Dear RC23 members,

As President of RC23, I welcome you to the Summer Issue of the RC23 Newsletter!

Last year, 2016, was a jubilee year for RC23, marking the semicentennial (50 years) of its existence. This issue begins with a brief history of the founding and legacy of RC23 and its contribution to the sociology of science and technology. There are lots of interesting facts and well-known figures associated with this legacy. For those of you who have worked in the area for decades, it is an interesting trip down memory lane. For those of you who are new to the sociology of science and technology, your appreciation will be strengthened through an awareness of the way that RC23 has contributed to the development of the field.

A second article, written by board member Juha Tuunainen, surveys STS in Finland. We are very grateful him for this initiative, which provides a nice complement to the first article. In contrast to the traditional role of RC23 ISA in facilitating the international development of STS, it is important to recognize the distinctive flavors that the discipline takes on in specific countries. Juha’s article provides an excellent introduction into the nature of STS in Finland.

This issue also provides detailed reports from the session organizers of the Third ISA Forum of Sociology (Vienna, Austria, 2016). As you can tell, RC23’s sessions were very successful, with diverse presentations covering a wide range of sociological perspectives and inspiring a great deal of productive discussion.

Looking forward to the future, the Interim RC23 Workshop “Using Science Policy to Facilitate Innovation, Excellence and Global Cooperation” will take place in one month in St. Petersburg (September 18-19). The preliminary program is ready and has been posted on the RC23 web-page. Thanks to all participants for the interesting abstracts!

We also look forward to having a strong presence at the XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology to be held July 15-21, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. As outlined in the Call for Abstracts, the deadline for submission is September 30, 2017. We encourage all who have not yet submitted an abstract to do so. It promises to be an exciting conference. In specific, the first “Robert Merton Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Sociology of Science and Technology” will be presented. You don’t want to miss this!

Best regards,
Nadia Asheulova