Chapter 1:

Defining Science,
Technology, and
Society
At the end of this presentation, you
should be able to:

define science, technology, and society;

compare science and technology; and
identify and enumerate the different
roles of science and technology.
 What is science?

A way to understand
nature
Discovering new
things
Learning new facts
Solving problems

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Science is the intellectual and practical activity
encompassing the systematic study of the structure
and behavior of the physical and natural world
through observation and experiment
- Oxford dictionary
 What is technology?

A way to manage and

modify the natural world.
Creating or inventing
things
Things that fulfill our
needs and desires or
perform certain functions

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q=science+definition&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjPmKTR_tfTAhUIx7wKH
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:
Technology is the
application of
understanding of
natural laws to
the solution of
practical
problems
How are science and
technology related?
 SIX (6) Ways that Science
Contributes to Technology*
1. Science can be a direct source of new
technological ideas. For instance, the following
scientific discoveries led to new technologies:

Discovery in Science New Technology

Uranium fission Nuclear power, Atomic bomb

X-rays X-ray machine

Semiconductors Transistors

*Brooks, H. The Relationship between science and technology. Elsevier Science. 1994. 477-486.
 SIX (6) Ways that Science
Contributes to Technology*

2. Science can be a source of engineering

design tools and techniques. Theoretical
prediction, modeling, and simulation of large
systems are carried out as basic scientific
research to aid in the empirical testing of a
particular technology. The results gathered
in these tests are then employed to enhance
design and/or improve the techniques
involved.
*Brooks, H. The Relationship between science and technology. Elsevier Science. 1994. 477-486.
 SIX (6) Ways that Science
Contributes to Technology*
3. Instrumentation, laboratory techniques, and
analytical methods used in basic research can
eventually find their way into design and
industrial practices. For example,
superconducting magnets were originally
developed for cloud chamber observations in
particle physics. Then, scientists realized that
the instrumentation and techniques they are
using can be used and commercialized for
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in medicine.
Brooks, H. The Relationship between science and technology. Elsevier Science. 1994. 477-486.
 SIX (6) Ways that Science
Contributes to Technology*
4. Development of human skills can
eventually become useful for advancing
technology. Accordingly, academic research
imparts research skills to graduate students
and other advanced trainees, which they can
take with them to tackle technological
problems that they may face later. For
instance, nuclear physicists were able to
develop and improve solid state devices even
if it was not their field of expertise.
Brooks, H. The Relationship between science and technology. Elsevier Science. 1994. 477-486.
 SIX (6) Ways that Science
Contributes to Technology*

5. Creation of a knowledge base that

becomes increasingly important in the
assessment of technology in terms of its
wider social and environmental impacts. For
example, the manufacture of a new chemical
may involve disposal of wastes which
require knowledge of the groundwater
hydrology of the manufacturing site.

Brooks, H. The Relationship between science and technology. Elsevier Science. 1994. 477-486.
 SIX (6) Ways that Science
Contributes to Technology*

6. Science can be a source of development

strategy to refine new technologies.
Accordingly, the planning of the most efficient
strategy of technological development is
often quite dependent on science from many
fields. This accumulated stock of existing
scientific knowledge helps to avoid wasteful
development expenditures.

Brooks, H. The Relationship between science and technology. Elsevier Science. 1994. 477-486.
 TWO (2) Ways that Technology
Contributes to Science

1. Technology can be a source of new

scientific knowledge. Problems arising in
industrial development are frequently a rich
source of challenging basic science
problems. For instance, due to technological
advancement in semiconductor devices, a
new interdisciplinary field of academic
research called materials science was
created.
Brooks, H. The Relationship between science and technology. Elsevier Science. 1994. 477-486.
 TWO (2) Ways that Technology
Contributes to Science

2. Technology can be a source of otherwise

unavailable instrumentation and techniques
needed to address novel and more difficult
scientific questions more efficiently. A very
good example of this is the development of
space technology, which revolutionized the
sciences of cosmology and astrophysics.

Brooks, H. The Relationship between science and technology. Elsevier Science. 1994. 477-486.
 What is society?

A group of individuals involved in continual

social interactions
Shares a common language, culture, and
geographical territory
Members of a society live together for
mutual benefit
The patterns of behavior and action of the
members are based on the society’s identity
and culture
What is STS?

Study of how society influences the

development of science and
technology, and how scientific
research and technological innovation
affect society.
Deals with how science and
technology shape and are shaped by
cultural, economic, political, and social
contexts.
SOME Roles of S&T?
S&T change the way people live, communicate, and
transact;
S&T are key drivers to development because scientific
and technological revolutions strengthen economic
advances, improvements in health, education, and
infrastructure;
S&T have the ability to improve the lives of poor
people in developing countries through
breakthroughs in health services and education; and
S&T are engine of growth and provide solutions to
many problems such as in health aspects, availability
of healthy food and safe drinking water, and
infrastructure.
 References

Bridgstack, M. & Burch, D. (2003). Science, Technology and

Society: An Introduction. UK: Cambridge University Press.
Brooks, H. (1994). The relationship between science and
technology. Research Policy 23 (5) 477-486.
Chetty, L. (2012). The Role of Science and Technology in the
Developing World in the 21ˢᵗ Century. Ethical Technology.
 Activity 1: Reflection

What is the role of S&T in your life?