness” training. Or, perhaps you’ve been listening to a mindfulness podcast. Or, perhaps you’re using a “mindfulness” app, such as HeadSpace.

In this episode, Franziska Link investigates the growing use of mindfulness therapies at universities, such as UCL, in their provision for student support and welfare. What good are they? What do they involve? What are the pros – and the cons – of this approach. Franziska interviews four people with quite different relationships to mindfulness therapies. She works to separate the hype from the research.

This episode is part of the STSNewsRoom 2021. Franziska also contributed to STSAlchemy2021.

Additional sources on mindfulness

UCL Student Support and Wellbeing
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/support-and-wellbeing

UCL self-guided materials on mindfulness
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/students/support-and-wellbeing/counselling/self-help-and-other-resources/self-help-library/mindfulness

Ronan Mccoy (2022). Mindfulness. UCL School of Management.
https://www.mgmt.ucl.ac.uk/blog/mindfulness

Mindful Society, Student’s Union UCL
https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies/mindful-society

UCLHospital has mindfulness advice
https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/our-services/find-service/integrated-medicine/mindfulness

UCL HR staff support
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/health-wellbeing/being-well-ucl/healthy-mind/learn-skills-healthy-mind

Interviewer and researcher
Franziska Link, UCL Class of 2023
https://www.linkedin.com/in/franziska-link-0701b1171

Interviewees
Bodhilila Young, Chair of the West London Buddist Centre
https://westlondonbuddhistcentre.com/teachers/bodhilila/
Professor Andrew Steptoe, Professor of Psychology and Head of the Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/obesity-policy-research-unit/andrew-steptoe
Professor Miguel Farias, Associate Professor Experimental Psychology, Coventry University
https://pureportal.coventry.ac.uk/en/persons/miguel-farias
https://miguelfarias.co.uk
David “Davy” Tennison, doctoral student, UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/avy-tennison

Host
Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music credits
"Rollin At 5,” by Kevin McLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5
“Ecossaise in E-flat,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/3700-ecossaise-in-e-flat-woo-86-

Podcast information
WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast
This site also includes information for how STS students and staff can get involved with our programme.

WeAreSTS producer is Professor Joe Cain.

Twitter: @stsucl #WeAreSTS

#25 Are We Over-Hyping Mindfulness for University Students? | WeAreSTS

WeAreSTS is a podcast from UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS). We're seeking STS student volunteers to help in creation of more episodes and the overall running of the series. Volunteer to do a little. Volunteer to do a lot. This message sets out the basic parameters of the offer. 

Host
Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music credits
Exit music
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5
 
Podcast information
WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast
This site also includes information for how STS students and staff can get involved with our programme.
WeAreSTS producer is Professor Joe Cain.
Twitter: @stsucl #WeAreSTS

Recruiting

Calling all STS students! We're seeking volunteers for podcast

Women in the History of Science brings together primary sources that highlight women’s involvement in scientific knowledge production around the world. Drawing on texts, images and objects, each primary source is accompanied by an explanatory text, questions to prompt discussion, and a bibliography to aid further research. Arranged by time period, covering 1200 BCE to the twenty-first century, and across 12 inclusive and far-reaching themes, this book is an invaluable companion to students and lecturers alike in exploring women’s history in the fields of science, technology, mathematics, and medicine.
While women are too often excluded from traditional narratives of the history of science, this book centres on the voices and experiences of women across a range of domains of knowledge. By questioning our understanding of what science is, where it happens, and who produces scientific knowledge, this reader is an aid to liberating the curriculum within schools and universities.
In this episode, Professor Joe Cain talks with the sourcebook’s FIVE co-editors. Each recently completed a PhD in UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies. We talk about the book, how readers might use it in teaching, what their favourite chapters are, and how they’re using their own skills to improve the subject of history for everyone.

Book information
Women in the History of Science: A sourcebook
Edited by Hannah Wills, Sadie Harrison, Erika Jones, Rebecca Martin, and Farrah Lawrence-Mackey
2023 UCL Press
ISBN 9781800084155
Open Access PDF Free Download; Print also available
https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/211143
Women in the History of Science: A sourcebook. Edited by Hannah Wills, Sadie Harrison, Erika Jones, Rebecca Martin, and Farrah Lawrence-Mackey. 2023 UCL Press. ISBN 9781800084155

Featuring
Interviewees
Hannah Wills is R&D Producer at Royal Holloway, University of London.
https://royalholloway.academia.edu/HannahWills

Sadie Harrison is Honorary Research Associate at the Department of Science and Technology Studies, UCL and works in the environment sector.

