Inventions & Innovations
Unit #8
Mrs. Mattson
Carl Ben Eielson Middle School
ETP 2006—Tanya Mattson
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No.
0402616. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are
those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Unit #8
Impacts of Invention & Innovation
Information for this presentation was taken
from the CATTS curriculum Unit #8 and
Valley City State University Unit #8
readings, unless otherwise noted.
Technology can have positive and
negative impacts on individuals,
society and the environment.
Humans have the capability and
responsibility to constrain or promote
technological development.
Technology, by itself, is neither
good or bad, but decisions about
the use of products or systems
can result in desirable or
undesirable consequences.
Technological Literacy
 Is not only what students should know and be
able to do, but what all citizens in a
technology driven society need to know and
be able to do.
 Basic technological literacy is necessary to
make informed decisions about technology
and its impacts.
 Technological literacy is the ability to use,
manage, assess, and understand technology.
Technological Literacy has been defined many
ways, but all of them include similar
characteristics:
 Abilities to make decisions about technology
 Possession of basic literacy skills required to
solve technology problems
 Ability to make wise decisions about uses of
technology
 Ability to apply knowledge, tools, and skills for
the benefit of society
 Ability to describe the basic technology systems
of society.
Impacts of Technology
 The impact of technology is viewed as the
solutions to problems and the new
problems created by the solutions
 Optimization is the process of seeking or
developing the best solution to a problem
 The best solution for a problem is not likely
to be found the first time. This makes it
possible for future developments to
improve or optimize the product.
 Every new technological advance or
solution has some hidden and known
negative effects.
 These negative effects or compromises
are called: TRADE-OFFS.
 Negative aspects of a product could affect
people and the environment in ways that
are sometimes more harmful than the
solution.
 When new technology is developed,
decisions are made regarding the amount
of risk that is acceptable in attaining a
solution.
 Many of these risks were not considered
as carefully as they should have been and
we are now just starting to see their
effects.
Technological Change
 The evolution of technology has been a
series of progressive improvements to
products to fulfill a need or provide a
convenience.
 In the beginning of our technological
evolution, more emphasis was placed on
development of a solution and less on the
implications it may have on society or the
environment.
 Early technological development, because
of a smaller knowledge base and lack of
communication, was very slow and
sometimes took hundreds of years.
 As we progressed through time and
developed more ideas and solutions, it
became easier and faster.
 Increased knowledge, communication and
writing, and the ability to improve current
products played an important role in the
change process.
 Ex: Computers, televisions, phones, etc.
Implications
 The choices we make can have long
lasting positive or negative effects to our
future.
 Even if we make good choices, the results
of those choices will affect individuals,
society, environment, and future
technology.
Ex: Internal Combustion Engine
 It was one of the greatest inventions in
history.
 The use in the automobile created a
change in work and leisure activities.
 It influenced the economy, changed the
way we built cities, and shortened travel
time.
 Unfortunately, it also had a drastic impact
on our environment.




Pollution
Accidents
Erosion
Reduction in agricultural and forested land
have had dramatic impact on our
environment.
 As a result of increased paved areas and
pollutants in the air, the average global
temperature is rising in what scientists call
“Global Warming.”
How does the Internal Combustion
Engine Work?
http://www.howstuffworks.com
Societal Problems
 In recent years, advanced technology
solutions have often reduced the need for
human workers in various professions.
 Ex: Robots have replaced human workers in
the manufacturing industry. They do not get
tired, injured or need breaks, and can perform
jobs that are hazardous to people.
Environmental Problems:
 Most of the current environmental
problems are a result of technology
created over the past 30 to 40 years.
 This is due mainly to the development of
materials used in products that are not
biodegradable or recyclable.
 If they are not recycled, disposal is still
necessary and creates landfill and run off
problems.
Environmental Problems Cont.
 Materials used to grow food and other
agricultural products can also have
damaging effects on the environment.
 Ex: Fertilizers
 When technology is developed to help
improve life, it often can disrupt the
balance of nature and cause irreversible
damage.
 Environmental problems are not only
about waste products, but deal with raw
materials and resources.
 Conservation of materials in many
circumstances is not a priority when
developing new technology.
 Ex: Trees, fossil fuels, and different types of
minerals.
Technology Assessment
 Technology Assessment: “think before you
act!” (Kranzberg, 1979)
 When taken to the next level, it’s not only
“think before you act”.
 Any technology has obvious sought after
effects called “first order effects.”
 However, there are unintended effects as
well called second and third order effects.
Dimensions of Consequences
Planned
Desired
Unintended
Technological
Decision
Intended
Undesired
Unplanned
 The automobile is fast, cheap
transportation for the driver and provides
profits for the manufacturer.
 These are the first order effects that are
obvious to most consumers.
 However, there are second and third order
effects.
 Decline of the railroads, urban decline, the
interstate highway system, the decline in
environmental quality, etc.
 The moving assembly line: drew women into
the workforce
The difficulty of forecasting technological
developments and the resulting side
effects is one reason that criticism is ever
present.
History of Technology Assessment
 Technology assessment dates back to the
creation of the Regulatory Agency in the
1850’s which was created after more than
2,500 deaths related to the shipping
industry.
 Regulation spread to other areas as well,
but in the early 20th century focus was
shifted to technology.
National Environmental Policy Act
of 1972
 This act required environmental impact
statements for all federal actions significantly
affecting the environment.
 The Technology Assessment Act of 1972 was
enacted by Congress to establish an Office of
Technology Assessment (OTA) as an aid in the
identification and consideration of existing and
probable impacts of technological application; to
amend the National Science Foundation Act of
1950; and for other purposes.
The basic function of the OTA was
to:
1. Identify existing or probable impacts of
technology or technological problems
2. Where possible, ascertain cause-andeffect relationships
3. Identify alternative technological
methods of implementing specific
programs
4. Identify alternative programs for
achieving requisite goals
5. Make estimates and comparisons of the
impacts of alternative methods and
programs
6. Present findings of completed analyses
to the appropriate legislative authorities
7. Identify areas where additional research
or data collection is required to provide
adequate support for the assessments
and estimates.
8. Undertake such additional associated
activities as specified by the appropriate
authorities.
Office of Technology Assessment
(OTA)
 Topics studied by OTA have ranged widely
from nuclear proliferation to pollution
control, industrial competitiveness,
computer security and privacy, and
medical technology.
 The OTA was extremely successful and
widely acclaimed.
 The OTA published over 100,000 pages of
the best available analysis of policy
issues.
 For 23 years the Office of Technology
Assessment (OTA) provided Congress
and other committees with an objective
analysis of various technological and
scientific issues that faced America.
 The Congressional Office of Technology
Assessment closed on September 29,
1995. It was small and fell victim to
political downsizing in the 90’s in an
attempt to streamline the budget.
The complete collection of publications by
the office as well as other materials about
its history are available online at:
http://www.wws.princeton.edu/~ota/ns20/legacy_n.html
Biotechnology and Assessment
 When dealing with living things, a whole
host of ethical issues arise, that may not
have surfaced with other forms of
technological development.
 Generally, morals, values, and religious
beliefs surface when determining the
positive and negative aspects of bio
related technology.
The large-scale introduction of biomedical and
other technologies in the second half of the 20th
century has raised new ethical issues such as:





