Summary: This project uses qualitative and visual data to assess and communicate the complications of multi-stakeholder risk perception, monitoring, and evaluation of the British Petroleum (BP) oil spill. Assessing the risk of an oil spill, or a disaster more generally, is a challenge complicated by the situated nature of knowledge-generation that results in differential perceptions and responses. Therefore, this research seeks to assess how a diversity of social actors assess, measure and perceive risks of the spill. This project will provide critical insight into the gaps and conflicts between diverse perspectives on risk by focusing on the technological, scientific, social and experiential aspects of these processes. In so doing, it will make a direct connection between disaster research and STS by examining the role of citizen science in disaster response. Connecting these literatures promises to reveal new insights about the social dimensions of technological innovations in disasters.
Project Dates: Sept 2010 – Aug 2011
Lead Agency: University of Pennsylvania
Contact: Sabrina McCormick
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