The Army-sponsored Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) was an entrepreneurial research institute established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2002. Using Science and Technology Studies (STS) concepts from Actor-Network Theory, I study the founding era of this twenty-first century laboratory-based community, from 2002-2007. Actor-Network concepts of enrollment and translation, described by Bruno Latour, and heterogeneous engineering, described by John Law, are used as I 'follow the actors' founding this emergent institution. The operationalization of translation is traced through four case studies, structured around Defense funding constructs and Science and Technology communities: 6.0 Founding the Institute; 6.1 Building Basic Research Networks; 6.2 Shaping Applied Research for Cancer Research and Science Education to include non-users; and 6.3 Student Prototyping Teams Accelerating ISN Research for Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). Scientists, engineers, and transitioners partnered in new ways to transition innovative technologies to improve human protection, with soldiers as the first of many users. Using public information, I used qualitative and quantitative methodologies to assess the actor networks and research portfolio changes. These historical case studies extend STS with operationalization of translation and a new dynamic of bi-directional actor enrollment, as research teams transitioned nanotechnologies and prototypes. / Doctor of Philosophy / The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) was an Army-sponsored entrepreneurial research institute established at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2002. This historical study examines the founding era, rarely described for start-up organizations. Science and Technology Studies (STS) concepts of Actor-Network Theory enrollment and translation are traced through four case studies: Founding the Institute; Building Basic Research Networks; Shaping Applied Research for Cancer Research and Science Education to include non-users; and Student Prototyping Teams Accelerating Research for Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). The scientists, engineers, and transitioners partnered in new ways to transition technologies to improve human protection, with soldiers as the first of many users. Using public information, I provide qualitative and quantitative methodologies to assess the social networks of actors, as well as the composition and changes in the research portfolio. These case studies show what the ISN members did and how the small teams innovated, operationalizing translation through enrollment, and transitioning nanotechnologies and other prototypes.

Syllabi are an integral part of any college experience and an understanding for how the genre functions on a rhetorical level is an under-researched area in the field of higher education. Using the tools of rhetorical analysis—looking at language and genre structures—I gathered a selection of 25 First-Year Writing syllabi within the Department of English at Virginia Tech to help address this concern of a lack of research. Using qualitative research methods—specifically those dealing with language and genre coding—I worked through my syllabi selection to ascertain how the genre functions rhetorically. Using Mary Louise Pratt's idea of the "contact zone" as well as Rhetorical Genre Theories and Actor-Network Theory, I argue that beginning with an understanding for how the genre of syllabi function rhetorically will also help us understand how the genre can be communicative, in the sense that it sends a message, as well as performative. / Master of Arts / Syllabi are an integral part of any college experience and an understanding for how the genre functions on a rhetorical level is an under-researched area in the field of higher education. Using the tools of rhetorical analysis—looking at language and genre structures—I gathered a selection of 25 First-Year Writing syllabi within the Department of English at Virginia Tech to help address this concern of a lack of research. Using qualitative research methods—specifically those dealing with language and genre coding—I worked through my syllabi selection to ascertain how the genre functions rhetorically. Using Mary Louise Pratt’s idea of the “contact zone” as well as Rhetorical Genre Theories and Actor-Network Theory, I argue that beginning with an understanding for how the genre of syllabi function rhetorically will also help us understand how the genre can be communicative, in the sense that it sends a message, as well as performative.

This dissertation examines the emerging practice of consumer neuroscience and neuromarketing, combined called CNNM. CNNM utilizes tools and technologies to measure brain activity and human behavior coupled with scientific theories for explaining behavior and cognition. Consumer neuroscience is one of the newest areas of application of neuroscience and related techniques, and is of significant social consequence for its possible deployment in the market place to both study and shape consumer behavior. Concerns arise in terms of consumer influence and manipulation, but there are also concerns regarding the actual efficacy and utility of the technologies and the application of behavioral theories. The dissertation's three essays each examine a facet of CNNM. Using historical sources, conference participation, and ethical analyses, the dissertation forms a multi-prong effort at a better understanding of CNNM through the use of science and technology studies (STS) methods. The first essay is an historical review of the usage of technologies to measure brain activity and behavior, parallel to the development of psychological theories created to account for human decisionmaking. This essay presents a new conception of "closure" and "momentum" as envisioned by social construction of technology and technological momentum theories, arriving at a new concept for inclusion called "convergence" which offers a multi-factor explanation for the acceptance and technical implementation of unsettled science. The second essay analyzes four discourses discovered during the review of approximately seventy presentations and interviews given by experts in the field of CNNM. Using and adapting actor-network theory, the essay seeks to describe the creation of expertise and group formation in the field of CNNM researchers. The third essay draws on a variety of ethical analyses to expand understanding of the ethical concerns regarding CNNM. It raises questions that go beyond the actual efficacy of CNNM by applying some of the theories of Michel Foucault relating to the accumulation of power via expertise. This essay also points in the direction for actionable steps at ameliorating some of the ethical concerns involving CNNM. CNNM is a useful technique for understanding consumer behavior and, by extension, human behavior and neuroscience more generally. At the same time, it has been routinely misunderstood and occasionally vilified (for concerns about both efficacy and non-efficacy). This dissertation develops some of the specific historical movements that created the field, surveys and analyzes some of the foremost experts and how they maneuvered in their social network to achieve that status, and identifies novel ethical issues and some solutions to those ethical issues. / Ph. D.

