Lynn L. Bergeson’s and Carla N. Hutton’s July 3, 2024 posting on their (US) National Law Review blog announces something I haven’t seen in a while, a nanotechnology workshop incorporating a social sciences perspective,

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) are convening a July 24, 2024, workshop, “Responsible Development, Social Science, and the National Nanotechnology Initiative: A Workshop to Explore Past and Future Intersections.” According to NNI, the workshop will bring together federal experts in nanotechnology with social scientists with expertise on specific tools and frameworks relevant to the responsible development of emerging technologies.

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You can find out more on the NNI’s social science workshop webpage,

Responsible Development, Social Science, and the National Nanotechnology Initiative: A Workshop to Explore Past and Future Intersections

Since its inception, the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) has emphasized the importance of responsible development, and social scientists have played important roles in the interdisciplinary research that supports fundamental and applied research in nanotechnology. Following this tradition, the NNI and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) are convening a workshop to bring together federal experts in nanotechnology with social scientists with expertise on specific tools and frameworks relevant to the responsible development of emerging technologies. The agenda will include a presentation about the recently released “Blueprint for the Use of Social and Behavioral Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policymaking,” introductions to key nanotechnology case studies by federal experts, and flash talks by social scientists. The meeting will promote brainstorming new intersections between social science and nanotechnology R&D with the goals of i) integrating social science into future visions of interdisciplinary research, development, and training, and ii) reinvigorating networks that connect the NNI to the social science community.

Meeting Location:

• 470 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Suite 8001, Washington, DC 20024. Directions are available here.
• Virtual participation is also available, but online attendees will not be able to contribute to small group discussions in the afternoon session. Questions may be collected from online participants to inform the meeting. 

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Agenda:

July 24, 2024
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET

Time (ET)	Session
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.	Welcome and introductions
9:30 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.	Presentation and Q&A on the “Blueprint for the Use of Social and Behavioral Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policymaking”
9:55 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.	Presentation and Q&A on the ELSI [ethical, legal and social implications] section of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy: 2024 Update
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	Social Science Flash Talks (10 mins each)
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.	Lunch
12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Social Science Flash Talks (10 mins each)
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.	Nanotechnology Case Studies – Introductions by NSET agency representatives
2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Break
2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.	Small-group discussions (rotating among case studies) [Note: this portion of the agenda unavailable to online participants]
4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	Report Out and Discussion
4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Closing and Next Steps

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For anyone curious about NSET (1:30 – 2:15 pm presentation), prepare yourself for a little ‘alphabet soup’, from the NNI’s NSET webpage, Note: A link has been removed,

Organization and Leadership

The NNI is coordinated under the auspices of the White House National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). While individual agencies direct and support specific activities in pursuit of their respective missions, the strength of the NNI stems from the connections and collaborations that bring these efforts together and support the entire nanotechnology research and development ecosystem.

The formal organizational structure for the NNI includes the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the NSTC, the Nanotechnology Environmental and Health Implications (NEHI) Working Group, and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO). The NSET Subcommittee is co-chaired by representatives from two agencies and from OSTP (the NNCO Director). NSET participants work together to develop shared goals and priorities for the NNI and to develop a comprehensive nanotechnology R&D program that leverages individual agency resources and investments. Agencies participating in the NEHI Working Group actively collaborate and leverage their respective authorities to advance the NNI Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Strategy. NNCO provides technical and administrative support to NSET and the interagency nanotechnology community.

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Here’s an excerpt from the document mentioned in the 9:30 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. presentation in the Agenda listed above, the Blueprint for the Use of Social and Behavioral Science to Advance Evidence-Based Policymaking,

A parent must decide whether to undergo a health screening when struggling to find time between work and childcare responsibilities amid worries about potential out-of-pocket costs from the procedure. A local non-profit is working to reduce community youth violence through a new program focused around mentorship and educational support. A mid-career professional is trying to decide if they should pursue additional skills training after an unexpected wave of layoffs in their industry. Federal program administrators are trying to find effective methods of ensuring that a new grant program is supporting a diverse array of communities and applicants, but receive fewer submissions than expected from historically-marginalized communities most in need of additional support.

The social and behavioral sciences examine if, when, and how fundamental human processes influence outcomes and decisions. Human behavior is a key component of every major national and global challenge we face. Infectious and chronic diseases, national security, public safety and trust, climate and disaster preparedness, economic opportunity, traffic safety, and educational and employment disparities are just a few examples. The success of all federal government initiatives relies on human behavior in some way.

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The social and behavioral sciences play an essential role in fulfilling the promise of evidence-based policies that deliver these outcomes across America and among all Americans by informing the conceptualization, development, implementation, dissemination, and evaluation of interventions, programs, and policies that address each of our national priorities.4, 5 Successfully leveraging social and behavioral science allows the federal government to produce more efficient and effective efforts with more positive, meaningful, and equitable outcomes for all individuals. The failure to understand and address the social and behavioral dimensions of issues reduces effectiveness of policies, programs, and outcomes for the American public and risks unintended consequences.6 Without the effective integration of social and behavioral science, federal policies and programs simply cannot achieve their intended outcomes.

The social and behavioral sciences encompass a diverse array of disciplines that focus on how and why people act as they do. This includes understanding multiple levels of influence—from individuals and families to communities, organizations, and society. Through careful analysis of human behavior and its causes, social and behavioral science moves us beyond intuition and anecdotes toward a more complete, systematic, and representative understanding of the complex processes that govern how people and societies think and act in practice.

This Blueprint is a whole-of-government effort that aims to provide a resource to assist federal decision- makers in leveraging social and behavioral science to improve policy and program design and delivery …

Hopefully, there will be some input from ethicists, since using insights gained from the social sciences can be fraught. Edward Bernays’s story highlights just how fraught it can by, from his Wikipedia entry, Note: Links have been removed,

dward Louis Bernays (/bɜːrˈneɪz/ bur-NAYZ, German: [bɛʁˈnaɪs]; November 22, 1891 − March 9, 1995) was an American pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda, and referred to in his obituary as “the father of public relations”.[3] His best-known campaigns include a 1929 effort to promote female smoking by branding cigarettes as feminist “Torches of Freedom”, and his work for the United Fruit Company in the 1950s, connected with the CIA-orchestrated overthrow of the democratically elected Guatemalan government in 1954. He worked for dozens of major American corporations, including Procter & Gamble and General Electric, and for government agencies, politicians, and nonprofit organizations. His uncle was psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. [emphases mine]

… he described the masses as irrational and subject to herd instinct—and he outlined how skilled practitioners could use crowd psychology and psychoanalysis to control them in desired ways [emphasis mine].[4][5] Bernays later synthesized many of these ideas in his postwar book, Public Relations (1945), which outlines the science of managing information released to the public by an organization, in a manner most advantageous to the organization. He does this by first providing an overview of the history of public relations, and then provides insight into its application.

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In the 1930s, his critics became more harsh. As the leading figure in public relations and a notorious advocate of “propaganda”, Bernays was compared to European fascists such as Joseph Goebbels and Adolf Hitler.[80] (Bernays wrote in his 1965 autobiography that Goebbels read and used his books. [emphasis mine])[81]

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Finally, it looks like July 24, 2024 will be a long day for anyone attending the workshop.