STAND has sponsored two symposia for the 11th European Society for the History of Science, held 4-7 September 2024 at UPF Campus de la Ciutadella, Barcelona, Spain. Additionally, the commission has sponsored two lunchtime events: an Early Career Researcher Gathering on Thursday, September 5, 13:00-14:00 (Room 40.004) to support networking and active STAND opportunities for early career scholars, as well as a General Meeting on Friday, September 6, 13:00-14:00 (Room 40.002) to discuss new publicatoin opportunties and future activities of the commission.
Symposium 1 – Science Diplomacy: Searching for a Deeper Past
Organisers: Daniel Gamito-Marques, Department of Applied Social Sciences, NOVA-FCT; Lif Lund Jacobsen, Natural History Museum of Denmark
This 3-part symposium organized by the Science, Technology and Diplomacy (STAND) Commission promotes a historical and historiographical deepening of reflections on the role of science and technology in international relations. Across multiple geographies and historical times, international negotiations on responses to transnational health crises, technoscientific standardization and collaboration, and geopolitical power politics have affected human and physical environments. These themes are neither recent nor isolated from other critical spheres of global politics and scholarly research. This symposium intends to stimulate an exploration of science diplomacy’s deeper and complex past, problematizing the current characterization of science diplomacy as a post-World War 2 phenomenon and proposing novel connections between histories spanning various periods and disciplines. Each part of the symposium is devoted to a general theme in the deeper history of science diplomacy.
Part 1: Coordinated scientific and diplomatic responses to transnational threats. This symposium analyzes how scientific experts and diplomats from various states coordinated to contain the spread of different diseases of global reach, uncovering tensions that strained international conversations.
Chair: Dongxin Zou, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Catching Rats, Surveying the Plague Pandemic: Rat-Labs and the Emergence of a Global Network of Epidemiological Surveillance (1894-1945)
– Matheus Alves Duarte da Silva, University of St Andrews
Abstract: The historiography of infectious diseases has focused on post-WWII flu management as the best example of how science and diplomacy created a successful global epidemiological surveillance network. Reuniting experts from different regions of the globe and counting on the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, this network was based on the sharing of information about flu outbreaks and epizootics, as well as on the circulation of virus samples. In this presentation, I map the construction of an epidemiological surveillance system that appeared in the first decades of the Third Plague Pandemic (1894-1959). The plague network emerged without any centralized organization or directive in the 1900s and 1910s, responding firstly to national and imperial concerns of knowing about the evolution of localized plague outbreaks. In the International Sanitary Conference of Paris, in 1926, these scattered bits of an epidemiological surveillance system were officially reunited under the auspices of the ‘Office International d’Hygiene Publique’. The plague surveillance network then became founded on the global sharing of information about plague outbreaks and, namely, of epizootics among rats. I argue that despite being a scientific and diplomatic achievement, this older and far-less studied network only became a reality thanks to the prosaic catching and examining of rats in several specialized laboratories, which I heuristically call the rat-labs. By focusing on the rat-labs and their global interconnections, this presentation sheds light on ignored features of the history of the connections between health, science, and diplomacy in a pre-WWII world.
From Geneva to Madrid: the international fight against cancer between 1923 and 1933
– Leoncio López-Ocón Cabrera, Institute of History-CSIC. Madrid; Alba Calzado García, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is twofold. On the one hand, to analyze the activities carried out by the League of Nations’ Hygiene Organization in its first years of operation, aimed at raising awareness of cancer. On the other hand, to explain why what is considered the first international congress on the scientific and social fight against cancer was held in Madrid at the end of October 1933. Between 1923 and 1933, the League of Nations’ Hygiene Organization set up various committees to promote the study of cancer by promoting international cooperation. Our contribution will present the main actors involved in this international initiative, such as the British Georges Buchanan, and will give an account of the main achievements in the field of public health. Among these, the celebration in Madrid of the first international congress on the scientific and social fight against cancer will be highlighted. This paper will show the reasons that favored the choice of the Spanish capital as the venue for this congress. Three will be highlighted: the role played by a number of Spanish doctors in the scientific diplomacy of the Second Spanish Republic, manifested in the holding of numerous international medical congresses in Madrid between 1931 and 1936; the important work carried out in the Committee of Hygiene of the League of Nations by the Italian-Spanish doctor Gustavo Pittaluga; and the international prestige of the National Cancer Institute directed during the Second Republic by the relevant histopathologist Pío del Río Hortega.
