RIT | Science, Technology, Society/Public Policy

Faculty & Staff

We have a distinguished and highly trained faculty and support staff, who aim to impart their knowledge and skills to produce students who will become leaders in the fields of science, technology and public policy. In recent years this faculty has produced five books, published numerous peer reviewed journal articles and are widely sought to offer well-informed positions on key policy issues in the local and national print and electronic media. This faculty has generated over $ 2 million dollars in externally funded research projects, won two Miller fellowships, and several FEAD, PLIG and faculty research grants.

	Deborah Blizzard, Ph.D. Chair and Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy 1315 Eastman Phone: 585-475-4697 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: dlbgsh@rit.edu B.A. Government, Smith College M.S. Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Ph.D. Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Research Interests: sociocultural construction of fetoscopy (in utero fetal surgery); bereavement and hope in partially lost twin gestations; cultural analysis of contemporary close-up magic; feminist pedagogy; gender studies Courses: Science, Technology and Values; Biomedical Issues: Science and Technology; Cyborg Theory: (Re)Thinking the Human Experience in the 21st Century; Gender, Science and Technology; Reality TV and the Construction of Reality; Magic, Science and Technology; Sexuality, Medicine, Science and Technology

	Debbie Steene Senior Staff Specialist Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy 1358 Eastman Phone: 585-475-5291 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: debra.steene@rit.edu Ms. Steene provides administrative support to the faculty as well as various grant programs within the department. She also supports the students of the BS degrees in Public Policy and the MS degrees in Science, Technology and Public Policy. Background and Experience: Debbie received two AAS degrees from Monroe Community College. She has 19 years of administrative experience working at the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratories. Prior to coming to RIT she was administrative manager and assistant to the President of the Advertising Council of Rochester.

	Nancy Becerra-Cordoba, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy 3236 Eastman Phone: 585-475-5395 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: nancy.becerra-cordoba@rit.edu B.S. Environmental Engineering/ Instituto Politécnico Nacional, México City M.S.E. Environmental Engineering/ Johns Hopkins University Ph.D. Environmental Design and Planning/ Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Research Interests: Environmental planning and policy; natural resources conservation, particularly deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Connections between land use planning and water sustainability; land-use and energy/ Climate Action Planning. Stochastic models and GIS analysis for collaborative decision making. Green spaces and urban farming; planning in multicultural cities. Courses: Policy Analysis II & III; Program Evaluation; Senior Project; Technology, Policy and Sustainability; Introduction to Environmental Studies; Environmental Policy

	Thomas Cornell, Ph.D. Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy Department of History 3188 Eastman Phone: 585-475-6029 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: tdcgsh@rit.edu B.A. Physics, Rhodes College M.S. Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology Ph.D. History of Science, Johns Hopkins University Research Interests: particle accelerators (e.g., cyclotrons and Van de Graaff generators) in the 1930s; the history of the physical sciences in the U. S. since the Civil War; and the role of science and technology in American society Courses: Science, Technology and Values; History of Science; History of American Technology; Face of the Land; STS Classics

	Paul Ferber, Ph.D. Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy Department of Political Science 1334 Eastman Phone: 585-475-2938 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: phfgss@rit.edu B.A. Political Science, American University M.Ph. Political Science, George Washington University Ph.D. Political Science, George Washington University Research Interests: The study of the influence of communication technology on the politics of the United States, variously described as cyberdemocracy, e-government, digital democracy, and other manifestations of Internet-based communication Courses: Social Consequences of Technology; Environmental Policy; American Politics; State and Local Politics

	Franz Foltz, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy 1356 Eastman Phone: 585-475-5368 Fax 585-475-2510 E-mail: franz.foltz@rit.edu BS, Physics, Pennsylvania State University MS, Governmental Science Policy, Pennsylvania State University Ph.D, Science and Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Research Interests: cyberdemocracy, and digital government, science and technology policy, environmental policy, global change research policy, energy policy, science and technology studies, ideas of power, technology and religion, and democratic theory and increasing public participation (especially connected to science, technology, and power) Courses: Science, Technology and Values; Science and Technology Policy; Energy and the Environment; Environmental Policy; Foundations of Public Policy, Seminar: Readings in Public Policy; Graduate Seminar in Science and Technology Policy, Energy Policy, Environment and Society; Seminar: Evaluation Research

	Gary Frost, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy 3242 Eastman Phone: 585-475-7136 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: glfgpt@rit.edu B.S. Engineering, California State University-Fullerton A.M. Liberal Studies, Duke University M.A. History, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Ph.D. History, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Research Interests: History of technology, history of radio, history of electrical engineering Courses: Science, Technology and Values; The Social History of Radio Technology; History of Science; Seminar: Science, Technology and the Environment