During the 1980s, an acute and deadly epidemic appeared in the United States. AIDS, a disease that initially affected mainly gay men, required a rapid and effective treatment. Due to tough regulations form government agencies and the stigma surrounding the disease, it would take a long time for a treatment to be developed. To break the silence, demand action and push for changes to combat the AIDS epidemic, the activist group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was formed. A network formed around their actions that created an environment capable of developing new treatment methods. Using interviews, articles, and reports, this analysis will draw on Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to examine how ACT UP mobilizes lay expertise and navigates conflicts within its network to influence research processes and AIDS treatment. This analysis highlights the mobilization of lay expertise and shows how the constructive management of conflicts within networks can play a crucial role in challenging established research structures, influencing decision-making processes, and ultimately shaping the response to public health crises like the AIDS epidemic.

IT is often seen as a solution to many problems concerning effectiveness in organizations. Information systems within the healthcare sector is often viewed as medical devices rather than just systems or services. These medical devices are thoroughly regulated by laws, standards and certifications. In this study I participated in an innovative project that aimed to bring new life and use to the old fashioned patient journal by giving it a visual representation through the use of an avatar. I aimed to study the effects of regulators connected with the patient journal as a source of information for the innovative project. I drew upon Actor-network theory as a theoretical lens to trace the patient journal and connect it with regulatory aspects important to innovative projects such as the studied scenario. I also aimed to research the possibilities and obstacles provided with today’s IT-climate in Swedish healthcare. I found that regulatory aspects according to Actor-network theory proved to be an actor that stabilizes the network that is the innovative project. Certain regulatory aspects such as quality management standards provided support for unifying the vision concerning the innovation. Further the regulatory aspects proved to be an actor that can shift power between project developers and external actors. The regulatory aspects did not show any significant effect on the innovation or its original vision. These aspects did however show proof of being a heavy provider of project complexity and experience concerning these aspects was shown to be hard to find. I also found that there are two distinct ways for an innovator to realize a vision within Swedish healthcare, the healthcare way and the patient way, these two ways are represented in a model framework for future research. Last but not least I presented a framework for future IT-architecture based on modern technology and the results found in this study.

Syftet med denna studie är att försöka utreda vilken roll arkitektoniska icke-människor spelar för skapandet av socialt samspel i en ekoby. För att utreda detta utgår studien från ett antal posthumanistiska teoribildningar, främst actor-network theory och begreppet materielldiskursiv. Dessa teoribildningar anser att även icke-människor, så som hus och brevlådor, ska ses som medskapare till världen men att deras agens bestäms av vilka andra aktörer de kopplar ihop sig med i nätverk. Genom observationer och intervjuer med sju boende i en ekoby har material insamlats om det sociala samspelet i ekobyn. Empirin vittnar om att många olika icke-människor spelar en roll för skapandet av det sociala samspelet som uppstår där. Det handlar bland annat om att gemensamhetshus ger plats för gemensamma aktiviteter, att öppna gräsytor möjliggör lek och att brevlådor uppmanar till rörelse. I sig själv skapar dock inte de arkitektoniska icke-människorna socialt samspel. För att de ska få den betydelsen behöver de användas och tolkas av andra aktörer. Svaret på frågeställningen blir följaktligen att de arkitektoniska icke-människorna spelar en roll för att socialt samspel uppstår i ekobyn men vilken roll de spelar är beroende av vilka andra aktörer som de kopplar ihop sig med. / The purpose of this study is to try to investigate the role that architectural non-humans play for the creation of social interaction in an eco-village. In doing this, the study uses a number of post-humanist theories. Mainly actor-network theory and the material-discursive concept. These state that even non-humans, like houses or mailboxes, are to be seen as co-creators of actions, but that their possible roles are decided by which other actors they attach to in a network. Through observations and interviews with seven residents of an eco-village, the information was gathered. The empirical data shows that many different non-humans are taking an active role in the creating of the social interactions that goes on in the eco-village. To mention a few, the community hall gives room for group activities, open lawns create a possibility for child’s play and mailboxes call for physical movement. In themselves, however, the nonhuman actors do not create social interaction. It is only when used by and interpreted by other actors that they gain their active role. The answer to the question would consequently be that the architectural non-humans in the eco-village do play an active role in the creation of social interaction but that the role is dependent on the other actors that they connect to.