The definition of death
Withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatment
Prenatal diagnosis and abortion
Storage of frozen human embryos
The use of humans, animals, or fetal tissue for
scientific research
 The screening of persons for the AIDS virus or other
infections
 The disposition of toxic wastes
 The expansion of genetic engineering
 The awareness of bioethics and other moral
issues has caused us to pay more attention to
practical problems of biological research and
deal with the moral and social concerns of
human behavior.
 Modern Biotechnology is a collection of
technologies that are all targeted for a specific
purpose.
 These “biotechnologies” all have a common
factor, which is the use of cells and biological
molecules.
 Biotechnology is a very large and growing area
of study.
Some common areas of research in Biotechnology
include:






Monoclonal Antibody Technology
Cell Culture Technology
Biosensor Technologies
Genetic Modification Technology
Antisense Technology
Protein Engineering Technology
These are only a fraction of the Biotechnology
career areas that are currently being studied.
Monoclonal Antibody Technology
 Uses a type of immune system cell that
makes proteins called antibodies. These
antibodies are used to:




Distinguish cancer cells from normal cells
Locate environmental pollutants
Detect harmful microorganisms in food
Diagnose infectious diseases in humans,
animals and plants quicker and more
accurately than ever before.
Cell Culture Technology
 Includes plant cells, mammalian cells and
insect cells to produce bio-related
insecticides, medical procedures, and
pharmaceuticals.
Biosensor Technologies
They are detection devices that rely on the
specificity of cells and molecules to
identify and measure substances at
extremely low concentrations.
 Biosensors can:
 Measure the nutritional value, freshness and
safety of food.
 Provide emergency room physicians with
bedside measure of vital blood components.
 Locate and measure environmental
pollutants.
 Measure blood glucose levels more rapidly
and precisely than existing methods.
Genetic Modification Technology
 Often referred to as recombinant DNA
technology.
 Humans make recombinant DNA, both in
nature, and by combining genetic material
from 2 different sources.
 Genetic Modification is used to:










Produce new and safer vaccines
Treat some genetic diseases
Provide new and better medicines
Enhance bio-control agents in agriculture
Increase crop yields and decrease production costs
Decrease allergy-producing characteristics of some
foods
Improve food nutritional value
Increase livestock productivity
Develop biodegradable plastics
Decrease water and air pollution
Antisense Technology
 Decreases the production of specific proteins by
using small nucleic acids to block the genes the
responsible for making these proteins.
 Currently, researchers are investigating how to
use this technology to:




Slow food spoilage
Control viral diseases
Inhibit inflammation
Treat diseases such as asthma, cancers, and a kind
of anemia called thalassemia
Protein Engineering Technology
 Will often be used in conjunction with
genetic modification to improve existing
proteins, usually enzymes, and to create
proteins not found in nature.
Read students the summary sheet
associated with this unit
Standards Covered:
4: Students will develop an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and
political effects of technology.
 4.D: The use of technology affects humans in various ways, including their
safety, comfort, choices, and attitudes about technology’s development and
use.
 4.E: Technology, by itself, is neither good nor bad, but decisions about the
use of products and systems can result in desirable or undesirable
consequences.
 4.F: The development and use of technology poses ethical issues.
 4.G: Economic, political, and cultural issues are influenced by the
development and use of technology.
5: Students will develop an understanding of the effects of technology on the
environment.
 5.D: The management of waste produced by technological systems is an
important societal issue.
 5.F: Decisions to develop and use technologies often put environmental and
economic concerns in direct competition with one another.
15: Students will develop an understanding of an be able to select and use
agricultural and related biotechnologies.
 15.H: Biotechnology applies the principles of biology to create commercial
products or processes.