Jose A. Cañada is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences. He has a PhD from the University of Helsinki (2018). He has been especially interested in the production of knowledge and material practices associated to sociotechnical controversies, working on topics such as pandemic preparedness and response, biobanking and the development of water infrastructures. He is currently working in the project Social study of antimicrobial resistance: health care, animals, and ethics (SoSAMiRe), where he studies issues related to AMR global policy-making, knowledge production, and national implementation.|Jaakko Taipale is a doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences. His current research examines expert disputes in legal courts, with focus on meta-expertise, advanced MRI technology, standardization and methodological approaches to explaining agency. His future research interests concern the rationale and practice of insurance and related fields in medicine and law.
From left to right, Mianna Meskus, Karoliina Snell, Oili-Helena Ylijoki, and Andreas Birkbak. Picture by Aaro Tupasela.|The Nordic STS conference was held in Tampere, Finland on June 12 to 14 2019. The event made evident the broad presence of STS research in the Nordic Countries. A conference the size of Nordic STS helps to performatively institutionalize STS. However, the level of such institutionalization differs across participating countries. The special panel The Local institutionalization of STS – Challenges, advantages and possibilities addressed this topic. From the discussion, we draw the conclusion that it is crucial for STS to continue to develop in rhizomatic ways in addition to seeking recognition inside traditional disciplinary academic environments, ensuring the resources that such a status guarantees.