	Ron Hira, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Professor Department of Science, Technology, and Society/Public Policy 1305 Eastman Phone: 585-475-7052 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: rhira@mail.rit.edu BS Electrical Engineering, Carnegie-Mellon University MS Electrical Engineering, George Mason University Ph.D. Public Policy, George Mason University Research Interests: Competitiveness and innovation policy; offshoring & globalization; high-skilled immigration; engineering labor markets; offshoring in the printing industry; the role of engineers in public policy; author of Outsourcing America. Courses: Policy Analysis I, II and III; Seminar: Readings in Public Policy; Information and Communications Policy; Technological Innovation and Public Policy; Engineering and Public Policy; Foundations of Public Policy

	M. Ann Howard, J.D. Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy Environmental Science Program Senior Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts 2217 Liberal Arts Phone: 585-475-5104 Fax: 585-475-7120 E-mail: mahgsh@rit.edu B.S. Human Ecology, Cornell University J.D. Rutgers University School of Law Research Interests: relationship between environmental decision-making and the role of citizen involvement, especially on the local level; sustainable community development, community revitalization and citizen governance; university/community partnerships and community-based learning in higher education Courses: Science, Technology and Values; Foundations of Public Policy, Introduction to Environmental Studies, Environmental Policy, Environmental Conflict Resolution, Risk and Environmental Decision-Making, Great Lakes I and II, Sustainable Communities; Values and Public Policy; Science, Technology, and Policy Seminar: Legal Perspectives

	William A. Johnson, Jr. Distinguished Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy Department of Sociology/Anthropology 1327 Eastman Phone: 585-475-4407 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: wajgpt@rit.edu Biographic Information B.A., Political Science, Howard University M.A., Political Science, Howard University Research Interests:The application of governmental policies to distressed cities, regional governments, state and local government reform, smart growth and sprawl, citizen engagement, community economic development. Courses: Introduction to Public Policy; Public Administration and Management; Rochester: People, Politics and Planning; Urban Planning and Policy. Special Note: This self-described “prac-ademic” has combined an early teaching career in political science with field experience in human services ( CEO of the Urban League of Rochester for 21 years), and electoral politics ( Mayor of Rochester for 12 years). He is also the recipient of four honorary doctorates from Rochester-area colleges.

	Christine Keiner, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy 1311 Eastman Phone: 585-475-4698 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: cmkgsh@rit.edu B.A. Biology, McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) Ph.D. History of Science, Medicine, and Technology, Johns Hopkins University Research Interests: history of ecology and biology, history of Cold War science and technology, U.S. environmental politics, and relations between science and politics; author of The Oyster Question: Scientists, Watermen, and the Maryland Chesapeake Bay since 1880 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2009), winner of the 2010 Forum for the History of Science in America Book Prize, Maryland Historical Trust Heritage Book Award, and Honorable Mention from the Frederick Jackson Turner Committee of the Organization of American Historians Courses: Science, Technology and Values; Introduction to Environmental Studies; History of Ecology and Environmentalism; Engineering in American Culture; History of Women in Science and Engineering;, Seminar in Science, Technology and the Environment; Great Lakes I and II

	Yu Meng Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy 3248 Eastman Phone: 585-475-4647 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: yu.meng@rit.edu B.A. Business and Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology M.A. Sociology, The Catholic University of America Ph.D. Public Policy (expected), Georgia Institute of Technology Research Interests: Science, technology and innovation policy; gender differences in science and technology; science and technology policy in China and Chinese innovation system; research methods (including patent and bibliometric analysis). Courses: Foundations of Public Policy; Public Administration and Management; Gender, Science & Technology; Policy Analysis III; Values & Public Policy

	Robert Paradowski, Ph.D. Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy 3134 Eastman Phone: 585-475-6950 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: rxpgsh@rit.edu B.S. Chemistry, Spring Hill College M.A. Physical Chemistry; Brandeis University Ph.D. History of Science; University of Wisconsin Research Interests: Life and work of Linus Pauling, history of chemistry, history of science and technology, Roman Catholic studies Courses: Science, Technology and Values; Makers of Modern Science; History of Science; History of American Technology; History of the Environmental Sciences; Introduction to Environmental Studies; History of Chemistry; Science and Religion; Energy and the Environment; Social Consequences of Technology

	Richard Shearman, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Science, Technology and Society/Public Policy Environmental Science Program 1354 Eastman Phone: 585-475-6604 Fax: 585-475-2510 E-mail: rlsgsh@rit.edu Webpage B.A. Biology, Western State College of Colorado M.S. Biology, Eastern New Mexico University Ph.D. Environmental Science, State University of New York at Syracuse Research Interests: Interdisciplinary problem solving; environmental science pedagogy; practical problems associated with the conservation of biological diversity; science and advocacy; the philosophy of Aristotle as applied to environmental thinking. Courses: Introduction to Environmental Studies; Environment and Society; Biodiversity and Society; Agriculture, Food Production, and the Environment.