STS  ALUMNAE/I  NEWSLETTER  SPRING  2016  t

Abroad in Bologna Shereen  Sodder  ‘17  

STS Course: Medical Anthropology Professor  Benjamin  Smith  

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Nicole Krenitsky ‘11  MD/MBA  Candidate,  Yale  Schools  of  Medicine  and  Management  Class  of  2018  

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Viviane Ford ‘15  Reflections  on  Technology  

Pauline Newman ’47 Distinguished Lecture in STS  Alice  Dreger,  Ph.D:  Galileo’s  Middle  Finger:  Heretics,  Activists,  and  the  Search  for  Justice  in  Science  

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Thank you, Professor Gray! Page  5  

Interview with Janet Gray  Director  of  the  STS  Program  

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STS ‘16 Senior Theses Page  7

STS Alumnae/i Newsletter Spring 2016

Pictured left to right: STS Professor Robert McAulay, Julia Ding ‘12, Kate Hennessy ‘16 at the STS Program’s Young Alumna/us Lecture on May 8, 2016.

Julia Ding was the guest speaker this year and came to talk about her journey since graduating from Vassar as an STS major in 2012. Julia is currently beginning her 4th year at the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University.

IN  THIS  ISSUE

Welcome to the STS Alumnae/i Newsletter for the Spring Semester of 2016!

STS  courses  courses  offered  this  semester:  

Culture  and  Chemistry  of  Cuisine  

Conceptualizing  STS:  Theories  and    Practice  

Philosophy  of  Science  

Drugs,  Culture,  and  Society  

Albert  Einstein  

Energy  and  Nature  

Bio-­‐Social  Controversy  

Issues  in  Bioethics    

Visit  the  online  course  catalogue  to  see  descriptions  of  these  courses  along  with  all  other  STS  courses  offered  in  past/future  semesters:      https://sciencetechnologyandsociety.vassar.edu/courses/

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I’m  studying  in  Bologna,  Italy  this  semester,  and  while  I  was  expecting  to  be  completely  detached  from  STS  for  my  time  here,  it  has  popped  up  much  more  than  I  was  expecting.  One  example  of  this  is  the  pharmacy  culture  here  in  Italy.  I  spend  a  great  deal  of  time  in  pharmacies  because  of  my  “Hoarders”-­‐worthy  obsession  with  French  skincare  products,  but  pharmacies  also  have  actual  medicine  probably.  On  the  few  occasions  I  have  bought  medications  here,  I  always  get  surprisingly  effective  products  for  something  over  the  counter,  and  pharmacists  are  just  as  likely  to  recommend  plant-­‐based  medicines  as  they  are  the  chemical-­‐based  ones.  For  example,  a  pharmacist  gave  me  propolis  and  aloe  lozenges  for  a  sore  throat  instead  of  ibuprofen  or  something  similar,  and  they  have  been  the  most  effective  sore  throat  treatment  I  have  ever  used.  This  reminded  me  of  a  discussion  from  STS200,  when  we  were  reading  The  Pseudoscience  Wars  and  compared  the  relationship  between  science  and  pseudoscience  to  that  between  Western  biomedicine  and  alternative  medicine.    

   

I  also  sought  STS  out  when  I  went  to  an  interactive  exhibit  on  Enrico  Fermi’s  life  and  achievements,  held  in  a  former  church.  Since  I  have  not  touched  anything  related  to  physics  since  my  freshman  year  of  high  school  (and  even  most  of  that  is  one  giant  repressed  memory  except  for  when  we  made  ice  cream  in  class  that  one  time),  I  was  not  familiar  with  Fermi’s  work.  His  achievements  include  winning  the  Nobel  Prize  for  his  research  in  nuclear  physics,  including  his  theory  of  beta  decay,  his  creation  of  the  first  nuclear  pile,  and  his  production  of  a  controlled  nuclear  fission  chain  reaction  that  led  to  the  use  of  nuclear  energy  in  weapons  of  mass  destruction.  What  struck  me  the  most  upon  entering  the  exhibit  was  the  sharp  contrast  between  the  ornate  decorations  of  the  church  and  the  exhibit’s  modern  design  and  use  of  interactive  technology.  For  example,  in  one  part  of  the  exhibit  one  could  stand  in  front  of  a  giant  screen  and  see  their  bosons  or  fermions.  I’m  still  not  totally  sure  what  bosons  or  fermions  are,  but  it  was  really  fun  standing  at  the  bosons  screen  and  making  snow  angel-­‐esque  particle  patterns.    