Sharing strains and knowledge: the establishment of global influenza surveillance
– Giacomo Simoncelli, La Sapienza, University of Rome
Abstract: My presentation aims at retracing the features of development of the WHO laboratory network for influenza surveillance when the first and main node, the World Influenza Centre in London, was headed by Sir Christopher Howard Andrewes (1947-1961). Using mainly WHO and Wellcome Collection sources, I will show how the decision to share strains, reagents and methods marked a fundamental break with the previous system and how its expansion was promoted, often through informal and private efforts, despite the problems arising from the Cold War and decolonisation. The Spanish flu established the disease as a global problem. The International Sanitary Conference held in Paris in 1926 stated the impracticability of international quarantine, but at the same time it began to place the exchange of epidemiological information at the centre of disease control. In 1933, the influenza virus was isolated at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, ending the diatribe on the etiology of the disease and opening up new scenarios related to immunisation. The latter was the first concern of the US military, which in 1941 created a Commision on Influenza. But the failure of its 1947 vaccination campaign made it evident that, alongside epidemic intelligence, vaccination had an indispensable role to play, but for it to be effective, the antigenic variation of strains had to be tracked worldwide: the WHO network was conceived on this basis. Sharing materials and knowledge globally in the post-World War II world was the challenge that I will finally analyse in detail.
Part 2: Negotiating technoscientific standardization and international cooperation. This symposium delves into the dynamics of technoscientific experts from diverse states and nationalities as they navigated negotiations on scientific units, nomenclature, instruments, and practices for mutual adoption. Functioning as informal diplomats advocating for their countries’ interests, scientists played a pivotal role in constructing international collaborations, fostering joint research projects, or asserting influence over research agendas.
Chair : Roberto Lalli, Polytechnic University, Turin
Science Diplomacy, internationalism, and the formation of the International Seismological Association (1895-1922)
– Lif Lund Jacobsen, Natural History Museum of Denmark
Abstract: Research on early international scientific unions and congresses has traditionally emphasized collaborative efforts among scientists to overcome national conflicts, fostering discipline development and the advancement of knowledge. The perspective of science diplomacy provides insights into the power dynamics between nations and individual scientists’ capacities for trust-building. The focus is on understanding these dynamics in the context of negotiating technoscientific standardization and the exchange of data within internationalization efforts. This paper explores the establishment of international cooperation and the negotiation of technoscientific standards in seismology during the first two decades of the 20th century, with a specific focus on the formation of the International Seismological Association (ISA) in 1901. The establishment of ISA was prompted by the development of reliable seismographs in the late 19th century, which enabled the recording of distant earthquakes. This technological advancement led scientists to recognize the benefits of comparing seismograms from various locations, highlighting the necessity of global cooperation. Once stablished the ISA played a pivotal role in providing an international framework for standardization, compilation, and distribution of seismic data. Additionally, it initiated a program for the development of the discipline. Despite being founded to address a scientific imperative for global cooperation, the ISA faced challenges due to national rivalries between Germany and Britain. The paper concurrently explores the interplay between the concepts of internationalism and the principles of science diplomacy, for a more nuanced and novel understanding of 20th century institutionalisation of international science.
