Sarah Davies Professor of Technosciences, Materiality, and Digital Cultures - University of Vienna |
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04.09.2017-31.10.2017
Hacking biology: DIY Bio and the hacker spirit
This project will draw together current work on DIY Bio and consolidate it with new research on hackerspaces and the maker movement. Through a collaboration with Bruno Strasser and his team at the University of Geneva, the work will:
• Develop a new, comprehensive review of research on DIY Bio, including work from Science and Technology Studies, Bioethics, and Biology;
• Integrate this state of the art understanding with new research (currently being written up) on the nature of hacking and the ethos of the ‘hacker spirit’;
• Articulate a new set of theoretical and conceptual reflections concerning the development of DIY Bio and its relation to broader movements such as the maker movement, citizen science, and public engagement with research.The work will draw on literature on DIY Bio and hacking, on conceptual resources from Science and Technology Studies and Bioethics, and on empirical data from a broader study of hacker, maker and DIY Bio spaces. It will also involve engagement with a large research project on citizen science run by Bruno Strasser.