Even  with  these  cool  and  very  educational  displays,  what  remained  the  most  interesting  to  me  was  the  juxtaposition  of  the  exhibit’s  modern  images  of  bosons  and  fermions  and  the  display  of  ideas  that  would  at  one  time  be  condemned  for  daring  to  know  too  much  about  the  universe  with  the  17th-­‐century  frescos  and  symbolism  of  being  in  a  former  church  in  a  country  with  a  long  tradition  of  Catholicism  and  a  notable  period  of  scientific  censure.    

Overall,  the  contrast  between  modernity  with  regards  to  science  and  its  applications  and  the  continued  existence  of  traditional  mindsets  in  Italy  is  the  most  interesting  dynamic  I  have  seen  in  my  time  here.  There  is  definitely  a  need  for  more  comprehensive  progress  in  Italy  to  rectify  this,  but  some  traditions  are  definitely  worth  keeping:  centuries-­‐old  tortellini  stores,  panoramic  terraces  atop  cathedrals,  and  at  least  two  gelaterie  on  every  street  are  entirely  necessary  traditions  in  my  opinion.    

Abroad in Bologna by  Shereen  Sodder ‘17

View  of  Bologna's  Piazza  Maggiore  and  the  Bolognese  hills  from  the  Torre  degli  Asinelli

STS Course Medical Anthropology with Professor Benjamin Smith

by Natalie  Kopke  ‘17

“As an anthropologist, I'm particularly interested in teaching about subjects that - at first glance, at least - don't seem like they can be understood using a sociocultural lens.  The domain of the "medical" is an especially good example. When students take up a class like my class on medical anthropology, I think many of them must first work to put aside the assumption that biomedical discourse and practices simply reflect some pre-given natural reality about disease, illness, and healing. I take a good deal of pleasure in  watching students  learn to think about the  social - not to mention sociotechnical - life of medicine, drawing upon concepts like power, structural violence, and performance.” -Professor Benjamin Smith

Making  Boson  Snow  Angels

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Nicole Krenitsky ‘11 MD/MBA Candidate, Yale Schools of Medicine and Management Class of 2018

At the end of my freshman year at Vassar College I plopped the course catalogue on my desk and poised a yellow Bic highlighter above it, ready to pick the courses that would comprise my sophomore year. (Back then the course catalogue still came in paper format, a much-anticipated gift in the silver mailboxes of Main Building.) As I flipped through, the highlighted courses spanned multiple departments—biology, Italian, dance—but many were clustered in Science, Technology & Society. I turned in my declaration of major slip and didn’t look back. To me, the STS major got at Vassar’s multidisciplinary essence, bringing students with diverse interests and backgrounds together. Importantly, the department equipped me with critical thinking skills across sociology, history, economics, and computer science that would later prove crucial.

Fast-forward four years to HAVEN Free Clinic, Yale’s student-run primary care clinic providing care for underserved adults in Fair Haven, Connecticut. Mrs. Dominguez comes in to talk about her new diagnosis of diabetes. Her medical team gives her the test results and recommends medications. To facilitate her understanding of diabetes and lifestyle changes she then sees the education team, who recommends a diet full of fruits and vegetables. When she shares that her employment has been unstable social services begins an application for food stamps. Once she is done with her appointments, Mrs. Dominguez heads upstairs to the weekly Zumba class to jump-start her exercise regimen. As Executive Director of the Free Clinic, I felt privileged to facilitate the integrated medical and social services at the core of Mrs. Dominguez’s care. HAVEN’s model truly exemplifies patient-centered healthcare, in which an interdisciplinary team of student doctors, nurses, social workers, and educators works to improve each patient’s overall wellness from a variety of fronts.