The 1919 total solar eclipse. Astronomical encounters as instances of science diplomacy
– Ana Simões, Interuniversity Center for the History of Science and Technology (CIUHCT), University of Lisbon; Maria Paula Diogo, Interuniversity Center for the History of Science and Technology (CIUHCT), NOVA University of Lisbon; Luís Miguel Carolino, CIES, ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon
Abstract: In this talk we revisit from the perspective of science diplomacy the British astronomical expeditions which observed the 1919 total solar eclipse and tested Einstein’s prediction of light bending. It has been already analyzed in the literature how Eddington and British astronomers voiced arguments in favor or against the maintenance of relations between British and German scientists during the Great War. While the former case may be classified as informal science for diplomacy, we address in this talk another instance of informal science diplomacy, falling under the heading diplomacy for science. We refer to the actions practiced by expeditioners and/or communities of local/national astronomers in Brazil, associated with astronomical observations carried out by Charles R. Davidson and Andrew C.C. Crommelin in Sobral, the second city of the state of Ceará. We analyze the complex process of mediation involving not only formal channels of Brazilian diplomacy but also informal diplomatic relations between British and Brazilian astronomers (and even an American astronomer operating in Argentina) which prepared the ground for the astronomical observations. We detail how, orchestrated by Henrique Morize, director of the National Observatory of Rio de Janeiro, under the authoritative role of Charles Dillon Perrine, director of the National Observatory of Argentina, in Córdoba, collaboration between scientific experts of different nationalities was achieved. We also address the various dimensions of the mediation process’ outcome (political, diplomatic, scientific, etc.), focusing on its profound impact on the promotion of the Brazilian scientific community abroad and the affirmation of astronomy in Brazil.
Scientific and Diplomatic Objects: The Development of Radiation Instruments in the Inter-War Period
– Aske Hennelund Nielsen, Chair of Science, Technology and Gender Studies, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg
Abstract: With this paper, I contend that scientific objects are not only inherently scientific, but also inherently diplomatic. As highlighted by the emerging field of Science Diplomacy, science is co-produced through diplomatic activities and scientific practices. Scientific objects can therefore be viewed as embedded with scientific practices and diplomatic negotiations. To illustrate this, I highlight the case of the International Radiological Congress in the inter-war period. Within the Congress and its scientific committees, recommendations and initiatives on the standardization of radiation units and radiation protection were drawn up and disseminated globally. This process was inherently diplomatic, with national actors using diplomatic tools in order to gain backing for their own scientific proposals, openly feuding at the congresses, and seeking to curry favour with other groups to push their agenda. As the technical exhibitions held with the congresses showcase, the radiologists were acutely aware of the importance of scientific objects. As new instruments and equipment were calibrated and constructed in accordance with the recommendations of the Congress, other standards were marginalized, unable to be embedded in new equipment. Through the recommendations of the International Radiological Congress, national scientific groups could exert global, normative claims through instruments, that were imbued with the co-production of science and diplomacy carried out at the congresses. Internationally accepted scientific standards and recommendations, that are also embedded in scientific objects, have a decisive influence on global scientific practice, as objects limit scientific questions and research to what is recognizable and measurable by the used instruments and equipment.
The Diplomacy of Standardization: How the SUN Commission negotiated standards during the interwar period
– Sara Bassanelli, Northwestern Italian Philosophy Consortium (FINO)/University of Pavia
Abstract: Standardization has been recognized by historians as a major undertaking of international scientific organizations during the interwar period. Despite the undeniable relevance of this endeavor, little has been done to explicitly address the science diplomacy dimensions of the negotiations on international scientific standardization. In my talk, I aim to uncover this diplomatic facet within international organizations of physicists active between the two World Wars, with the most representative being the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP). Specifically, I focus on the historical case of the Working Commission on Symbols, Units, and Nomenclature (SUN). Established by IUPAP in 1931, this commission operated in a complex landscape of political, economic, and scientific tensions. The 1930s were a crucial period during which SUN, at the request of the International Research Council (IRC), endeavored to overlook the influence of war seeking the involvement of German scientists hitherto been excluded. Additionally, SUN’s standardization activities faced state interests in obtaining standards that favored their industries. Even on a strictly scientific level, reaching international agreement was challenging; a case in point was the Commission’s attempt to establish common electrical and magnetic units for physicists and engineers. The relevant work done bySUN in this historical context reveals that it represents an important case study for the science diplomacy domain. Drawing on the examination of documents of ICSU, IUPAP, and SUN, I shed light on key players (scientists, institutions, countries), the instruments used, and the final results in terms of standards achieved in SUN’s diplomatic activities.
Part 3: Negotiating science and technology for colonial and imperial purposes. This symposium analyzes how different scientific and technological initiatives were utilized as instances of informal or formal diplomacy to produce and reinforce asymmetries of power between European colonial powers and colonized territories and peoples, and how these imperialist relations persisted after the latter attained independence.