Samtidskonsten innebär att en mängd nya sätt att organisera presentationen av konst på har uppstått. Museet för glömska är en mindre samtidskonsthall med starkt idébaserad grund som kan sägas vara allt från ett kulturprojekt till ett idébaserat museum. Denna uppsats belyser vad Museet för glömska är och hur det görs i ett ANT-perspektiv. En del av uppsatsen är också att se hur en organisation som Museet för glömska låter sig studeras. Syftet med uppsatsen är att öka förståelsen för icke-traditionella museum och samtidskonsthallars organisation. Detta genom att synliggöra de förbindelser och relationer som bildar Museet för glömska. Tidigare studier av har visat att problematiken med samtidskonsten och dess organisering är att konsthallarna står i en beroendeställning till finansiärer varför det kritiska perspektiv som kännetecknar samtidskonsten kan vara svår att åstadkomma. Därför finns det anledning att studera alternativa organisationsformer. Museet för glömska undgår i viss mån denna problematik eftersom verksamheten sker på ideell grund. För att beskriva hur förbindelserna inom Museet för glömska hålls på plats använda begreppet obligatorisk passagepunkt, vilket kan sägas vara ett sätt att belysa hur makten fördelas i en organisation och vilka strategier som används för att bibehålla en maktposition. För att ytterligare beskriva vad Museet för glömska är och hur det görs används också begreppen objektskapande- och rumsligt nätverksperspektiv. Museet för glömska består, i ett ANT-perspektiv, av två kretslopp. Ett litet för varje utställningstillfälle och ett stort som beskriver Museet för glömskas identitet. Det lilla kretsloppet består av delarna utställningsidén, konstnärerna, konstverken, platsen och finansieringen. Det stora innehåller delarna utställningar, Medier utan minne och icke-platsen samt anti-grupperna museer, akademin, media och konstvärlden. Den sammanhållande faktorn för båda kretsloppen är en obligatorisk passagepunkt i form av talespersonerna och en obligatorisk icke-passagepunkt i form av artikeln Medier utan minne. Talespersonernas strategier för att bevara nätverket varierar beroende på vilken aktör i nätverket som ska intresseras. I ett objektskapande nätverksperspektiv är de små kretsloppen och det stora kretsloppet olika, men sammankopplade, objekt som skapar Museet för glömska. I ett rumsligt nätverksperspektiv existerar endast ett litet kretslopp, det som för tillfället är aktivt. När kretsloppet övergår till att inte länge vara aktivt så övergår det till att vara en del av det stora kretsloppets rumsliga nätverksform genom att det då endast existerar på Museet för glömskas webbsida. Jag hävdar genom uppsatsen att Museet för glömska kan ses på många olika sätt men att det i min uppsats ska förstås som en icke-organisation bestående av två kretslopp som hålls samman av en obligatorisk icke-passagepunkt i form av Medier utan minne och en obligatorisk passagepunkt i form av två talespersoner vars kommunikationer med kretsloppens olika delar och utpekandet av anti-grupper är essentiell för att Museet för glömska ska kunna bibehålla sin homeomorfism. Studien bidrar till att öka förståelsen för icke-traditionella konsthallar och museer genom att utvidga vad idébaserade museum kan vara och genom att visa på anti-gruppernas betydelse för icke-traditionella konsthallars identitetsskapande. Utöver detta visar också uppsatsen hur icke-organisationer kan studeras. / The emergence of contemporary art implied many new ways of organizing and presenting art. The Museum of Forgetting is a small and nomadic contemporary art gallery with a strong idea-based foundation. This thesis describes, what the Museum of Forgetting is and how it is made through an Actor Network Theory-perspective. Because of the complexity in what Museum of Forgetting is, it is also relevant to examine how an organization such as Museum of Forgetting can be studied. The purpose of this thesis is to increase the understanding of non-traditional museums and contemporary art galleries by displaying the associations with and within the Museum of Forgetting. Previous studies of contemporary art have shown that one problem of contemporary art and its organization is the dependence on external financiers. Therefore, the critical perspective, characterizing contemporary art, can be difficult to achieve. Because of this, there is reason to study alternative organizational forms of presenting and organizing art. This thesis increases the understanding of non-traditional art galleries and museums by expanding what idea-based museums can be and by showing the importance of anti-groups for the creation of the identities of non-traditional art galleries and museums. The empirical and analytical findings show, that the Museum of Forgetting, through an ANT perspective, consists of two cycles. A small one, that is actualized at each exhibition and a large one, describing the identity of the Museum of Forgetting. The small cycle consists of the following units: the exhibition-idea, the artists, the artworks, the place and the financing. The large cycle consists of: exhibitions, the article ”Media without memory” and non-location as well as anti-groups. The unifying factors for both cycles are one obligatory passage point manifested in two spokespersons and one obligatory non-passage point manifested in the article Media without memory. The spokespersons strategies to maintain their position as obligatory passage point varies, depending on which actor to enrol in the network. In essence, according to my findings, the Museum of Forgetting should be understood as two cycles which are coalesced by an obligatory non-passage point, manifested in Media without memory and an obligatory passage point, manifested in two spokespersons, whose communications with the different parts of the cycles and identification of anti-groups, are essential for maintaining the homeomorphism of the Museum of Forgetting.

