STS Introduction

• Science and Technology (ST)

  Study of how social, political, and cultural values affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect or the community, political and culture
• Science


  Rational inquiry into Nature, to gain knowledge about Nature. Scientific knowledge is more than just a collection of empirical statements - it satisfies requirements of internal consistency, logical interrelationship, and ability to deduce testable predictions
• Science


  • A systematic approach that organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanation and predictions about nature and the universe
  • A systematic way of acquiring knowledge about a particular field of study through observation and experimentation, to describe different natural phenomena
• In science, we seek the "Laws of Nature" (general statements about the behavior of Nature), but this depends on crucial assumptions: there is regularity in Nature that is expressed by these Laws, and the human mind can "know" these Laws</b>
• The Laws of Nature do not carry any time stamp that indicates when and where they were discovered, or where they are applicable. This implies that we assume that the Laws of Nature are the same everywhere and remain so for all time-again a philosophical assumption
• Fields of Science


  • Physical sciences - deal with matter and energy and allow us to describe the material universe in standard, objective measures
  • Life Sciences - divided into Microbiology, Botany, Zoology
  • Earth Sciences - divided into Geology, Meteorology, Astronomy
• Overlapping Sciences


  • Physics + Chemistry = Physical Chemistry
  • Astronomy + Physics = Astrophysics
  • Biology + Chemistry = Biochemistry/Organic Chemistry
  • Biology + Geology = Paleontology
  • Biology + Astronomy + Physics = Astronautics
  • Geology + Chemistry = Geochemistry
  • Geology + Astronomy = Astrogeology
• Pure/Theoretical Science


  Method of investigating nature by the experimental method in an attempt to satisfy the need to know (matter of understanding); explains a phenomenon
• Applied/Practical Science


  Determines how a particular phenomenon may be put to use, applies existing scientific knowledge to develop more practical applications, like technology or inventions
• Fields of Applied Science

  • Engineering sciences - include thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, kinematics, electromagnetism, materials science, engineering physics
  • Medical science - include medical microbiology, clinical virology
• The Scientific Method


  1. Observe

  2. Determine the Problem

  3. Formulate Hypothesis

  4. Gather and Analyze Data

  5. Formulate conclusion and provide recommendation

  6. Conduct Experiment
• Technology


  The practical application of scientific knowledge to human life; to solve problems. The collection of techniques, methods or processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives of scientific investigation