Founded in 1997, the Center for Science, Technology and Society is one of three Centers of Distinction at Santa Clara University. The Center's interdisciplinary approach contributes to building a community of scholars, providing an integrated education, and serving as an intersection point between the university and society. The Center is governed by a faculty Steering Committee and benefits from the guidance of an external Advisory Board.

Santa Clara University has made a bold commitment to offer a high quality education to young women and men who learn to act consciously with courage, faith, and integrity. As a University Center of Distinction, CSTS undertakes three integrative activities: educating students, engaging the public, and exemplifying the realization of social benefit through our flagship Global Social Benefit Incubator Program (GSBI™). In so doing, we forge strong connections across local and global businesses, and civic and academic institutions.

At present we have three major programs designed to recognize, support, and amplify the work of social benefit entrepreneurs from around the world. The Center organizes the judging panels for the annual "Technology Benefiting Humanity" (also known as the Tech Awards) program presented by the Tech Museum. Our Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) program is a year-long capacity building program designed to empower social entrepreneurs to overcome barriers to scale and impact. And the Social Enterprise Innovation Network (SEIN) project is building a collaborative work platform that dynamically recommends resources—people, news, and knowledge—that help social entrepreneurs accelerate attainment of a specific mission, goals, and objectives.

Social benefit businesses are values-driven initiatives (whether not-for-profit, for-profit, or hybrid) that address the urgent needs of underserved populations. Such business efforts are emerging from different corners of the world, each seeking in its own way to change the living conditions of millions around the globe. By applying a range of innovative solutions – from entirely new science to novel ways to organize existing social and managerial systems – social entrepreneurs put to use fresh business ideas to address societal problems. CSTS supports and fosters the activities of social benefit entrepreneurs through a range of activities, including our work on the annual Technology Benefiting Humanity Awards, our flagship GSBI™ program, and our Social Enterprise Innovation Network (SEIN) collaborative electronic platform.

Public Engagement:

A core function of the Center for Science, Technology, and Society is to engage the Santa Clara University campus community and external audiences in meaningful dialogue about those scientific and technological practices and innovations that have significant effects on human and environmental processes worldwide. Addressing a range of fields – from biotechnology to water resources management, and from information policy to social investment analysis – we hold a variety of public events throughout the academic year that create broad visibility and better understanding of emerging issues at the intersection of science, technology, and human benefit. 

Education:

Santa Clara University educates students to assume leadership roles in society and to be prepared for service to humanity. The contemporary world is shaped by science and technology to such a profound extent that our students cannot be effective leaders and citizens of today's world without the ability to understand and engage the scientific and technological dimensions of society. The purpose of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) pedagogy in the University Curriculum is to enable faculty and students to develop this rich understanding. CSTS develops the pedagogical and institutional resources that support the STS aspects of Santa Clara University's new Undergraduate Core Curriculum, its Values in Science and Technology Pathway, its Undergraduate STS minor, and its STS Minor in Engineering