Chair: Sam Robinson, University of York
Scientific missions and colonial diplomacy: Portuguese expansionist strategies during the early Scramble for Africa, 1877–1890
– Daniel Gamito-Marques, Interuniversity Center for the History of Science and Technology (CIUHCT), NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT)
Abstract: In recent decades, historians have criticized assumptions on imperial omnipotence, showing that although responsible for producing inequality and disseminating brutality, empires were contingent and unstable. This is especially true of colonial empires, in which underfunded administrations and limited personnel exercised restricted control on colonial ground, with the use of force being an extreme option in a long history of diversified interactions with natives. Local negotiations were often more important for the construction of colonial empires than metropolitan policies. In this communication, I analyze Portuguese scientific missions to Africa from to 1877 to 1890, in which its leaders also played diplomatic roles, engaging in negotiations with African rulers on behalf of the Portuguese Crown. These agents not only produced geographical, geological, and anthropological knowledge, but also agreements that formalized political alliances, preferably in unequal terms by including sovereignty transfers to Portugal. Such documents served important functions in Europe, where they could be presented as proof of the occupation of particular territories on African soil and used to block the expansion of rival colonial powers, namely in international conferences that gathered representatives of various European colonial interests. In this communication, I analyze in more detail the colonial negotiations during the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 and the diplomatic strategies pursued by the Portuguese delegation.
Science, Technology, and Mediterranean Integration/Disintegration: Maritime Infrastructures and Borders
– Lino Camprubí, University of Seville; Ada Ferraresi, University of Seville
Abstract: As a semi-enclosed sea, the Mediterranean is unique for assessing the place of science and technology in the making and unmaking of imperial alliances and borders in maritime spaces. In the last 150 years, maritime infrastructures, submarines, and resource anxiety have transformed old anxieties about sovereignty, piracy, and security in that sea. While before WWI only a handful of nations set limits between 3 and 6 nautical miles, and only one was claiming 12, about 16 Mediterranean countries were already asking for 12 nm during UNCLOS negotiations in the early 1970s. A triggering factor for this process of marine territorialization was decolonization: The Mediterranean ceased to be a European Sea through which metropoles controlled their North African and Middle Eastern interests. Focusing on telegraph cables between Italy and Libya, this paper tackles three interconnected questions: 1. What was the role of imperial diplomacy in enabling submarine cables in the interwar period? 2. As Mediterranean empires retreated, what was the place of technology and technological promises in the process of territorialization? 3. What does maritime territorialization mean for the usual decolonization narrative?
Data for fading empires? Sketching the deeper past of research data diplomacy
– Simone Turchetti, University of Manchester
Abstract: We have now entered an age of data overload fueling a number of planetary concerns including heightened surveillance, invasive predictive technologies, and even scientific uncertainty in tackling global warming. Yet, while the current data deluge might be new, international organizations administering data in general, and scientific data more specifically, have been around for no less than a century. In turn, this elicits important research questions, namely: why, when and how did research data become a focus for the work of international research agencies? Who did pioneer these international coordination efforts? This paper attempts to sketch a narrative situating the deeper ancestry of international research data coordination in the first three decades of the 20th century. There are studies already emphasizing this early coordination as an important example of what we call today science diplomacy. This paper attempts to further enlightening on the global economic and political drivers of this coordination in a key phase of the colonial era that urged imperial powers to consider joining forces in a variety of areas of shared interest especially at the end of World War One. I show in the paper how these efforts extended to the sciences too hence creating the diplomatic synergies for propelling data coordination at the international level.