This study is about information and materiality, more specifically how the different material manifestations of information affects the archivists in the Swedish Court archives. The primary focus is on how materiality affects archivists work with physical and digital information and how materiality affects the archivists themselves. This study uses interviews with archivists within the Swedish court archives as its primary source for analysis. By using primarily Actor-Network Theory and Discourse-theory alongside other scientific texts this study has shown in what ways materiality affects the daily work of archivists and their self-image. This study is relevant in many ways but primarily because there is little to none research of this kind that focuses on the court archives and as a result of that this study is relevant in the way it illustrates the importance and possibilities court archives for a dedicated scholar within archival science and other areas of information science. The results are as follows: materiality have many different ways of affecting the archivists and it does so on many different levels. With the focus on digital and physical information this study has come to the conclusion that materiality is an important aspect that cannot be overlooked. It affects how archivists work, how they think and how they practically handle physical and digital information.

Bilen har en etablerad roll i vårt samhälle och är ständigt central i samhällsplaneringsdebatten. Förutom biltrafikens koppling till ökade koldioxidutsläpp har bilens utbredning skapat utmaningar för att planera yteffektivt i städerna där allt fler bostäder byggs och i samband med detta även fler parkeringar. Det är kommunen som ansvarar för att det ska finnas skäligt med parkering i samband med bostadsbyggande och de skapar parkeringsnormer/policys för att reglera detta. Över tid har många kommuner gått från att ställa krav på ett minimum av parkeringsplatser till att istället arbeta med flexibla parkeringstal, vilka tillåter byggaktören att bygga färre parkeringar än vad normen säger om andra åtgärder för mobilitet implementeras. I denna process har bilpoolen kommit att bli en växande mobilitetsåtgärd som många kommuner erbjuder byggaktörerna att arbeta med för att sänka parkeringstalet. Det har däremot visat sig vara utmanande för kommunerna att få detta att fungera över tid. Det är kommunens uppdrag att ställa krav på parkeringstal och att godkänna eventuella minskningar av dessa om byggaktören väljer att arbeta med mobilitetsåtgärder - men kommunen ansvarar inte för förvaltningen av de tjänster som utlovas som mobilitetsåtgärd vid en avtalad parkeringstalsminskning. Det finns således inga garantier för att åtgärden över tid motsvarar förväntningarna och risken finns att bilpoolen läggs ned samtidigt som ett fåtal parkeringar har byggts. Detta arbete tar avstamp i frågan om vilka hinder och utmaningar kommuner som arbetar med bilpool som mobilitetsåtgärd vid nybyggnation av bostäder står inför i samarbetet med andra aktörer. Undersökningen tar hjälp av Actor-Network Theory för att kartlägga vilka aktörer och samarbeten som är centrala och vilka typer av interaktioner som skapar störst utmaningar i arbetet. Empirin är insamlad både kvantitativt genom enkätundersökningar där kommunerna fått redogöra för sina strategier, och kvalitativt genom djupintervjuer med utvalda kommuner där de har berättat om hur de upplever arbetsprocessen i sin helhet. Många kommuner befinner sig i en utforskande fas när det gäller att implementera och fastställa strategier i arbetet med bilpool som mobilitetsåtgärd, vilket leder till en variation av tillvägagångssätt och beräkningsmetoder. Implementeringen av bilpooler stöter på flera praktiska hinder, såsom otydligheter i regelverk och bristande samarbete mellan aktörer. Men det framgår i arbetet att det främst är de strukturella utmaningarna som måste adresseras för att underlätta implementeringen av bilpooler som en del av arbetet med flexibla parkeringstal. / The car holds an established role in our society and remains central in urban planning discussions. Besides the correlation between car traffic and escalating carbon dioxide emissions, the expansion of car use has presented challenges in efficiently planning urban spaces, particularly as more residences are constructed, resulting in an increase in parking facilities. It falls upon municipalities to ensure adequate parking provisions in conjunction with residential