Erika Lynn Jones is Curator of Navigation and Oceanography at Royal Museums, Greenwich. 
https://erika-jones.org

Farrah Lawrence-Mackey is re-training to practice law.

Rebecca Martin has been Research Fellow in the Centre for History in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Caird Research Fellow at National Maritime Museum, Royal Museums Greenwich.
https://dr-rebecca-martin.com

Each also is an Honorary Research Associate in UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS).

Host
Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music credits
Music credits
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5
“Silly Intro,” by Alexander Nakarada
https://filmmusic.io/song/4786-silly-intro

Podcast information
WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast

#26 Women in History of Science Through 53 Original Sources | WeAreSTS

The assignments students do in STS modules today are nothing like what they used to be. These days, they build portfolios with all sorts of things: short writing, long writing, posters, blogs, in-class presentations. Add to these, projects like podcasts, film clips, campaign strategies, briefing papers, debates, and full-on project proposals. Research of different kinds. They all require hard work, creativity, and rising to the challenge.

We diversify our curriculum because we know the future holds work as varied as we do ourselves each day. We want our students skilled up, practiced, and ready to go.

Today’s episode samples from this year’s student-made podcasts. You’ll hear projects from our undergraduate science journalism module, run by Dr Jean-Baptiste Gouyon. The assignment is straightforward: create a three-minute news feature about a recent piece of research at UCL. The piece must be suitable for use on as a news segment for radio or podcast. Students start with a recent press release, and they go from there. The piece must include a short interview segment with a researcher. They have a tight deadline, and they have to work pretty much with the tools they have through a laptop and their phone. This is real world work and pace as a freelance journalist.

For you, I’ve brought together eight of the ones I like a lot. They’re varied, and they deliver the assignment is different ways. We’ll take a quick break in the middle, but I want to leave the students to deliver their work as they presented it. Links to all the detail are in the show notes.

The whole syllabus for HPSC0107 Science Journalism:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/sites/sts/files/hpsc0107-science_journalism-syllabus_2022-23.pdf

Tracks

TRACK 1. People Over 50 Often Sleep Better | Lydia Yallop
TRACK 2. Natural Language Modelled and Printed in 3D | Daphne Sarkany
TRACK 3. Link Between Daily Active Movement and Better Cognition in Mid-life | Emile Stuglyte
TRACK 4. We’re Ignoring Impact of Long Covid | Mandy Huynh
TRACK 5. Importance of Breastmilk Bacteria for Healthy Gut in Babies | Omar Al Hashimi
TRACK 6. Time in Nature Can Improve Wellbeing | Isobel Hutt
TRACK 7. Fast-lived Invasive Species Pose Greatest Challenge | Federico Citterich
TRACK 8. Doctors of the Earth: Seismologists Sense the Earth’s Pulse | Andrea Lekare
Details about each track are available on the episode page:
https://profjoecain.net/27-top-stories-in-science-journalism-from-sts-students-wearests

Host

Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain/

Music credits

Intro and Exit music
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5
“Silly Intro,” by Alexander Nakarada
https://filmmusic.io/song/4786-silly-intro
Both are available on the website: filmmusic.IO
Music in intervals is a loop created in GarageBand.

Podcast information

WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast

#27 Top Stories in Science Journalism from STS Students | WeAreSTS

Ever heard of climate change comedy? Here’s the idea. The climate crisis dominates our news. But more and more, messages about action are ignored. Fatalism is growing. People seem frozen with the scale of the problem. It’s clear we need new ways to tackle these tough conversations.

In this episode, STS’s very own Grace Tyrrell explores the growing niche of climate change comedy. With her guest Dr Matt Winning, an environmental researcher and comedian, Grace shows us how climate change comedy works and she explores the question of how these two ideas can fit together. Grace is finishing her master’s degree in science communication with us. 

After interviewing Matt Winning about the theory, Grace asks a set of fellow students about the practice. Does climate change comedy work? Do it inform the head? Does it engage the heart? Does it lead keep up momentum in climate action?

Thanks to her guest, Dr Matt Winning and to fellow STS students Joe Woof, Steph Hawes, Megan Thomas, Gusti Ayu Ismayanti, Annabel Bourne for their time.

Grace completed this podcast episode as part of the Podcast Sprint 2023, run by Professor Joe Cain for STS students.