The most successful healthcare delivery systems such as many patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations do just this. Stepping back to appreciate and then tackle the complexities of medical care—an individual’s prior experience with the system, her social determinants of health, her cultural context—was a natural perspective for me. The seeds for this necessary framework had been planted during my time at Vassar in classes such as Health, Medicine, and Public Policy with Professor Marque Miringoff and The Political Economy of Healthcare with Professor Shirley Johnson-Lans. I speak proudly about my STS major often, whether in job interviews, to my friends, or in my medical school applications, and I know I will on the residency interview trail as well. For me, STS paved the path to medicine and I couldn’t have imagined entering the profession with any other skill set or worldview.

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Viviane Ford ‘15

The Pauline Newman ’47 Distinguished Lecture in STS:

Galileo’s  Middle  Finger:    Heretics,  Activists,  and  the  Search  for  Justice  in  Science  

We  think  of  ourselves  as   free  compared  to  Galileo  –   free  to  think,   write,   learn,   teach,   research,   and   speak   about  “dangerous”   ideas.   But   are   we?   During   her   lecture,   Alice  Dreger,  historian  of   science  and  advocate   for   social   justice,  explored   the   reality   of   America   today,   in   which   financial  interests,   university   branding   campaigns,   progressive   and  conservative   identity   politics,   Title   IX   worries,   trigger  warnings,   and   the   like  are  all  working   to   impinge  upon   the  work   university   faculties   and   students   must   do   to   keep  democracy   healthy   in   the   age   of   the   Internet.   Drawing   on  her   own   two   decades   of   work   as   a   researcher   and   activist  around  “dangerous”  ideas  about  sex  and  gender,  Dr.  Dreger  argued   that   what   we   need   is   to   come   to   a   common  understanding   of   the   pursuit   of   evidence   as   the   most  important  moral  imperative  of  our  day.

Technology  rules  almost  everything  around  San  Francisco.  You  have  your  Googles,  Facebooks,  and  Yahoos  of  the  world  headquartered  in  the  Bay  Area,  and  on  top  of  that,  there  are  an  infinite  number  of  start-­‐ups  trying  to  introduce  new  technologies  or  apps.  Most  of  the  ideas  behind  the  companies  should  be  successful  but  because  of  the  mass  quantity  of  technology  companies,  very  few  technologies  or  ideas  appear  unique.    

My  STS   thesis  was   on   the   evolution   of  Google  Glass,   looking   at   how  Google   failed   at   communicating  what  Google  Glass  could  do  for  people,  which  ended  up  causing  the  technology  to  fail.  A  couple  of  months  after  I  had  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  I  attended  the  Twitter  holiday  party  and  met  someone  on  the  Google  Glass  team.  After  explaining   to   him   what  my   thesis   was   about   (and   warning   him   that   he  might   not   love   the   topic),   he   tried  unbelievably   hard   to   explain   why   Google   Glass   was   still   going   to   succeed.   I   left   the   conversation   with  unchanged  opinions  on  the  glasses.    

Google   Glass   and   hundreds   of   other   technologies   fail   every   year   in   San   Francisco   because   people   do   not  properly  communicate  what  the  technologies  do  and  the  benefits  behind  them.  The  biggest   issue   is   that  the  majority  of  people  don't  see  the  communication  aspect  as  a  problem.  STS  helped  me  realize  the  importance  of  not  only   connecting   the  bridge  between  a   technology  and  a   society  but  also  ensuring   that   the   conversation  around   that   technology   is   consistent.   Apple,   for   example,   has   a   consistent   story   and   theme   behind   their  technologies.  Tim  Cook,  Apple's  CEO,   once   said   that  Apple   creates   technologies   you   didn't   even   know   you  wanted.  The  Apple  Watch  may  be  an  exception   to   this,  but   regardless,   I'm   sure  Tim's   taken  a   couple  of  STS  classes  before.  

Reflections on Technology  

Alice Dreger Ph.D

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Thank you, Professor Janet Gray!

