In an age of shrinking research and development (RandD) budgets, sustaining big science and technology (SandT) projects is inevitably questioned by publics and policy makers. The fusion enterprise is an exemplar. The effort to develop a viable system to produce unlimited and environmentally benign electricity from fusion of hydrogen isotopes has been a goal for six decades and consumed vast financial and intellectual resources in North America, Europe, and Asia. In terms of prolonged duration and sustained resource investment, the endeavor has developed into a huge fusion enterprise. Yet, no practical system for the generation of electricity has yet been demonstrated. This is the paradox at the heart of the fusion enterprise. Why, despite unfulfilled visions and broken promises, has the grand fusion enterprise endured? How can such a long-term enterprise persist in a funding culture that largely works in short-term cycles? Adapting Sheila Jasanoff's thesis of "sociotechnical imaginaries", I examine the relationship of shared and contrasting visions, co-produced expressions of nature and society, and distinctpolitical cultures in the quest for viable fusion. A systematic cultural and technological comparison of three fusion ventures, the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), and Wendelstein-7X, exposes how these projects and the institutions they inhabit frame the goals, risks, and benefits of the fusion enterprise and sustain a common set of fusion imaginaries. Positioned within the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in the United States, the international ITER Organization sited in France, and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Germany, the three projects are prime examples of big science and technology. Rigorous research and analysis of these cases advance the thesis of the unfulfilled utopian vision of fusion energy that has endured for more than sixty years. / Doctor of Philosophy / In an age of shrinking research and development budgets, sustaining big science and technology projects is inevitably questioned by publics and policy makers. The fusion enterprise is an exemplar. The effort to develop a viable system to produce unlimited and environmentally benign electricity from fusion of hydrogen isotopes has been a goal for six decades and consumed vast financial and intellectual resources in North America, Europe, and Asia. In terms of prolonged duration and sustained resource investment, the endeavor has developed into a huge fusion enterprise. Yet, no practical system for the generation of electricity has yet been demonstrated. This is the paradox at the heart of the fusion enterprise. Beyond articulating a possible path forward for the fusion enterprise, the intent of this study is to inform decision makers who will shape energy strategy for the second half of the twenty-first century.

Using a Systems Theory approach allows a person to analyze the intertwined elements of the drug development system and the potential influences of the environment. Thomas Hughes's Large Technological Systems (LTS) Theory is one that could be used for this purpose; however, it falls short in its ability to address the complexity of current day regulatory environments. This dissertation provides a critical analysis of Hughes's LTS Theory and his phases of evolution as they apply to the United States (U.S.) system for biologic drug research, development and labeling. It identifies and explains potential flaws with Hughes's LTS Theory and provides suggested improvements. As an alternative approach, this dissertation explores the concept of "techno-regulatory system" where government regulators play an integral part in system innovations and explains why such systems do not always follow Hughes's model. Finally, this dissertation proposes a hybrid version of Hughes's systems approach and uses it to explain the changes that occurred in the drug approval system in response to the push for, opposition, and inclusion of, pediatric research in drug development during the period 1950-2003. / Ph. D.

Den här studien utgår ifrån två svenska koppargruvor varav den ena, Aitik i Gällivare, är idrift och den andra, Falu gruva, stängde 1992. Studiens syfte är att undersöka förutsättningarna för att använda Falu gruva som modell för den framtida avvecklingen av Aitik, med särskilt avseende på efterbehandling, kulturarvsprocesser och återanvändning. Inom ramen för kulturarvsprocesser och återanvändning beaktas särskilt lärande.Metodansatsen är kvalitativ och den teoretiska utgångspunkten är att en gruva kan ses som ett stort sociotekniskt system bestående av artefakter och sociala komponenter. Genom intervjuer med representanter från Falu gruvas ägare och Aitiks ägare samt från Gällivare kommun genererades data. Data från intervjuerna samt från en mindre dokumentstudieut gjorde studiens resultat. Detta analyserades tematiskt och diskuterades utifrån uppsatsens teoriavsnitt. Resultatet visar att Aitik kan utvecklas vid en framtida avveckling och att Falu gruva i vissa avseenden kan användas som modell för denna process. Bland annat kan Falu gruva användas som modell för Aitik avseende utbildning som en del av återanvändning, där Aitikkan lära av Falu gruva genom att inte göra samma misstag som gjorts där. Resultatet visar emellertid också att samhällena Gällivare och Falun skiljer sig mycket åt, både vad gäller samhällsidentitet och samhällets relation till gruvan. Slutsatsen av den här studien är att aspekter såsom att betrakta artefakter som en resurs; gruvans roll i samhället; samt vem som definierar kulturarv är centrala för att kunna använda Falu gruva som modell för Aitikmed hänsyn till lärande. / This study is about two Swedish copper mines, Aitik in Gällivare which is still in use and theFalun mine, which closed in 1992. The aim of this study is to explore the prerequisites for using the Falun mine as a model for the future closure of the Aitik mine, with regards specifically to mine reclamation, heritagisation and reuse. In particular, the aspect of learning within the heritagisation and reuse framework is discussed. A qualitative research method has been used and the theoretical starting point is that a mine can be seen as a large technological system consisting of artifacts and social components. Data has been collected through interviews with representatives from the Falun mine owners, the Aitik mine owners and from the local government of Gällivare. This data, along with data from a limited document study, made up the results of this study. The results were then analyzed thematically and discussed against the theoretical frameworks used in this study. The results show that Aitik can be developed post-closure and that the Falun mine can, ins ome regards, be used as a model for this development process. Among other aspects, theFalun mine can be used as a model for Aitik for education as a part of reusing the mine, where Aitik can learn from the Falun mine by not making the same mistakes that were made there. However, the results show that the Gällivare and Falun societies are different in terms of identity and in their relations towards the mines. The conclusion of this study is that aspects such as regarding artifacts as resources; the mine’s role in society; and who determines what a cultural heritage is, are all important in order to use the Falun mine as a model for Aitik from an educational perspective.