STS Circle at Harvard [image.png] Rachel Rothschild Yale, History of Science
on Modeling Without "Target" Maps: Scientific Cooperation on Atmospheric Pollution in the Cold War Monday, February 10 12:15-2:00 pm Room 100F, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford Street [image.png] Lunch is provided if you RSVP. Please RSVP to sts<mailto:[email protected]>@hks.harvard.edu<mailto:[email protected]> by 5pm Today, Wednesday, February 5. Abstract: In the late 1960s, Scandinavian scientists discovered that rainfall across the southern parts of their countries had been increasing in acidity over several decades, which they feared could lead to serious environmental consequences. Known as “acid rain,” the problem soon became one of the most important environmental issues in the region. During the early 1970s, Norwegian atmospheric scientists determined that foreign power plants were the likely source of the air pollutants that cause acid rain, including those in Eastern Europe. However, with the European continent divided by the Cold War, the prospect of investigating the problem with the Communist bloc initially seemed impossible. This talk will explore how a European-wide cooperative effort to study acid rain eventually came about and the ways in which ongoing Cold War tensions influenced these research efforts, particularly security concerns about releasing data and doubts about engaging in scientific collaboration across the iron curtain. Biography: Rachel Rothschild is a PhD Candidate in the Program in History of Science and Medicine at Yale University. Her dissertation, A Poisonous Sky: Scientific Research and International Diplomacy on Acid Rain in Europe, analyzes how scientific consensus was reached on acid rain, the use of scientific expertise in forming environmental policies, and the role of intergovernmental organizations in securing international agreements on transboundary air pollution. Prior to Yale, Rachel earned a B.A. in History of Science from Princeton University, as well as certificates of study in Environmental Studies and Creative Writing. A complete list of STS Circle at Harvard events can be found on our website: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/sts/events/sts_circle/ Follow us on Facebook: STS@Harvard<http://www.facebook.com/HarvardSTS> _______________________________________________
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