Technical assistance, overseas development and ‘ex-colonial types’: The British Council’s science initiatives in the imperial spheres
– Alice Naisbitt, Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM), University of Manchester
Abstract: There were “plenty of ex-colonial types” in the British Council, Brian Vale, Ex-Assistant Director General, reflected decades later. Vale, previously a member of the Colonial Service himself, highlights how the British Council became an institution which facilitated continuities in the ‘ideas, practices and people’ across the rupture of independence (Hodge, 2010, 43). Founded in 1934 as a cultural relations organisation, The Council underwent a significant shift in the 1960s when the introduction of Overseas Development Administration (ODA) funding repositioned it as an agent of postcolonial overseas aid; allowing for their science initiatives to increase in size and scope. The literature on postcolonial overseas development has shown how Britain’s aid programme and technical assistance was rooted in its pre-1945 colonial history (Aden, 2011) (Krozewski, 2015). But the Council’s place within these infrastructures of development has not been unpicked. This paper positions the Council as an agent of science diplomacy and highlights how the Council used such initiatives, which focused on the build-up of educational and scientific infrastructure in Britian’s ex-colonies, to maintain a British presence in the old imperial spheres. In Africa, the Council adapted processes of development that had been started with the Colonial Development and Welfare Acts (1940, 1945), continuing to emphasise technical or vocational education to combat socioeconomic problems. The Council’s science initiatives, more so than any of their other work, were reframed away from ‘the cultural sphere’ to help Britain manage the transition from imperial power to foreign aid donor; yet still maintain asymmetrical colonial power dynamics.
Symposium 2 – Exploring Novel Perspectives in Science Diplomacy: Conceptual, Narrative, and Historiographical Innovation
This symposium aims for a new historical assessment of science diplomacy, probing received notions of knowledge transfer, alliance-building and disciplinary boundaries, via novel narratives and historiographical settings. The papers challenge traditional accounts of science diplomacy’s advocates, who claim a predictable and equitable technoscientific diffusion. These symposia integrate presentations offering novel means of constructing technoscientific narratives, linking different
disciplines in unexpected examples of cause and effect and discovering new historical actors involved in science diplomacy. While falling into the
post-World War II period most often associated with science diplomacy, the
panelists diverge from traditional Cold War frameworks to consider various
south-south relations as well as previously unexplored regional and global
dynamics. In this sense, rather than a strict focus on a given timeperiod,
these panels illustrate how novelty and historiographical innovation can be
embedded in narratives focused on new actors, elements, places, and global
connections. These symposia are sponsored by STAND (DHST Commission for
Science, Technology, and Diplomacy).
Part 1
Chair: Grigoris Panoutsopoulos, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Institut d’Història de la Ciència
Southern star showers. Scientific exchange in radio waves between Chile and Australia
– Barbara K. Silva, Universidad Católica de Chile
Abstract: This presentation explores the multifaceted approach to the history of science, serving as a bridge between scientific disciplines, time periods, and geographic locations. Examining these connections concurrently provides insights into the global circulation of scientific knowledge and the nuances of science diplomacy. The focus of this paper is the link between astronomy and rainmaking in the southern hemisphere during the 1960s. An initiative in Australia, supported by CSIRO, aimed to induce rain through cloud manipulation using silver iodide within the realm of ‘radiophysics.’ Chile, inspired by this effort, received Australian training and applied similar experiments, navigating the complexities of international collaboration and addressing water availability. Rainmaking, one of various water availability initiatives, prompted Chile to delve into radiowaves, fostering ties with Australia, studying diverse US experiences, and managing cross-border tensions with Bolivia. Getting into radiowaves was a challenge with varying results across different timelines. The rainmaking program had a short lifespan, but radioastronomy continued to grow in the country. Although at first it was overshadowed by the spectacular progress of optical astronomy, the late 20th century witnessed the birth of one of the world’s largest radioastronomy projects, located in Chile. By intertwining diverse scientific fields, experiments, objectives, and collaborations, this presentation broadens our temporal perspective, shedding new light on how humans build international scientific relations.
Space diplomacy and the origins of NASA’s activity in Spain
– Óscar J. Martín-García, INGENIO, CSIC–Universitat Politècnica de València; and Pedro Ruiz-Castell, University of València, López Piñero Institute for Historical and Social Studies of Science, Technology, Medicine and Environment
Abstract: Science was a cornerstone of superpower foreign policy in the Cold War. During this period, the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) engaged in an intense struggle for global scientific supremacy. Space was one of the main battlegrounds in this contest and both superpowers used related achievements to claim for technical, economic and political strength and superiority. It was in this context that the US created NASA in 1958, the flagship intended to propel America to the forefront of the space race In the following decades NASA promoted space cooperation with several countries to build a world community dedicated to the exploration of space under American leadership. Such network also included Franco’s dictatorial regime in Spain. Indeed, such cooperation was intended and expected to fully incorporate Spain into the Western bloc. However, little is known about the origins of the US space program in Spain during the 1960s and 1970s This paper aims at presenting the official actors who articulated the US–Spanish space alliance, as well as the role played by various non-governmental groups. It also explores the intersection of scientific, strategic, ideological, commercial, and psychological reasons that shaped NASA’s activity in Spain, as well as Spanish attitudes towards NASA’s deployment in the country from the early 1960s onwards.