Further information on climate change comedy
Is climate change a laughing matter? (Carroll-Monteil 2021) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13504622.2022.2113764 
Climate Strange - Dr Matt Winning, TEDx Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPCEqPdEY1A&t=281s 

Featuring
Interviewer and researcher
Grace Tyrrell, UCL Science Communication MSc Class of 2023
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gracetyrrell/ 
@gracescicomm

Interviewees
Dr Matt Winning, Senior Research Fellow at UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/sustainable/people/mr-matthew-winning 
https://mattwinning.com/about/

Science Communication MSc Class of 2023 
Joe Woof, Steph Hawes, Megan Thomas, Gusti Ayu Ismayanti, Annabel Bourne

Host
Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music credits (show)
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5

Music credits (within the episode)
“Accralate,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/3336-accralate
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Podcast information
WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast
Editing by Grace Tyrrell
Post production by Professor Joe Cain

Listen to Science Refresh
Science Refresh is a bi-weekly podcast bringing you a fresh take on the latest in science and technology. Join hosts Grace, Meg and Dom as they take you through the stories that you won’t have seen in the headlines.
https://open.spotify.com/show/0aS44BehxWXfFLpm5FgrcM?si=fe84b76444ce45d2&nd=1

#29 Can Comedy Help Us Tackle Conversations About Climate Change? | WeAreSTS

Mandy dives optimistically into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on education as we know it. Think ChatGPT and all those related tools called generative AI. Along the way, we touch on some fundamental and relevant concepts from science and technology studies - including the Turing Test and technological determinism - that can help us gain a more nuanced understanding of emerging technology and big tech. With insights from UCL experts and others in Silicon Valley, we explore the incredible potential of AI to enhance university education, plus we dip into some of the challenges AI ultimately poses to human value. 

This is an episode from the STSNewsRoom 2023.

Featuring
Interviewer and researcher
Mandy Huynh
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandyhuy/

Interviewees
Dr Rich Osbourne
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical-physical-sciences/education/meet-team/richard-osborne

Host
Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music credits (episode)
Chasing by NEFFEX
Lawrence by TrackTribe
From the YouTube Music Library

Music credits (show)
Music credits
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5

Podcast information
WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast

Correction
Mandy said she took Professor Agar’s module in 2023. In fact, she took it in 2022.

#28 Promising Potential for Generative AI at University: Is it a Personal Tutor for Every Pocket | WeAreSTS

#28 Promising Potential for Generative AI at University | WeAreSTS

Hollywood chooses to portray experts in particular – sometimes peculiar – ways. Those choices have profound impacts on how audiences think about subjects as diverse as dinosaurs, robots, and climate catastrophes. But do those portrayals also change the way we think about the experts themselves and the process of expertise? Does Hollywood play some kind of under-the-table role in teaching us which experts to trust? That’s the theme for today’s podcast.

Today, we listen in on a conversation between three experts here in STS who study science policy making as a process. They talk about a couple of films in which experts play starring roles. To get things going, they concentrate on two films: “Films like Don’t Look Up,” the star-studded 2021 Netflix film directed by Adam McKay. And, “2012,” the 2009 Sony Pictures apocalypse film directed by Roland Emmerich.

In some ways, these films are very different. But in key ways, they’re remarkably similar. 
The conversation you’ll hear was organised and led by Haes Seung Chung, one of the students in this year’s STSNewsRoom. She keeps things moving, and she keeps our panellists on their toes. In fact, she’s ready to go. So, I’m just hand the microphone over to her, and I’ll see you on the other side.

Featuring

Interviewer and researcher
Haes Seung Chung, STS 2023 student in our integrated BSc programme

Interviewees
Professor Jack Stilgoe, UCL Professor of Science and Technology Policy 
Dr Saheli Datta Burton, UCL Lecturer (Teaching) in Science Policy (Responsible Research and Innovation)
Dr Stephen Hughes, UCL Lecturer in Science, Technology and Society

Host
Professor Joe Cain, UCL Professor of History and Philosophy of Biology
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/cain

Music credits

Intro and Exit music
“Rollin At 5,” by Kevin MacLeod
https://filmmusic.io/song/5000-rollin-at-5
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Music within the episode
Endless Dessert- Steven Beddall: Endless Desert by Steven Bedlam | Artlist.io

Podcast information
WeAreSTS is a production of the Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) at University College London (UCL). To find out more, or to leave feedback about the show:
https://ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast

#30 Don’t Look Up! How Hollywood Imports Science Policy into Films | WeAreSTS

WeAreSTS is a podcast from Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London (UCL). Visit us ucl.ac.uk/sts/podcast or subscribe through your podcast app.

#28 Promising Potential for Generative AI at University | WeAreSTS

WeAreSTS

Related tracks