Looking forward to the 4S conference in Toronto

At the 50th Anniversary for the Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S), Toronto, October 7-10, 2026, Scott Frickel (Brown University), Silke Beck (Technical University of Munich) and David Demortain (University of Paris - Gustave Eiffel) have put together an exciting panel entitled, “Computational Science and Technology Studies?”

The panel seeks to explore questions/dilemmas associated with the emergence of computational methods–broadly, the harnessing of computer techniques, tools and pipelines to interactively extract and analyze digital datasets – that represent an increasingly transformative technoscientific force in society, one that portends major shifts in the organization and distribution of technoscientific power. To date, STS seems unsure what to do about it. Where some see algorithms and “big data” as ontological threats that reduce complex social worlds to ones and zeros, others see epistemic opportunity in mysterious cultures and research objects to investigate. Where some have questioned computational methods as an imperialist (and racist) project, others champion specific approaches or techniques. Still others signal a cautious curiosity about whether computational methods might hold a legitimate place within STS, a way to broaden the field’s predominantly analog analytic toolkit by reflexively and systematically analyzing the voluminous textual worlds of technoscience refracted through regulatory reports, transcriptions of parliamentary debates, expert testimony, social media, and more. We propose a traditional open panel to provide a forum for discussing and debating the challenges and potential advantages of computational methods as these technologies relate to the study of science, technology, innovation, and society. As artificial intelligence and related technologies rapidly reshape societal norms, values, and institutions, how is STS responding? How should it respond? What would the reflexive integration of computational approaches into more standardized STS theory-methods packages look like? Conversely, how might STS inform critical thinking in the broader society and shape public policy to minimize threats these technologies may pose?

Exploring similar dilemmas raised as a research proposal pitch, at this panel Uni Luxembourg researchers Carr (DGE=) along with State/Wang/Yue (SnT) will take the side of 'cautious curiosity' as it lays at the heart of how social scientists and computer scientists can work/research together and boost one another's work towards solving real-world, urgent, problems.  In this case, we explore gaming as a means of modeling. The title and abstract are as follows.

Digital twinning and learning about AI infrastructural development: What can Minecraft tell us about data centers? 

Abstract

Data centers are a real-world problem springing up in/around cities, demanding resources, and posing as both threats and answers to digital security. Meanwhile, scholars are exposing related societal risks for land use, electrical grids, waterways, property values, and local politics (Carr/Madron 2025). To deliver a critical reflection on these issues, we experiment with digital twins generated in Minecraft. The urban twin is constructed using spatial data obtained from Google Earth Engine and related open geographic data sources, enabling the reconstruction of a prototype small Luxembourgish municipality, along with its infrastructure networks, buildings and land use. At the same time, LLM-driven agents representing urban residents are unleashed inside the digital twin, which then simulate interactions with the changing environment and with each other. Cautiously, we contend that the simulation has several applications and implications for the literature: 1) following scholars of urban gaming, it can act as an educational tool towards digital literacy and urban development; 2) following scholars of digital twinning (van der Laag et al. 2026), renderings help unpack the sociopolitical implications of data centre development, including cross-jurisdictional asymmetries; 3) LLMs and Minecraft can offer a new generation of modeling, contributing to debates about new modes in mapping (Kitchin/Dawkins 2024).

References

Carr/Madron 2025. Post-political clouds: Suspended failure in Google’s data centre development. Urban Stud, 62(13), 2600-2616.

Kitchin/Dawkins 2025. Digital twins and deep maps. Trans. Inst. Br. Geogr. 50e12699. 

Van der Laag et al. 2026. Digital twins for cities–The rise of the socio-technical system. Environ Plan B: Urban

Kicking off DGEO's Research Domains

In September 2026 DGEO will inaugurate the new transversal Research Domains, that aim to make research at DGEOs more visible and encourage collaboration across teams. Researchers are welcome to contribute to more than one domain.

The domain of Migration and Borders will bring together expertise from migration, morder, and development studies to explore how mobility and borders shape societies, focussing particularly on young (vulnerable) migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as people who move for work, education, or family reasons. The domain of Communities and Neighbourhoods research domain examines the interaction between cultural, social, environmental, and economic dynamics within places. We explore how spatial scale, identity, and belonging shape everyday experiences of place, while also considering how processes of inclusion, exclusion, and integration influence participation in societal change.

Carr and Florian Hertweck will coordinate the domain of Land and Housing that addresses some of the most visible urban challenges of today: cities sprawling, growing and extending, into surrounding natural areas at the cost of wildlife and accessibility; buildings, infrastructure and transport consuming large amounts of energy; global investment flows increasingly deciding what gets built; and soaring rents and growing inequality all expose the urgency of prioritizing how land and cities can be sustainably organized.

In this research area, geographers, spatial and urban planners, and architects use quantitative and qualitative approaches to explore how our urban territories are "inhabited" in the broadest sense. Cities are complex systems, made by the daily decisions of residents, public authorities, developers, or businesses. Understanding how these choices add up into patterns of urban growth, socio-spatial segregation, or unequal access to opportunities, to each other, and to a healthy environment is central to our work.

Beyond the question of the current state of the production of space—that is how cities and neighbourhoods are physically and socially shaped over time—we also investigate which political processes and design strategies are needed to successfully approach climate change and the socio-ecological transition. This means asking how urban regions can be transformed in ways that reduce both social inequalities and environmental impacts, and how cities can evolve and work better for people and for the planet.

Applied and fundamental research spans questions of land ownership, housing, resource sufficiency, climate resilience, spatial justice, digital urbanization, and the repair society. Ultimately, our research concerns the work of planners, policymakers, and citizens and social groups alike. It seeks to give everyone tools to understand how cities change and engage with the sociopolitical and environmental challenges facing our cities.