INTERN: Staci Chirchick
MENTORS: Joe Conti (Left) and Karl Bryant
FACULTY: Barbara Herr Harthorn
DEPARTMENT: Center for Nanotechnology in Society

CROSS NATIONAL STUDY OF UPSTREAM PUBLIC DELIBERATION ON EMERGING HEALTH & ENERGY NANOTECHNOLOGIES

In 2008 there is a projected $1.5 billion in United States federal allocation for nanotechnology research and development. Along with that investment, there is an unprecedented congressional mandate for upstream involvement of the public. The objective of this study was to explore gender differences in public perception of risk. Historically, gender differences have proven the most ubiquitous of the findings in risk perception, particularly in technological studies. To better engage the public and identify gender differences, there were two pilot sessions and four workshops total, of which half focused on the topic of energy and the other half was geared towards the topic of health. Transcripts were analyzed from workshops held at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom and at the University of California Santa Barbara. The key finding from this study was that it appears gender plays a role in how people perceive and discuss nanotechnology.

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