Cognitive and Social Values in Computer-Aided Engineering   Design
{'Code': '08080302', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DBI', 'LongName': 'Div Of Biological Infrastructure'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Rachelle D. Hollander', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
One of the central problems in studies of science, technology and               society concerns the respective roles and relationships of                      cognitive and social values in scientific and engineering                       thinking and decisionmaking.  Cognitive values are those we tend                to think of as "scientific" or "objective"; they concern                        standards of evidence or proof, for example.  Social values also                play a role in determining successful scientific and, perhaps                   especially, engineering efforts.  Judgments of the marketplace,                 of aesthetics, of suitability, hierarchy or fairness, for                       instance, can play critical roles in decisions about the                        directions of engineering research and development, and the use                 of engineering products or processes.  Indeed, it is possible                   that social values have a necessary role in standards of                        evidence, making a clear distinction between social and cognitive               values difficult to draw.  This award, to an anthropologist and                 assistant professor of technology studies at the Center for the                 Study of Science in Society at Virginia Polytechnic Institute,                  will enable him to pursue research on the relationships between                 cognitive and social values in decisions to develop and use                     computer-aided engineering design (CAD).  The overall objective                 is to explore how the cultural identities of engineers, which                   include both cognitive and social standrads, shape engineering                  decisions.  The project has two components.  The learning                       component involves (1) enrolling in a sequence of two senior-                   level courses in CAD and (2) assisting his host specialist, the                 director of the CAD/CAM Laboratory at VPI, in an engineering                    design project applying finite element analysis methods to an                   industry problem.  The research component involves (1)                          investigating the historical development of CAD systems in                      industry and at universities, to identify the roles of cognitive                and social value judgments, and (2) conducting a participant                    observation study of the CAD design project to investigate the                  roles of these judgments in a current negotiation of a competent                design solution.  Results of the project will be disseminated                   through two published papers, curriculum changes to two courses,                and a series of public presentations before engineering and                     social science/humanities audiences.                                                                                                                            This project addresses an important issue.  The applicant is well               qualified.  The host specialist and other accessible experts are                very well qualified and will be able to provide the necessary                   guidance; collaborative efforts are likely to continue beyond the               period of this award.  The project is designed well and plans for               the development and dissemination of results are appropriate.                   University support is very good.  An award in the amount of                     $38,000 is therefore recommended.
{'FirstName': 'Gary', 'LastName': 'Downey', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'L', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Gary L Downey', 'EmailAddress': 'downeyg@vt.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000204941', 'StartDate': '06/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University', 'CityName': 'BLACKSBURG', 'ZipCode': '240603359', 'PhoneNumber': '5402315281', 'StreetAddress': '300 TURNER ST NW', 'StreetAddress2': 'STE 4200', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Virginia', 'StateCode': 'VA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '09', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'VA09', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'QDE5UHE5XD16', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIVERSITY', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': 'M515A1DKXAN8'}
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[{'Code': '7915', 'Text': 'Ethics & Values of SET'}, {'Code': '9145', 'Text': 'SPECIAL PROGRAMS-RESERVE'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8721941.xml'}