Students Present Research at Doctoral Meeting in Cambridge

Assistant Research Professor Sean Gorman and three doctoral students, Dave Diamond, Lindsey Poulin and Bonnie Stabile, presented their research at the third annual Technology Policy and Management (TPM) Doctoral Consortium Meeting that took place in Cambridge in June. Gorman, who recently received his doctorate from Mason’s School of Public Policy (SPP), was among four participants cited for having the strongest presentations during the two-day event.

From Left to Right : David Diamond, Sean Gorman, Bonnie Stabile and Lindsey Poulin presented their research in Cambridge.

“Our students really distinguished themselves by their professionalism and by their sensitivity to the linkages between technology issues and policy issues,” said Philip Auerswald, who is director of the Center for Science and Technology Policy. The students presented on subjects that ranged from national policies on human cloning to the digital divide in Africa to civilian and military policies on fuel cell development in the United States. The title of Gorman’s presentation was “Is Microsoft a Threat to National Security? The Effect of Technology Monocultures on Critical Infrastructure.”

Auerswald was impressed that first-year students Poulin, Stabile and Diamond stood out among a group of participants who were more advanced in their studies. “GMU as well as the Cambridge, U.K., program distinguished themselves by emphasizing the policy dimension of critical technology issues,” Auerswald said, noting that other schools focused on engineering or on the business strategies of policy and management.

The consortium brings together postgraduate technology, management and policy students from a growing number of institutions around the world for an annual two-day event where they present and debate findings of their research. Delegates came from universities in England, the United States and China. Representatives from the independent policy think tank RAND Europe and the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology also attended.

“It was a great chance to go to Cambridge and meet with a small group focused on technology policy,” Gorman said.

Poulin added, “The conference was an incredible experience because of the openness of the international academic community and the willingness of both students and faculty to share knowledge and resources from their various backgrounds.”

GMU hosted last year’s meeting. Next year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will host it.