The Center for Science and Society at George Mason University will be a focal point for intellectual discourse, research, education, and policy regarding the implications and the role of science in society. In so doing, it will become a regional and national nexus for exceptional scholarship, for evolving discussions of complex, multifaceted issues regarding appropriate uses of science, the ways in which scientific findings are communicated and understood, and the complex and often reciprocal interplay that exists between science and the social, political, and institutional contexts in which it is embedded. The Center, in leading this discussion, will also train graduate students across the disciplines as the next generation of scholars and prepare George Mason undergraduates to become educated participants in evolving societal discussions regarding science, as a part of their role in becoming responsible citizens.

Specific Objectives:

1. To become a focal point for intellectual discourse.
   • The Center will establish a Science and Society Brown Bag lunch series to foster faculty discussion and collaboration. The series will include faculty research presentations, moderated issue-base discussions, and discussions of infusion of Mason Science and Society efforts into the graduate and undergraduate curricula.
   • The Center will establish a series of public lectures by nationally known scholars, leading government officials, and Mason faculty.
   • The Center will hold periodic conferences on targeted issues within the rubric of Science and Society.
   • The Center will work with University Relations to publicize these efforts.
2. To become a focal point for research.
   • The Center will initiate and develop sponsored program activity on science and society issues central to the Commonwealth and the nation in order to provide better theoretical and practical understanding of these issues.
   • The Center will foster expanded and integrated research opportunities for faculty and graduate students.
   • The Center will disseminate research results and policy recommendations through scholarly publication and through complete and easily understood bulletins and Center Working Papers.
   • The Center will foster collaboration through the Brown Bag lunch series, and through matching faculty to potential internal and external collaborators.
   • The Center will award a limited number of GRA positions, targeted at collaborations judged to have a high potential for achieving external funding.
   • As appropriate, the Center will invite mentoring for faculty research proposals, and may take a leadership role in preparation of certain proposals, including, but not limited to, conference support proposals.
   • As part of the public lecture series, the Center will invite selected government officials, scientists, and scholars to Mason, and will seek their advice regarding research areas to target.
   • The Center will work with University Relations and the Office of Research to publicize its research programs.
3. To become a focal point for education
   • The Center will enhance the quality of graduate and undergraduate education, generally, by expanding the capacity for research opportunities in programs associated with science and society studies.
   • The Center faculty will be expected to participate in undergraduate minors and majors that may develop and will assist academic units in identifying faculty who might participate in teaching in those programs.
   • The Center will actively encourage faculty conducting research and teaching in the Science and Society area to participate in the Brown Bag series as a way of infusing this scholarship across the curriculum.
   • The Center will encourage students in the Science and Society undergraduate minor to participate in the Brown Bag series as partial fulfillment of academic requirements.
   • The Center will participate in the development of graduate programs in Science and Society, as appropriate.
   • The Center will work with University Relations and Admissions to publicize the educational programs, as appropriate.
4. To inform policy
   • The Center’s role in policy discussions will be an indirect one. Its role is to provide information and education to ensure that all appropriate issues are considered in establishing policy and practice regarding Science and Society. The Center will not take partisan positions.
   • Taking advantage of its proximity to the national government, and the importance of Northern Virginia for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Center will seek to educate students who may later become important policy makers and to host appropriate meetings and conferences involving current policymakers and other prominent individuals.
5. To become a national and regional focal point for Science and Society issues
   • While the Center has some inherent advantages by virtue of Mason’s location, becoming a focal point depends upon the vigor, quality, and visibility of its efforts. We seek to become a focal point by developing strong research and scholarship and a strong educational component, hosting conferences with leaders in the field as participants, and by actively publicizing Mason’s efforts.

Relationships with other colleges

While the initiation of the Center is occurring within CHSS and COS, the viability of the Center is critically dependent upon active participation of faculty from other units within the University. To that end, immediate discussions will take place with the School of Public Policy and the Volgenau School of Information Technology and Engineering. In addition, selected announcements will be distributed to all faculty across the University to inform and recruit participants and partners. As the size and scope of the Center develops, we anticipate the need for increasing relationships, not just among individual faculty of different units, but with the leadership of those units. We further anticipate the need to form an organizational structure with leadership and representation that reflects the Center’s mission and recognizes the support provided by the various units. We envision a “Center Without Walls” philosophy by establishing an inclusive and interdisciplinary center, by forming intra-institutional and inter-institutional linkages among Science and Society scholars, by focusing on advancing the field, and by avoiding traditional ‘turf’ issues. All who wish to participate are welcome.