Title :「Science and Society Program in Europe and its related topics」
Lecturer :　Prof. Dr. Haldór STEFENSSON, Science and Society Programme, EMBL
Date ： 12:00 – 14:00, Monday, 10. April. 2006
Place ： Room No. 964-965, 9th Floor, Mitsubishi-buldg. (2-5-2, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, zip 100-0005)

Lecture contents :
In this talk I will present a number of outreach activities that have developed at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany since the 1990s, its Science and Society Program in particular. The aim of the Science and Society initiative at EMBL is to promote a better and broader understanding of the growing social and cultural relevance of the life sciences. We organize a variety of activities and events where members of our scientific community, scholars from other disciplines as well as members of the public meet to engage in a dialogue.
The life sciences have an enormous potential for further development and practical applications. However, a popular consensus needs to be developed around questions of how to assess and deal with the diverse repercussions of that development. More than ever, there is a need for interdisciplinary dialogue to inspire synthetic insights and a common worldview. The new ways in which science is now being applied for the production of knowledge and economic wealth must be carefully adjusted to public interests and the value system in each society. It is the common responsibility of all, scientists as well as non-scientists, to engage in an ongoing process of carving out a shared understanding of science. Our outreach efforts at the EMBL, that I will present in more details in my talks, are motivated by such concerns.
In the recent policy trends on Science Technology and Society, interdisciplinary approach is more and more emphasized for targeting the socio-economical impact of research and development. Impact as innovation, social value assessment, regulatory behavior, creativity, and also values for Social Science and Humanities ; these are comprehensive quest for "Science and Society". We aim to discuss these points from the view of interdisciplinary coordination in research and development.

Profile of Lecturer :
Prof. Dr. Haldór STEFANSSON is a researcher of Anthropology since his Doctoral Study at University of Paris and Osaka University. He carried out several anthropological fieldworks in Iceland, Greenland, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. From 1985 to 1998, he has been engaged in several Japanese Universities and Research Institute as a researcher and a professor. Since 1998 up to now, he is assigned to a Professor of Science and Society Program at European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Since then he manifests actively the interdisciplinary approach to molecular biology research and its outreach to the society.

Recent Publication :
Time and aging: mechanisms and meaningsHalldór Stefánsson, Guest Editor　EMBO Reports Vol 6, July 2005 [doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400430]
Infectious diseases and bioweapons: Science and the political economics of afflictionHalldór Stefánsson, Guest Editor EMBO Reports Vol 4, June 2003 [doi:10.1038/sj.embor.embor843]
Life Sciences in Transition: EMBL Essays on Science and SocietyHalldór Stefánsson Journal of Molecular Biology 319, Issue 4, 857-859 2002 [doi:10.1016/S0022-2836(02)00335-2]

Coordinator : Shingo Hamada hamada@nistep.go.jp
Science Technology Foresight Centre, NISTEP-MEXT
ＴＥＬ：03-3581-0605　　ＦＡＸ：03-3503-3996