Inventions & Innovations Unit #8

1. Inventions & InnovationsUnit #8 Mrs. Mattson Carl Ben Eielson Middle School ETP 2006—Tanya Mattson This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0402616. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

2. Unit #8Impacts of Invention & Innovation Information for this presentation was taken from the CATTS curriculum Unit #8 and Valley City State University Unit #8 readings, unless otherwise noted.

3. Technology can have positive and negative impacts on individuals, society and the environment. Humans have the capability and responsibility to constrain or promote technological development.

4. Technology, by itself, is neither good or bad, but decisions about the use of products or systems can result in desirable or undesirable consequences.

5. Technological Literacy • Is not only what students should know and be able to do, but what all citizens in a technology driven society need to know and be able to do. • Basic technological literacy is necessary to make informed decisions about technology and its impacts. • Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology.

6. Technological Literacy has been defined many ways, but all of them include similar characteristics: • Abilities to make decisions about technology • Possession of basic literacy skills required to solve technology problems • Ability to make wise decisions about uses of technology • Ability to apply knowledge, tools, and skills for the benefit of society • Ability to describe the basic technology systems of society.

7. Impacts of Technology • The impact of technology is viewed as the solutions to problems and the new problems created by the solutions • Optimization is the process of seeking or developing the best solution to a problem • The best solution for a problem is not likely to be found the first time. This makes it possible for future developments to improve or optimize the product.

8. Every new technological advance or solution has some hidden and known negative effects. • These negative effects or compromises are called: TRADE-OFFS. • Negative aspects of a product could affect people and the environment in ways that are sometimes more harmful than the solution.

9. When new technology is developed, decisions are made regarding the amount of risk that is acceptable in attaining a solution. • Many of these risks were not considered as carefully as they should have been and we are now just starting to see their effects.

10. Technological Change • The evolution of technology has been a series of progressive improvements to products to fulfill a need or provide a convenience.

11. In the beginning of our technological evolution, more emphasis was placed on development of a solution and less on the implications it may have on society or the environment. • Early technological development, because of a smaller knowledge base and lack of communication, was very slow and sometimes took hundreds of years.

12. As we progressed through time and developed more ideas and solutions, it became easier and faster. • Increased knowledge, communication and writing, and the ability to improve current products played an important role in the change process. • Ex: Computers, televisions, phones, etc.

13. Implications • The choices we make can have long lasting positive or negative effects to our future. • Even if we make good choices, the results of those choices will affect individuals, society, environment, and future technology.

14. Ex: Internal Combustion Engine • It was one of the greatest inventions in history. • The use in the automobile created a change in work and leisure activities. • It influenced the economy, changed the way we built cities, and shortened travel time.

15. Unfortunately, it also had a drastic impact on our environment. • Pollution • Accidents • Erosion • Reduction in agricultural and forested land have had dramatic impact on our environment. • As a result of increased paved areas and pollutants in the air, the average global temperature is rising in what scientists call “Global Warming.”

16. How does the Internal Combustion Engine Work? http://www.howstuffworks.com

17. Societal Problems • In recent years, advanced technology solutions have often reduced the need for human workers in various professions. • Ex: Robots have replaced human workers in the manufacturing industry. They do not get tired, injured or need breaks, and can perform jobs that are hazardous to people.

18. Environmental Problems: • Most of the current environmental problems are a result of technology created over the past 30 to 40 years. • This is due mainly to the development of materials used in products that are not biodegradable or recyclable. • If they are not recycled, disposal is still necessary and creates landfill and run off problems.

19. Environmental Problems Cont. • Materials used to grow food and other agricultural products can also have damaging effects on the environment. • Ex: Fertilizers • When technology is developed to help improve life, it often can disrupt the balance of nature and cause irreversible damage.

20. Environmental problems are not only about waste products, but deal with raw materials and resources. • Conservation of materials in many circumstances is not a priority when developing new technology. • Ex: Trees, fossil fuels, and different types of minerals.

21. Technology Assessment • Technology Assessment: “think before you act!” (Kranzberg, 1979) • When taken to the next level, it’s not only “think before you act”. • Any technology has obvious sought after effects called “first order effects.” • However, there are unintended effects as well called second and third order effects.

22. Dimensions of Consequences

23. The automobile is fast, cheap transportation for the driver and provides profits for the manufacturer. • These are the first order effects that are obvious to most consumers. • However, there are second and third order effects. • Decline of the railroads, urban decline, the interstate highway system, the decline in environmental quality, etc. • The moving assembly line: drew women into the workforce

24. The difficulty of forecasting technological developments and the resulting side effects is one reason that criticism is ever present.

25. History of Technology Assessment • Technology assessment dates back to the creation of the Regulatory Agency in the 1850’s which was created after more than 2,500 deaths related to the shipping industry. • Regulation spread to other areas as well, but in the early 20th century focus was shifted to technology.

26. National Environmental Policy Act of 1972 • This act required environmental impact statements for all federal actions significantly affecting the environment. • The Technology Assessment Act of 1972 was enacted by Congress to establish an Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) as an aid in the identification and consideration of existing and probable impacts of technological application; to amend the National Science Foundation Act of 1950; and for other purposes.

