SPIR - Stony Brook University

Technology & Society
Overview
The Department of Technology and Society has three important missions:
w to help all students develop an understanding of modern technology, including the socio-technological
interplay that demands a consideration of scientific, social, political, economic, behavioral,
legal and ethical aspects of problems.
w to develop professionals who will become leaders in the effective use, management and
assessment of technology for the purpose of improving education, business and industrial
processes and systems, and the environment.
w to conduct applied research that will inform technology planning, management and
assessment.
Technology and Society is a regional and national leader in programs that enhance the participation
of underrepresented minority students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
areas.The Department has received multi-year, multi-million dollar grants from NSF as ell as major
private funders such as the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, to address the needs of students.
In a recent review of the department, an external committee noted its special role: The
Technology and Society Department has created a new paradigm for education in the academy.
Its essence is the unification of traditionally separate disciplines into an integrated unified whole
to address problems in society. Technology studies begin with the problem, rather than the structure
of a discipline. The department is expert in developing a meaningful whole from seemingly
disparate pieces, by making multidirectional intellectual connections among disciplines, ideas, and
among diverse groups of individuals and organizations. Inventing and testing models for collaboration
is a hallmark of this department, a highly prized activity in the academy today.
Faculty
Our faculty has a broad range of interests as demonstrated by their publications, research agendas,
innovative curriculum and instruction, and campus and local community service projects.
Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Distinguished Service Professor Lester Paldy, whose work focuses
on arms control and related issues, has made many appearances on national television discussing
potential use by terrorists of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. The Office of the
President has invited him to present to the State Legislature in Albany.
Professor Glenn Smith investigates the effects of interaction with computers (interaction with virtual
shapes/virtual objects) on spatial skills (mental totation, spatial visualization, mental imagery).
Some projects involve investigating the effects of proprioceptive stimulus (joint position) on mental
imaging and mental rotation, while another series looks at how children learn spatial-semantic skills.
All of this experimental research gathers data over the internet by means of Java programs written
by computer science students for credit, through a program called Project Java. Professor Smith and
Professor David Ferguson, DTS Department Chair, are engaged in projects that involve distance
learning, including one aimed at studying the learning of mathematics via distance learning.
Professor Sheldon Reaven is engaged in a variety of research projects which relate to environmental
and waste management, including: industrial, institutional, and municipal waste management;
pollution prevention, and environmental regulatory compliance; recycling and waste minimization
(various materials, products, and businesses); environmental comparisons of materials and products
(e.g., plastic vs.wood lumber); and risk, energy, and environmental life-cycle analysis.
Professor Thomas Liao continues to be a leader in science and technology education, especially
the use of technology to enhance learning and teaching. He as recently awarded an NSF grant, in
collaboration with Hofstra University, for improving the teaching of mathematics, science and
technology in middle schools.
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