From Adam and Eve to the World Wide Web: Computers and International Data Sharing in Physics and at CERN
– Barbara Hof, University of Lausanne
Abstract: Based on archival sources and publications, this talk takes Tim Berners-Lee’s 1989 web proposal (a combination of hypertext and the existing internet) as a starting point to look at the history of computing in physics from 1973, when as part of the East-West collaboration between CERN/Geneva and IHEP/Serpukhov, two minicomputers were put into operation, named Adam and Eve. While there are many stories in the world and on the web about the vision and visionaries behind the idea of connecting people with digital devices, there is a lack of knowledge about why the World Wide Web (WWW) was set up and why this happened at the laboratory of the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN). By convention, CERN made its in-house invention a public good, while its Council decided to invest money in a bigger accelerator (it funded the LHC instead of the WWW). The talk argues that the WWW was the result of growing shared infrastructure and the need for international access to data, or a “technical fix” to problems of expanding international cooperation. It draws on insights from media history to make the development of the WWW a case of science diplomacy in action, thus broadening its repertoire and subjects.
A dialogue across different viewpoints. Some Cold War stories of Italian scientists concerned about nuclear threats
– Lodovica Clavarino, University of Roma Tre and LUISS
Abstract: The paper analyses the “social activation” in favour of arms control and détente of a group of Italian physicists during the last decade of the Cold War. In particular, it focuses on some founding fathers of the Italian USPID (Unione scienziati per il disarmo), established in 1983, to see how they tried to use their professional expertise and their prestige in order to claim a role as political experts in the security and disarmament field. I have already done research on this topic, starting with the personality of Edoardo Amaldi and the activities he fostered; I have also conducted interviews with some physicists of the following generations and now I am working on Roberto Fieschi’s papers, stored at the Istituto Gramsci in Turin. My goal is to deepen the knowledge of this network of scientists – well connected with similar groups abroad – and understand how a deep dialogue on nuclear arms control, détente and peace has been possible among individuals coming from different political allegiances (in fact we talk about communists, socialists, pro-Atlantic, Republicans, extra parliamentary leftists, etc…). During the “Second cold war”/Euromissile crisis, these scientists, several of them already grouped in the previous decades around the debate on the Non-Proliferation Treaty, gathered around some charismatic persons and claimed their own role in international politics, with the aim at urging governments to make progress in arms control and to relaunch détente, at informing and educating citizens on issues related to nuclear weapons and at strengthening a transnational network.
Part 2
Regional approaches to the development of chemistry in Asia
-John Webb, Tom Spurling, Greg Simpson, and Bopha Roden, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne
Abstract: The United Nations science agency, UNESCO, was key to the development of chemistry in Asia. Inspired by the success of taking a regional approach for the Federation of European Chemical Societies (now the European Chemical Society) during the Cold War, UNESCO encouraged the development of regional networks for chemistry collaboration in Asia. The Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS) emerged from a meeting called by UNESCO in Bangkok Thailand. The meeting was attended by representatives from the chemical societies of Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Japan and New Zealand joined in1981. Both the Chinese Chemical Society, Beijing and the Chinese Chemical Society located in Taipei joined in 1984. Over the following 40 years, the FACS has grown to include 30 member countries. In that time, Asia has grown in chemistry capability, as measured by bibliometric analysis of research papers, to now be the epicentre of world chemistry, contributing nearly 60% of world chemistry papers. The Asian Chemistry Congress hosted by the Chinese Chemical Society located in Taipei, Taiwan in late 2019, just prior to Covid pandemic, saw two and a half thousand chemists gather from around the globe, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the FACS. Regional associations can provide a science diplomacy platform for developing cross-cultural professional relationships, new research and technical collaborations and a platform for considering controversial issues.