27. The basic function of the OTA was to: • Identify existing or probable impacts of technology or technological problems • Where possible, ascertain cause-and-effect relationships • Identify alternative technological methods of implementing specific programs • Identify alternative programs for achieving requisite goals

28. Make estimates and comparisons of the impacts of alternative methods and programs • Present findings of completed analyses to the appropriate legislative authorities • Identify areas where additional research or data collection is required to provide adequate support for the assessments and estimates. • Undertake such additional associated activities as specified by the appropriate authorities.

29. Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) • Topics studied by OTA have ranged widely from nuclear proliferation to pollution control, industrial competitiveness, computer security and privacy, and medical technology. • The OTA was extremely successful and widely acclaimed. • The OTA published over 100,000 pages of the best available analysis of policy issues.

30. For 23 years the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) provided Congress and other committees with an objective analysis of various technological and scientific issues that faced America. • The Congressional Office of Technology Assessment closed on September 29, 1995. It was small and fell victim to political downsizing in the 90’s in an attempt to streamline the budget.

31. The complete collection of publications by the office as well as other materials about its history are available online at: http://www.wws.princeton.edu/~ota/ns20/legacy_n.html

32. Biotechnology and Assessment • When dealing with living things, a whole host of ethical issues arise, that may not have surfaced with other forms of technological development. • Generally, morals, values, and religious beliefs surface when determining the positive and negative aspects of bio related technology.

33. The large-scale introduction of biomedical and other technologies in the second half of the 20th century has raised new ethical issues such as: • The definition of death • Withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment • Prenatal diagnosis and abortion • Storage of frozen human embryos • The use of humans, animals, or fetal tissue for scientific research • The screening of persons for the AIDS virus or other infections • The disposition of toxic wastes • The expansion of genetic engineering

34. The awareness of bioethics and other moral issues has caused us to pay more attention to practical problems of biological research and deal with the moral and social concerns of human behavior. • Modern Biotechnology is a collection of technologies that are all targeted for a specific purpose. • These “biotechnologies” all have a common factor, which is the use of cells and biological molecules. • Biotechnology is a very large and growing area of study.

35. Some common areas of research in Biotechnology include: • Monoclonal Antibody Technology • Cell Culture Technology • Biosensor Technologies • Genetic Modification Technology • Antisense Technology • Protein Engineering Technology These are only a fraction of the Biotechnology career areas that are currently being studied.

36. Monoclonal Antibody Technology • Uses a type of immune system cell that makes proteins called antibodies. These antibodies are used to: • Distinguish cancer cells from normal cells • Locate environmental pollutants • Detect harmful microorganisms in food • Diagnose infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants quicker and more accurately than ever before.

37. Cell Culture Technology • Includes plant cells, mammalian cells and insect cells to produce bio-related insecticides, medical procedures, and pharmaceuticals.

38. Biosensor Technologies They are detection devices that rely on the specificity of cells and molecules to identify and measure substances at extremely low concentrations.

39. Biosensors can: • Measure the nutritional value, freshness and safety of food. • Provide emergency room physicians with bedside measure of vital blood components. • Locate and measure environmental pollutants. • Measure blood glucose levels more rapidly and precisely than existing methods.

40. Genetic Modification Technology • Often referred to as recombinant DNA technology. • Humans make recombinant DNA, both in nature, and by combining genetic material from 2 different sources.

41. Genetic Modification is used to: • Produce new and safer vaccines • Treat some genetic diseases • Provide new and better medicines • Enhance bio-control agents in agriculture • Increase crop yields and decrease production costs • Decrease allergy-producing characteristics of some foods • Improve food nutritional value • Increase livestock productivity • Develop biodegradable plastics • Decrease water and air pollution

42. Antisense Technology • Decreases the production of specific proteins by using small nucleic acids to block the genes the responsible for making these proteins. • Currently, researchers are investigating how to use this technology to: • Slow food spoilage • Control viral diseases • Inhibit inflammation • Treat diseases such as asthma, cancers, and a kind of anemia called thalassemia

43. Protein Engineering Technology • Will often be used in conjunction with genetic modification to improve existing proteins, usually enzymes, and to create proteins not found in nature.

44. Read students the summary sheet associated with this unit

45. Standards Covered: 4: Students will develop an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology. • 4.D: The use of technology affects humans in various ways, including their safety, comfort, choices, and attitudes about technology’s development and use. • 4.E: Technology, by itself, is neither good nor bad, but decisions about the use of products and systems can result in desirable or undesirable consequences. • 4.F: The development and use of technology poses ethical issues. • 4.G: Economic, political, and cultural issues are influenced by the development and use of technology. 5: Students will develop an understanding of the effects of technology on the environment. • 5.D: The management of waste produced by technological systems is an important societal issue. • 5.F: Decisions to develop and use technologies often put environmental and economic concerns in direct competition with one another. 15: Students will develop an understanding of an be able to select and use agricultural and related biotechnologies. • 15.H: Biotechnology applies the principles of biology to create commercial products or processes.