Science Without Boundaries

Annotation Science without Boundaries discusses the many issues involved in going beyond disciplinary research practices in science, politics and society, and addresses the complexities of their interface. Governments and politicians are increasingly calling upon the scientific community to deal with global challenges such as climate change, poverty, international governance, peace-making et cetera. These are calls for interdisciplinary research - calls to deal with the interaction of parts in complex systems. The book addresses questions like these: -Does interdisciplinary research fit into the overall disciplinary organization of the sciences? -Does interdisciplinary research meet the high scientific standards of the research community? -How does the science community adopt to changing circumstances? -How responsive is the science community to social and political needs? -To what extent do governments intervene to influence science? -What pattern of interaction exists between politics, society and research? Polar research is used to show how politics may intermingle with science to safeguard national interests in times of dramatic international change.

A pioneering neuroscientist shows how the long-sought merger of brains with machines is about to become a paradigm-shifting reality Imagine living in a world where people use their computers, drive their cars, and communicate with one another simply by thinking. In this stunning and inspiring work, Duke University neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis shares his revolutionary insights into how the brain creates thought and the human sense of self—and how this might be augmented by machines, so that the entire universe will be within our reach. Beyond Boundaries draws on Nicolelis's ground-breaking research with monkeys that he taught to control the movements of a robot located halfway around the globe by using brain signals alone. Nicolelis's work with primates has uncovered a new method for capturing brain function—by recording rich neuronal symphonies rather than the activity of single neurons. His lab is now paving the way for a new treatment for Parkinson's, silk-thin exoskeletons to grant mobility to the paralyzed, and breathtaking leaps in space exploration, global communication, manufacturing, and more. Beyond Boundaries promises to reshape our concept of the technological future, to a world filled with promise and hope.

At the time of his death in 1984, political scientist Pool (late of MIT) had almost completed this vision of a new world resulting from the social and political consequences of communications technology. It was edited into its final form by Eli Noam of Columbia University. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A sweeping exploration of revolutionary ideas that traveled the Atlantic in the late eighteenth century Nation-based histories cannot do justice to the rowdy, radical interchange of ideas around the Atlantic world during the tumultuous years from 1776 to 1804. National borders were powerless to restrict the flow of enticing new visions of human rights and universal freedom. This expansive history explores how the revolutionary ideas that spurred the American and French revolutions reverberated far and wide, connecting European, North American, African, and Caribbean peoples more closely than ever before. Historian Janet Polasky focuses on the eighteenth-century travelers who spread new notions of liberty and equality. It was an age of itinerant revolutionaries, she shows, who ignored borders and found allies with whom to imagine a borderless world. As paths crossed, ideas entangled. The author investigates these ideas and how they were disseminated long before the days of instant communications and social media or even an international postal system. Polasky analyzes the paper records--books, broadsides, journals, newspapers, novels, letters, and more--to follow the far-reaching trails of revolutionary zeal. What emerges clearly from rich historic records is that the dream of liberty among America's founders was part of a much larger picture. It was a dream embraced throughout the far-flung regions of the Atlantic world.

Drawing on more than a decade of inter-disciplinary research, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the available theories, concepts, data and research on new work organizations and the concept of ‘work without boundaries’. Explores a concept of work that is not restricted by traditional organizational rules like regular office hours, a single workplace, fixed procedures and limited responsibility Provides a comprehensive overview of the available theories, concepts, data and research on new work organizations Examines the shift of power away from organizations to make individuals accountable for their own employability and work Draws on over a decade of original research into ‘work without boundaries’ in which the authors are key authorities Brings together organization theory and work psychology with scholarship from related fields including sociology, social psychology, cognition and psychobiology

