Experiments in Environmental Public Health: Scientific, Political, Ethnographic, Digital

In this presentation, I will share the work of The Asthma Files (TAF), a collaborative ethnographic research project designed to advance understanding and efforts to address environmental public health challenges around the world. The Asthma Files runs on a open-source digital platform designed especially for the project. Methodologically, the project models and advances understanding of the work processes and digital infrastructure needed to support collaborative research in the social studies of science. The digital platform build for the Asthma Files has now evolved into the Platform for Experimental and Collaborative Ethnography, available for use by diverse research groups.

Kim Fortun is Professor for Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.