This book explores the enormous diversity in social perspectives on the emergence of nanoscale sciences and technologies. It points to four nodes of interest where nano meets macro: in the making, in the public eye, in the big questions, and in the tough decisions. Each node draws attention to important lines of research and pertinent issues. The book is designed for interdisciplinary teaching, but the richness of issues and perspectives makes it of interest to all researchers, practitioners, and non-academics wanting an introduction to social perspectives on nanoscale sciences and technologies.

Fern Wickson is a cross-disciplinary scholar with research interests and publications in environmental philosophy and decision making, the politics of risk and uncertainty, the governance of emerging technologies, and the theory and practice of cross-disciplinary research. She completed a cross-disciplinary PhD (2002-2006) with the Schools of Biological Sciences and Science, Technology and Society at the University of Wollongong in Australia, with a dissertation titled From Risk to Uncertainty: Australia’s Environmental Regulation of Genetically Modified Crops. Prior to this, Fern undertook a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science double degree at the Australian National University and attained a first-class honors degree in environmental politics from the University of Tasmania. Fern has lectured on diverse topics across the disciplines of history, politics, philosophy, science and technology studies, biology, and engineering. In her spare time she loves hanging out with her dogs, hiking, and contemplating her ecological self. She is constantly amazed by the beauty of the universe and the marvelous diversity of life on earth.

Kamilla Lein Kjølberg has a broad research interest in responsible environmental governance. She holds a master’s degree in natural resource management from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, with a double specialization in tropical ecology and ecological economics. Her master’s thesis was called When Experts Disagree and dealt with scientific expertise and policy advice in the case of deliberate release of genetically modified crop. From 2005 to 2006 she worked for the GenØk Centre for Biosafety and, among other tasks, researched the identification and classification of uncertainties related to DNA vaccination of fish. In the same period she was editor of Gennytt, an electronic newsletter about agricultural biotechnology. Kamilla is now working for the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen, with a PhD project about nanotechnology and responsibility.