David Wade Chambers is a researcher in Science and Technology Studies and History and Philosophy of Science. His research focuses on Indigenous knowledge systems, scientific practices in colonial contexts, and broader issues of gender and race in science.
Chambers completed his PhD in Harvard University's History and Philosophy of Science Department in 1969. In 1977 he took on the role of Associate Professor at Deakin University in Australia, where he worked closely with Helen Verran and David Turnbull to establish an STS tradition in teaching and research. Chambers also took up professional appointments at Concordia and McGill Universities in Montreal, Canada.
David Wade Chambers has prepared a 'Q&A' document on his time at Deakin University in Australia, his research background, and his teaching practices, specifically for the STS Across Borders Exhibit.
At Deakin University, Chambers worked with Helen Verran on the book 'Singing the Land, Signing the Land'. Chambers was also committed to the development of STS pedagogy, which is illustrated in academic papers he co-authored with David Turnbull such as 'Science Worlds: An Integrated Approach to Social Studies of Science Teaching' and 'Seeing a World in a Grain of Sand: Science Teaching in a Multicultural Context'. Examples of Chambers' teaching materials can be found in the 'Deakin University STS Teaching Materials' bundle, which also includes examples from Helen Verran and David Turnbull.
The establishment of a Deakin University STS research and teaching tradition in the 1980s and 1990s is documented in Helen Verran's essay 'Doing Difference Differently: Deakin STS in the late 1980s'; Warwick Anderson's essay 'A Deakinite Knowledge Regime for STS?'; and David Turnbull's essay 'Finding My Way Through Messy Contingencies: autoethnographic reflections on working in Social Studies of Science at Deakin University'. These essays have been produced by the authors specifcially for the STS Across Borders Archive.
This paper was published by David Wade Chambers and describes a comparison between two STS curricula: the Imagining Nature Project at Deakin University in Geelong, Victoria and the Native Eyes Project at the Institute of American Indian Art at Sante Fe, New Mexico.Read more
This Q&A with David Wade Chambers was produced by Chambers specifically for the STS Across Borders Exhibit. David Wade Chambers was a key figure in the establishment of an STS Unit at Deakin University, Australia, in the 1980s and 1990s. In this document, Wade responds to several questions...Read more