1980 2005 2014  

In my shorter-than-usual time at VC, Professor Gray has been a source of insight, encouragement and smiles.  I would not be where I am today without her gracious assistance to my unusual requests.  Professor Gray- here’s to many more years of learning together.  Thank you!

-Shira Goldman ’17

It has been such a pleasure working with Janet as an STS major and the STS intern. Her unwavering passion and knowledge for all that is STS and beyond has kept me motivated and excited through out my time at Vassar. Janet, you will be sorely missed as the Director, but I know, from watching you work tirelessly and by seeing the evolution of the STS program over the last four years, that your legacy and dedication will remain in the structure of the STS program, a program that has thrived under your direction. Thank you for your generosity and kindness as a professor and as a friend.

-Kate Hennessy ‘16

Bio-Politics of Breast Cancer with Professor Gray has played a crucial role in shaping what I wanted to do while at Vassar. Through this class and her mentorship outside of the classroom, Professor Gray showed me that I could use what I learned in STS to really educate myself and bring about change both within and outside of Vassar. Her enthusiasm for the STS Program during my time here has been, to sum it up in one word, electrifying. I can only hope that her legacy and her spirit will live on with the department after her tenure (as I'm sure it will).

-Natalie Kopke ‘17

A huge thank you to Professor  Gray  for being a great and informed adviser all my four years, and for her dedication to making the STS department the best it can be! We appreciate all you have done for us!!

-Divya Pathak ‘16

Janet has always been incredibly nice and easy to talk to. When I decided last year that I needed to take a semester off, she sat down with me and helped me figure out how to structure my classes so that I could still graduate on time, as well as talking me through how to handle the thesis process given the unusual circumstances.  Janet  is a great adviser, teacher, department head, and person; the STS Program will miss her!

-Matthew Schwartz ‘16

As my advisor since sophomore year, Janet has always been supportive of me and extremely confident in my abilities as a student and person which is such a reassuring presence to be around when you're just a twenty-year old pretending to know what's going on. The first time I met her was when I was declaring my STS major, and I knew I was lucky to have her as an advisor and my main connection to the STS department since her care for this subject was so tangible. 

-Shereen Sodder ‘17

Dr. Gray was the perfect advisor. She was firm and made sure I met all my requirements, but willing to adapt and offer the best advice for me to pursue my educational goals. Always happy to see me and nice to talk with. She's fantastic!

-Joshua Yannix ‘17

Since coming to Vassar in 1980, Professor Gray has taught courses in STS, Neuroscience and Behavior, Psychology, and Women’s Studies. Professor Gray has served as the Director of the Science, Technology, and Society Program since 2006. Her work for the Breast Cancer Fund speaks volumes to her dedication to using her academic background as a neuroscientist and academic of STS studies to raise awareness about the environmental risks associated with breast cancer. Professor Gray will be stepping down as STS Director this year in anticipation of her retirement in June, 2017. Professor Gray’s vibrant character and exceptional leadership will be missed immensely.

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Interview with Janet Gray, Director of the STS Program

How long have you been the Director of the STS Program? Since 2006, with a one-year sabbatical break in 2013-14 (Thank you, Bob McAulay!).

How did you become interested in teaching STS classes? I had developed and taught for several years the WmST/STS course on “Feminist Approaches to Science and Technology.” That experience introduced me to the field of STS. As I switched from doing neuroscience laboratory research to exploring some of the social and political worlds in which breast cancer -- especially environmental links to the disease -- is understood, actively participating in STS seemed a totally logical choice.

What STS classes have you taught? “Feminist Approaches to Science and Technology “ and the “BioPolitics of Breast Cancer.” Developing and teaching each of these two courses helped me to explore new fields in which I was becoming deeply involved at the time.

