Cover

“I made the photo myself”, says Dr Alireza Parandian whose hobby is photography. He looked for a way to depict the discussions he had been setting up for the constructive technology assessment (CTA) of nanotechnology for the Dutch R&D consortium NanoNed in the framework of his PhD-research at TPM. While nanotechnology is still developing, stakeholders are already brought together to discuss technological development and societal impact in so-called bridging events. In his PhD thesis Parandian claims that it is important that such meetings function as a microcosm, which should accurately reflect the macrocosm, or the real world where various actors interact. It is the relationship between the microcosm and the real world that inspired him for the photo on the cover. The wire puppet with the lamp head represents the meetings of the microcosm. In its reflection however, at the bottom of the picture, one recognises the globe. “Just like the microcosm should reflect the macrocosm”, says Parandian. At the back cover, he flipped the image 180 degrees, making the globe head figure more prominent. 

Alireza Parandian, ‘Constructive TA of Newly Emerging Technologies’, PhD. thesis supervisors Prof. Theo Toonen (TPM) and Prof. A. Rip (UT), 12 March 2012.