Diplomacy for Science and the scientization of the Water, Energy, and Food Nexus framework
-Julian Prieto and David Baker, Penn State University
Abstract: The German government, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, the World Wildlife Fund, and the International Food Policy Research Institute hosted the Bonn2011 Nexus Conference with the aim to present the outcomes of a year-long series of consultations to understand the intricate interdependencies among Water, Energy, and Food systems. Attended by over 550 participants, including influential figures from politics, academia, the United Nations, civil society, and the private sector, the conference sought to establish the Water, Energy, and Food Nexus framework (WEF Nexus) as a crucial facet of green economy and growth paradigms. The WEF Nexus has counted with the support of diverse Diplomacy for Science agreements that promoted and fostered international scientific and research collaborations. To gauge the impact of these efforts, one approach is to evaluate scientific output using peer-reviewed papers. In the SCOPUS database by Elsevier, as of April 2023, there are 1,587 publications on WEF Nexus across 483 journals. By using bibliometric analysis, this paper develops a taxonomy of science diplomacy programs that have supported the WEF Nexus. In addition, this paper looks to understand how this diplomacy for science mechanisms influences the development of scientific communities by building and comparing co-authorship networks according to the source of funding and analyzing their respective scientific contributions to the field. The importance of this research relies on the capacity that the WEF Nexus framework has to broaden disciplinary boundaries towards environmental and societal challenges.
Australia and Indonesia: the role of science diplomacy in building new industries and alliances.
– Tom Spurling, Greg Simpson, Bopha Roden and John Webb.
Abstract: The Centre for Animal Research and Production (Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan Peternakan), Bogor Indonesia, was opened in 1978 by Indonesian President Suharto. The Centre was the culmination of Australia’s largest scientific overseas aid program to that time. The project was the result of a direct request some 10 years earlier from Indonesia to Australia for help in building a science- based animal husbandry industry in Indonesia. The intergovernmental agreement between Indonesia and Australia stated that the major undertaking of the project was to establish a new animal research laboratory and associated buildings conducive to problem-solving research of the highest standard, with the long-term view of staffing it fully with Indonesian scientists trained to carry out first class research. The scientific expertise came from CSIRO, Australia’s pre-eminent government research organisation. CSIRO had been initially established to support Australian industry, that is, within Australia, through scientific research. This project marked the significant realisation by the Australian government that successful Australian industries needed successful regional engagement and thus the assignment of this large project to the CSIRO. We discuss how this large-scale international collaboration has contributed to the concept of science diplomacy between Australia and Indonesia. In addition, we look at how this collaboration has helped the Indonesian agri-industries and influenced the future research programs and international strategy of CSIRO.
Data central clearing house for the world? The IAEA, data, and global nuclear history
-Matthew Adamson,McDaniel College/Corvinus University, Budapest
Abstract: Scholars of nuclear history have taken several approaches to exploring that history at a global scale: analyzing nuclear weapons proliferation, documenting the nuclear fuel cycle from mining to the building of power plants to waste disposal, and surveying radioisotope techniques have served as means for considering the politics, costs, and the illuminated and hidden historical actors involved in the worldwide spread of nuclear technology. This paper considers the circulation of nuclear data as another means of investigating nuclear history at a global level. Shortly after its creation in 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) became largely responsible for data curation and management, in harmony with its statute. Especially if considered in the light of the present advocates (Boyd et al, “Data Diplomacy,” 2019) of science diplomacy, this suggests a universal potential for worldwide scientific action and adjudication of relations. However, nuclear data circulation in the 1960s with the IAEA at its hub—one IAEA administrator declaring the Agency “the central clearing house” for the management of such data—facilitated certain diplomatic and scientific processes while failing to address others, in patterns of marked asymmetry. As for global nuclear history, this paper suggests that by the end of the 1960s there was underway at the IAEA a process of the coproduction of data-management capacity and diplomatic influence (e.g. management of East-West relations in the Agency; raising the IAEA’s international profile), a process that lent itself to claims if not realizations of globality.
DHST Commission on Science, Technology and Diplomacy 