How has the STS Program changed/evolved while you’ve been Director? The STS Program certainly has more majors than it did a decade ago. Then, there were, on average, 6-8 graduating majors a year. Now STS has twice that number. We have also gone through a major program self study that helped the faculty to really plan for the upcoming years in terms of curricular and staffing goals for the Program. More students are interested in the field of public health and we have been able to expand offerings in that area. There have been a couple of really critical retirements, and also some wonderful additions to the faculty of the program. And, of course, receiving the Pauline Newman ’47 endowment for a distinguished lecture and support for senior thesis research has transformed so much of what we as a Program can offer outside of our courses.

What have you found to be the most challenging aspect of being the Director of the STS Program/a Professor of STS courses? As director, the hardest part is scrambling for courses every year. STS has a core of regularly taught courses, but we are also dependent on faculty time and course offerings from the departments and other programs. It is the dread of every multidisciplinary director to face the staffing process each fall. But fortunately we have many dedicated faculty members who are committed to keeping the STS curriculum strong and vibrant. So in the end, it all works out! As a teacher of STS, the biggest challenge, and often the greatest reward, is trying to figure out the particular dynamics of each class, with enrolled students majoring across the divisions of the curriculum. This means each student is an expert at some point during the semester. But it also means that there are different times when each student may be ‘starting from scratch’ while others are more advanced in the approach under consideration. Keeping everyone engaged and challenged in a multidisciplinary course can be challenging.

What will you miss most about being STS Director? Absolutely the intensive one-on-one work with the students! I have had the incredible opportunity to work with so many bright, talented, fun students with interests all over the field of STS. Many who have graduated are still in touch, something I consider a real blessing. I am hoping that will continue after my retirement.

What are your plans for next year and years to come? Next year I will still be at Vassar, teaching in STS in the fall and Neuroscience/Psychology in the spring. After that I hope to be able to dedicate more time to my work in the environmental health field, specifically as a science writer and consultant for the Breast Cancer Fund. I also hope my husband, Jim, and I will be able to travel more, visit family, do more hiking. And I look forward to time to garden and read occasional novels!

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Maggie  Ginoza  

What  is  Health?  Exploring  Conflicts  in  Perceptions  of  Health  and  Illness    

Sylvia  Haigh    

Not  Now,  But  Soon:  Justification  for  Continued  Research  on  CRISPR-­‐Cas9  Germline  Genetic  Modification  before  Clinical  Application  

Kate  Hennessy  

The  Certified  Nurse-­‐Midwife  as  a  Path  to  Female  Agency  in  Modern  Childbirth  in  the  United  States  

Colin  Hepburn  

HIV/AIDS  in  the  Islamic  World:  Dissecting  the  Relationships  Between  Religion,  Disease,  and  Public  Health  Decisions    

Shahira  Idris  

Reality  Check:  A  Theoretical  Exploration  of  Virtual  Reality  

Alana  Lashley  

Medicine  as  an  Evolving  System:  The  Analysis  of  Cultural  and  Ethnic  Disparities  to  Diversify  Medicine  

Kaden  Maguire  

Farm  Sanctuary  Geriatrics:  A  Biopolitical  Examination  of  the  American  Veterinary  Medical  Association  and  United  States  Animal  Agriculture  

Molly  Osborn  

Polaroid  Corporation's  Valued  Users:  Denying  a  Linear  Model  of  Technology  to  Embrace  the  Importance  of  User  Feedback  in  Shaping  Technology  

Divya  Pathak  

Contexts  and  Consequences  of  Network  Neutrality  Debate  in  the  United  States  

Matthew  Schwartz  

A  Misunderstanding  of  Spacetime  throughout  “Space”  and  “Time”  

Jean-­‐Sébastien  Spratt  

The  Descartes-­‐Newton  Paradox  -­‐  Clashing  Theories  of  Planetary  Motion  at  the  Turn  of  the  Eighteenth  Century  

Chris  Sundberg  

The  Origins  and  Effects  of  Role-­‐Playing  Games  

STS ’16 Senior Theses

Congratulations,  STS  Class  of  2016!

! If you would like to contribute to the Science, Technology,

and Society newsletter, or if you have any comments, questions, or feedback, please contact the 2016-2017

Science, Technology, and Society academic intern, Natalie Kopke at nakopke@vassar.edu.