Navigating Dimensions across Materials and History: Scale as a Lens to Understand Dynamic and Cumulative Sociotechnical Relationships
Through the lens of scale, this paper combines knowledge and perspectives from the history of technology and materials science and engineering to examine the materiality of the ubiquitous technological systems that are so often hidden in the everyday. The simultaneously exceptional and prosaic cas...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Diseña |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.lib.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/26975 |
| _version_ | 1797356588736970752 |
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| author | Ellan F. Spero Christine Ortiz |
| author_facet | Ellan F. Spero Christine Ortiz |
| author_sort | Ellan F. Spero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Through the lens of scale, this paper combines knowledge and perspectives from the history of technology and materials science and engineering to examine the materiality of the ubiquitous technological systems that are so often hidden in the everyday. The simultaneously exceptional and prosaic case of materials underpinning water filtration is examined in a 19th century manufacturing city in the United States. An analysis related to materials structure-property-processing-performance correlations is integrated with historical approaches to technological landscapes, the co-construction of use and value, and narratives of progress. This study provides insights into the dynamic social and material relationships that change across scales, as well as into mechanisms and cumulative influences of material constituents in larger sociotechnical systems. This contribution is incorporated within a framework for socially-directed science and technology, and its implementation in new and existing higher education institutions is discussed.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:29:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-330c567a93b446b68e625d715ce472d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0718-8447 2452-4298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:29:52Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diseña |
| spelling | doaj.art-330c567a93b446b68e625d715ce472d32024-01-12T12:06:56ZengPontificia Universidad Católica de ChileDiseña0718-84472452-42982021-01-0118Navigating Dimensions across Materials and History: Scale as a Lens to Understand Dynamic and Cumulative Sociotechnical RelationshipsEllan F. Spero0Christine Ortiz1Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Station1Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Station1 Through the lens of scale, this paper combines knowledge and perspectives from the history of technology and materials science and engineering to examine the materiality of the ubiquitous technological systems that are so often hidden in the everyday. The simultaneously exceptional and prosaic case of materials underpinning water filtration is examined in a 19th century manufacturing city in the United States. An analysis related to materials structure-property-processing-performance correlations is integrated with historical approaches to technological landscapes, the co-construction of use and value, and narratives of progress. This study provides insights into the dynamic social and material relationships that change across scales, as well as into mechanisms and cumulative influences of material constituents in larger sociotechnical systems. This contribution is incorporated within a framework for socially-directed science and technology, and its implementation in new and existing higher education institutions is discussed. https://ojs.lib.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/26975MaterialsScaleInfrastructureSocially-directed science and technologyPedagogy |
| spellingShingle | Ellan F. Spero Christine Ortiz Navigating Dimensions across Materials and History: Scale as a Lens to Understand Dynamic and Cumulative Sociotechnical Relationships Diseña Materials Scale Infrastructure Socially-directed science and technology Pedagogy |
| title | Navigating Dimensions across Materials and History: Scale as a Lens to Understand Dynamic and Cumulative Sociotechnical Relationships |
| title_full | Navigating Dimensions across Materials and History: Scale as a Lens to Understand Dynamic and Cumulative Sociotechnical Relationships |
| title_fullStr | Navigating Dimensions across Materials and History: Scale as a Lens to Understand Dynamic and Cumulative Sociotechnical Relationships |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigating Dimensions across Materials and History: Scale as a Lens to Understand Dynamic and Cumulative Sociotechnical Relationships |
| title_short | Navigating Dimensions across Materials and History: Scale as a Lens to Understand Dynamic and Cumulative Sociotechnical Relationships |
| title_sort | navigating dimensions across materials and history scale as a lens to understand dynamic and cumulative sociotechnical relationships |
| topic | Materials Scale Infrastructure Socially-directed science and technology Pedagogy |
| url | https://ojs.lib.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/26975 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ellanfspero navigatingdimensionsacrossmaterialsandhistoryscaleasalenstounderstanddynamicandcumulativesociotechnicalrelationships AT christineortiz navigatingdimensionsacrossmaterialsandhistoryscaleasalenstounderstanddynamicandcumulativesociotechnicalrelationships |