development, and they establish parking norms/policies to govern this. Over time, many municipalities have shifted from imposing minimum parking requirements to instead adopting flexible parking standards, enabling developers to construct fewer parking spaces than the norm dictates if alternative mobility measures are implemented. In this process, carpooling has emerged as a growing mobility solution that many municipalities offer developers as a means to reduce parking requirements. However, sustaining this approach over time poses a challenge. It is the municipality's responsibility to stipulate parking requirements and sanction any reductions if developers opt to integrate mobility measures. However, the municipality is not accountable for administering the services promised as mobility measures in a negotiated parking reduction. Consequently, there are no guarantees that the measure will meet expectations over time, and there exists a risk of discontinuing the carpool while only a few parking spaces have been developed. This study is rooted in the inquiry into the obstacles and challenges municipalities encounter when incorporating carpooling as a mobility measure in new housing construction in collaboration with other stakeholders. Employing Actor-Network Theory, the study maps out central actors and collaborations, as well as the types of interactions posing the greatest challenges in this endeavor. Empirical data is collected both quantitatively through surveys, wherein municipalities outline their strategies, and qualitatively through in-depth interviews with select municipalities, elucidating their experiences throughout the process. Many municipalities are in an exploratory phase concerning the implementation and establishment of strategies in integrating carpooling as a mobility measure, resulting in a divergence of approaches and calculation methods. The implementation of carpooling encounters several practical barriers, such as regulatory ambiguities and a lack of collaboration among stakeholders. However, it is apparent from the study that primarily addressing structural challenges is necessary to facilitate the integration of carpooling as part of the framework for flexible parking standards.

This research examines whether study of the controversial evolution of energy systems and emerging energy technologies can contribute to the debates in energy policy and STS, especially those concerning the ongoing search for solutions to energy and environmental problems through the promotion of low-carbon technologies. The focus of this study is on the emergence and growth of a technological project in the renewable energy sector, Wave Hub in Cornwall, UK. The analysis, informed by actor-network theory, helps to explore the emergence of Wave Hub as a complex socio-technical system and a macro-actor. The case study reveals that the project is associated with various controversies and problematic temporalities. The construction of credibility and viability of the technological project is explored, including the 'public face’ of the project, various meanings attributed to Wave Hub and its symbolic capital. The discourse around Wave Hub is critically reviewed, as regards stakeholder assumptions about the technological feasibility of the project. Consideration is also given to the political dimensions of credibility, including the promissory role of policy discourse. An actor-network theory approach helps questioning the idea of policy as ‘macro context’; the utility of an analytical approach to policy as an actant is thus investigated. I ask to what extent, and in what sense, policy can be understood as an element of an actor-network, not merely a context. Furthermore, this helps to build a critical discussion around the evolution of the actor-network with policy as its active element and critically assess to what extent this approach might help to understand the destiny of a technological project. The politics of expertise in the case of Wave Hub is shown to play a critical role for the ‘credibility-economy’ of the project. Exploring how the expertise is understood and performed in the case of Wave Hub, I consider the question of the self-representation of experts and how the expert knowledge and the expert status are constituted. Studying the contestation of expertise and its categorisation helps to analyse various forms of collaboration formed around Wave Hub, but also antagonism which was revealed between different groups of experts.