From Monday evening July 2 to Wednesday evening July 4 2012 the first international conference of the Centre for the Ethics and Politics of Emerging Technologies (EPET) will be held at Maastricht University, the Netherlands.

Technology is an important driver of change in today’s world, and the desirability of such change is a matter of concern in public debate and policy making. Whereas the influence of morality on technology is well acknowledged, the influence of technology on morality is much less considered. This conference aims to investigate the phenomenon of techno-moral change from a philosophical, historical and sociological perspective. Moreover, it explores how our capacity to imagine, and relate to, techno-moral change may be enhanced by the arts. Lastly, it will consider to what extent and how the phenomenon of techno-moral change should be taken into account in public debate on emerging technologies.

Contributions may focus on one of four themes:

1. Conceptualizing techno-moral change
2. Researching techno-moral change
3. Imagining techno-moral change
4. Governing techno-moral change

SUBMISSION OF PAPERS
Authors should submit an electronic version of an extended abstract (total word count approximately 250-500 words). Final papers (if invited after the conference) must not exceed a total word count of 3500 words and an abstract of not more than 250 words. The submissions should be made electronically, as pdf, rtf or Word format.

Paper submission: epet2012@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Deadline: February 15^th, 2012.

Selected papers will be brought together in an edited volume. EPET-2012 is not affiliated with fPET-2012.  For more information about EPET go to the website

Abstract Submissions:
We invite the submission of abstracts for presentations, posters, panels, or interactive sessions addressing, in theory or practice, the mutually enriching integration of engineering and liberal arts.  We especially encourage faculty and students already engaged in collaborative cross-disciplinary activities to submit their innovative examples of curricula, courses, and extra-curricular experiences, and practitioners working on multi-disciplinary projects to submit their experiences.

Submissions consist of an abstract (250 word maximum) indicating subject matter, learning outcomes, observations of the benefits and challenges, and other aspects of integration. Administrative, faculty, student and practitioner participation is welcomed.

The submission form will be open starting on January 25.

http://www.union.edu/integration/

The deadline for submissions is February 15.  Proposals will be reviewed by members of the Symposium Program Committee, and submitters will be notified by March 15, 2011.

Integrate to Innovate Faculty Institute:
On the afternoon of Saturday, June 4, a set of workshops will be provided for faculty to learn more about how to enhance their courses and curricula by integrating engineering and the liberal arts. Information about the workshops will be available in March.

Registration
Registration for the Symposium will be open in April. There is no registration fee.

Symposium Co-chairs:
Cherrice Traver, Union College
Doug Klein, Union College

Program Committee:
Ari Epstein, MIT
Atsushi Akera, RPI
Borjana Mikec, Smith College
Cliff Brown, Union College
David Gillette, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Diane Michelfelder, Macalester College
George Catalano, Binghamton University
John Krupczak, Hope College
Linda Head, Rowan University
Mark Somerville, Olin College
Mark Walker, Union College
Mike Toole, Bucknell University
Peter Robbie, Dartmouth College
Sharon Jones, Lafayette College
Stacie Raucci, Union College
Wendy Murphy, IBM

Track 16 on Reflective Engineering is still looking for a abstracts at the intersection of philosophy and engineering:

Extended Call for Abstracts

Due January 1, 2011

Reflective Engineering
The Society for Philosophy and Technology Biennial Meeting (www.spt.org)

May 26-29, 2011
University of North Texas

Track 16
Sponsored by The Forum for Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology (fPET)

Track 16: Reflective Engineering

Chairs: Darryl Farber (Penn State University, USA) and Kathryn Jablokow (Penn State University, USA)

The track’s aim is to encourage reflection on engineering, engineers, and technology by both philosophers and engineers. To achieve this, we are seeking abstracts for presentations that address the multiple ways philosophers and engineers reflect upon engineering practice, research, or teaching.

We welcome abstracts on topics such as

• epistemology, metaphysics, ontology, and ethics of engineering products, processes, and systems
• ethnography of engineering practice, research, or teaching and its philosophical implications
• applications of philosophy to policy and engineering practice, for example questions concerning
• the role of broader public engagement in the design, deployment, and decommissioning of technology or engineering systems including issues regarding the interpretation of uncertainty and risk
• historical perspectives on engineering and technology perhaps that illuminate current questions or controversies regarding engineering practice, research, or teaching
• reflection on cognitive aspects of engineering, such as reflection on why and how engineers think the way they do, especially related to creativity, problem-solving, and leadership
• cross-disciplinary reflections involving perspectives from engineering, the social sciences, and the humanities more generally perhaps including the way cultural differences broadly speaking inform engineering.
• philosophical reflections that are related to the above topics and address a specific engineering domain, such as energy, waste, environment, transportation, and security.

Papers will be accepted on the basis of a submitted abstract, which will be refereed. An abstract must be between 500 and 750 words in length (references excluded) and submitted via email (spt2011@unt.edu) as embedded plain text or an attachment in RTF, WORD, or PDF format. It should also contain the name and number of the track to which the abstract is submitted.

Please contact Darryl Farber (dfarber@engr.psu.edu) or Kathryn Jablokow (kwl3@gv.psu.edu) for more information.