“The best magic is that which involves absolutely no sleight-of-hand, only the unexpected yet natural workings of nature. Physics, Fun, and Beyond is chock full of just this kind of magic–simple yet fascinating experiments, easy to follow and colorful drawings, and fun facts. Simply wonderful!” –Roald Hoffmann, 1981 Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry Pure Fun, Pure Excitement: You’;ve Never Learned Physics Like This Before! Physics is pure excitement: nothing’;s more fun than discovering how the world works and exploring its many possibilities! With Physics, Fun, and Beyond, you’;ll grab the universe in your own two hands as you build more than 110 projects that uncover the physics beneath everyday life! Most of these projects are amazingly easy to build: all you’;ll need are your everyday household tools and cheap (sometimes even free) materials. From wind tunnels to flying saucers, you’;ll learn exactly how to safely build these experiments, why they work, and what they mean. Learn about all this, and more: Step on eggs without breaking them...and understand the principles of material strength Build the “Magic Can” that teaches you about the different kinds of energy Discover why the Earth isn’;t exactly round Learn more about gravity, with the “Astronaut in the Elevator” experiment Use pendulums to visualize radio/TV frequencies and broadcasting Feel pressure by sitting on a bed of nails Build hydraulic robots to discover how you can transmit and amplify forces Construct wings and wind tunnels that show why airplanes fly Learn about optics by making bottles invisible Recreate the sun and sky to realize why the sky is blue Demonstrate the “greenhouse effect” with a homemade solar heater Get water to climb walls–as you understand cohesion and adhesion Build “wireless phones” that capture sound and make acoustics fun Create simple motors that display the basics of electromagnetism Physics, Fun, and Beyond is for kids, teenagers, teachers, parents, homeschoolers...everyone from 10 to 100 with curiosity and a passion for discovery and new challenges! © Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved

"Will the ordinary man become a scientist?...Bucchi exposes the inadequacy of the ‘technochratic model’ but also the weaknesses of contemporary bioethics when facing the increasing dilemmas posed by science and technology to contemporary society." -Il Corriere della Sera [Italian leading newspaper] "Bucchi provides a clear, rigorous and accessible discussion – often enriched by a subtle irony – of complex and ambiguous issues, showing that science and innovation are not neutral terrains, but rather among the key conflictual contexts in which contemporary social and political changes take place." -Italian Review of Sociology "A dense but accessible book...Bucchi acutely describes the shortcomings of the technocratic and ethical responses to the contemporary dilemmas of science and technology." -Italian Edition of the New York Review of Books Nuclear energy, stem cell technology, GMOs: the more science advances, the more society seems to resist. But are we really watching a death struggle between opposing forces, as so many would have it? Can today’s complex technical policy decisions coincide with the needs of a participatory democracy? Are the two sides even equipped to talk to each other? Beyond Technocracy: Science, Politics and Citizens answers these questions with clarity and vision. Drawing upon a broad range of data and events from the United States and Europe, and noting the blurring of the expert/lay divide in the knowledge base, the book argues that these conflicts should not be dismissed as episodic, or the outbursts of irrationality and ignorance, but recognized as a critical opportunity to discuss the future in which we want to live. Massimiano Bucchi’s analysis covers the complex realities of post-academic science as he: Explores the widely debated theme of science and democracy across a broad range of technological controversies. Overviews issues raised by the current relationship among scientists, policymakers, business interests, and the public. Dispels stereotypes of the detached scientific community versus the uninformed general public. Examines the role of the media in framing scientific debate. Addresses the question of how to move beyond technocracy to a more fruitful collaboration between scientists and citizens. Offers a bold vision for a future in which the scientific and public spheres regard each other as partners working toward a shared purpose. Beyond Technocracy: Science, Politics and Citizens has great value as a postgraduate text for courses in technology and society, political science, and science policy. It will also find an interested audience among scientists, policymakers, managers in the technological sector, and concerned lay readers. "In his brilliant new book, Beyond Technocracy: Science, Politics and Citizens, Massimiano Bucchi opens for the reader the Pandora’s box of the complex relationship between scientists and citizens in contemporary, democratic societies. With major corporations owning university labs and academic researchers (and their institutions) pocketing millions (literally) from the proceedings of patents resulting from their scientific work, Bucchi analyzes the implications of contrasting drives toward for-profit and open science, private and public science. Without pulling his punches, and without hiding behind easy, popular solutions, Bucchi clearly lays out the choices we face when confronted with a science whose potential societal impact – positive and negative – is becoming ever greater (e.g., nuclear energy, genetically modified foods, genetic engineering). Based on a wealth of empirical evidence and case studies, the book is extremely accessible and well written, making it an ideal introduction to the issues. I would highly recommend it to specialists and non-specialists alike!" -Roberto Franzosi, Professor in Department of Sociology at Emory University

Professor Kok Khoo Phua is the Founding Director and Emeritus Professor of the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Adjunct Professor of Department of Physics both at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS). He is the Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of World Scientific Publishing Co Pte Ltd.When he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) in 2009, the citation read: 'For tireless efforts to strengthen scientific research throughout Asia and promote international physics education and scholarly exchanges, and for enriching science and education through the World Scientific Publishing Company he founded.'This unique volume on the occasion of his 80th birthday is a compilation of tributes from his friends who have known him for decades along with scientific articles that celebrate his visionary approach to promote science worldwide.