Since September 1997, when John F. Kain, The Cecil and Ida Green Chair for the Study of Science and Society, became Director of the Green Center, the Center has sponsored or co-sponsored two national conferences and several lectures and seminars. In addition, the Green Center Conference room is extensively used for seminars and lectures sponsored by other academic units of the university. The Center's principal research activity is the Texas Schools Project, which we hope is the first of several faculty research projects dealing with the impacts of science and technology on society. Dr. Kain initiated the UTD Texas Schools Project nearly eight years ago, when he taught at Harvard. Prior to accepting a permanent appointment at UTD in September 1997, Professor Kain was the Henry Lee Professor of Economics and Professor of Afro-American Studies at Harvard, where the Texas Schools Project was previously housed.
Negotiations are currently underway to publish the conference papers.
With the start of the 1998-99 academic year, the Center has abandoned its focus on a single problem in each year. Instead, the Director has been working with several UTD faculty members to develop programs on telecommunications, the impacts of minority suburbanization, ethical issues in research, technology policy and management and biological and chemical weapons. It is expected that the faculty members developing these programs will organize seminars, conferences and lectures that will be hosted by the Green Center frequently in collaboration with other organizations at UTD and elsewhere. The Green Center also sponsors a public lecture series. These lectures are normally held at the UTD Conference Center and are free and open to the public.