Thomas Woodson and the I2Hub...

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Inclusive Innovation and the Broader Impacts of Science Funding

In the past, much of the driving force behind science and innovation came from wealthy nations, such as the United States, England, or Japan. However, global problems, such as climate change, digital privacy, and dwindling natural resources, cannot be solved by wealthy scientists, in wealthy countries, developing solutions for wealthy people. Rather, the innovations to solve global challenges must be inclusive. People from marginalized groups are central to developing lasting solutions that solve challenges at global proportions. This presentation discusses some the theories, and policies used by governments and science agencies to promote inclusive innovation. In particular, Dr. Woodson will review his research on the broader impacts of research and the inclusion-immediacy criterion that he developed to assess the impacts of scientific research.

About the speaker:

Thomas Woodson

Dr. Thomas S. Woodson is on loan to the NSF as temporary program officer in the Division of Social, and Economic Sciences (SES) within the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). Dr. Woodson holds a permanent position as an associate professor in the Department of Technology and Society at Stony Brook University. Dr. Woodson’s research explores the global impacts of technology on societal inequality and delves into the origins and repercussions of inclusive innovation. For his current project, Dr. Woodson is examining the effectiveness of scientific funding in promoting broader societal benefits and devising strategies to foster diversity within STEM fields. Dr. Woodson received his B.S.E in electrical engineering from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in Public Policy for the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).

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