On 27 June 2024, the Center for Technology and Society (CTS) held its annual Midsommar event. Not only did we celebrate the start of summer, but also our 5th anniversary.
Once again this year, existing good relationships were strengthened in a relaxed environment, current transdisciplinary collaborations and activities were highlighted and new contacts were facilitated. The aim was to strengthen the cross-university interdisciplinarity practised in all CTS institutions in Vienna.
Here are some highlights of the day summarised:
The first part was the STE[A+]M Beam, an event organised by the joint Doctoral program STE[A+]M of TU Wien and PH Wien. The aimof this is to identify the challenges of inclusive, meaningful and effective STEM teaching and addressing them through the innovative possibilities of the fields of computer science/technology and art/art education. Particular attention is paid to computer science lessons, which are often taught by teachers from outside the subject area and make an important contribution to digitalisation, but sometimes fail to reach and motivate pupils sufficiently. Four doctoral students presented their scientific work to date and discussed with the participants who are initiating further collaborations.
We then continued with the 5th anniversary of the CTS programme. On the occasion of our 5th anniversary, we looked back on the past years and once again recognised the importance of further strengthening and expanding the interfaces between technology and society (see also https://cts.wien/en/activities/ ), which was welcomed by the present rectorates of the CTS houses TU Wien & FH Campus Wien. The essential role of interdisciplinary approaches was emphasised, particularly in the exchange with society and business as well as in research and teaching.
In addition to the impressive, haptically tangible timeline of the entire impact period, which clearly illustrated all CTS activities of the last five years, the following projects were also presented:
CTS//project “Blocked Under Ground”: This cross-media project tells the story of an underground catastrophe in a flooded underground railway system in a major city. It consists of a 3D radio play, an audio walk and an audio game. The latter was developed as part of the project and challenges the players in a purely auditory way. One of the aims was to show how non-visual media can be better utilised in today’s world.
Presentation of the CTS//circle.ResponsibleComputing: The CTS//circle.responsibleComputing explores the relationship between technology, particularly computer systems, and the social structures that shape our world. We utilise interdisciplinary research from the fields of ethics, information, law, politics and social responsibility to explore the societal implications of this complex interplay and implement activities.
CTS//project “Model-based treatment of thyroid diseases”: This CTS project formed the proof of concept for the feasibility of developing a medical assistance tool in the thyroid area. The long-term goal of this tool is to shorten treatment times on the basis of mathematical models. This is an innovative step in the young research field of thyroid glands and their hormones in the thyrotropic control loop, the complex system that regulates thyroid function. Follow-up projects are in the planning stage.
CTS//project “YOUTH”: The YOUTH project investigates youthfulness in the context of social inequality and social media platforms. The aim is to empower young people to gain access to public spaces and overcome disadvantages.
After the project insights and discussions, the attendees had the opportunity to get to know each other better and expand their networks in exciting discussions at a cosy get-together with a good buffet and chilled drinks.
We would like to thank all participants and look forward to more exciting years of technology and society!