NESTS. REVIVAL.
Friday, April 5, 2024 1PM – Sunday, April 7, 2024 5PM
Hosted by the Department of Science & Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY).
NESTS IS BACK! After an extended hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Northeastern Science and Technology Studies (NESTS) grad-run conference has returned. NESTS will prioritize graduate student works-in-progress, but undergraduate students, scholars, and professionals are highly encouraged to attend. We invite graduate students to submit anything that is of interest to them that lies in or adjacent to (or outside the bounds of) STS and more liberatory futures.
Need the short version? Check out this brief Twitter thread. (Thread last updated: 1/15/2024)
COVID Policy
We continue to take seriously the fact that COVID is not over. As a result, we are requesting that everyone, as they are able, take a rapid-test before arriving at RPI, especially given that NESTS 2024 is bringing people across many states. Furthermore, we are requesting that all attendees be masked unless they are presenting and/or eating, ideally with a high-filtration mask such as an N95 or KN94. If you have extra high-filtration masks that you would be willing to donate to our NESTS group, we'd greatly appreciate it. We unfortunately only have surgical masks to share, and a few number of high-filtration masks. We will be opening all of the windows in SAGE and our graduate lounge in order to facilitate a safer gathering environment.
ABOUT
NESTS IS BACK! After an extended hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Northeastern Science and Technology Studies (NESTS) grad-run conference has returned. NESTS will prioritize graduate student works-in-progress, but undergraduate students, scholars, and professionals are highly encouraged to attend. We invite graduate students to submit anything that is of interest to them that lies in or adjacent to (or outside the bounds of) STS and more liberatory futures.
The 2024 NESTS revival arrives as more people are making the connections between ongoing legacies of occupation, genocide, dispossession, environment degradation, and intensifying capital accumulation. Yet the NESTS revival also arrives at a point where the impulse to “return to normal” is fiercely defended: rises in fascism, militarism, chronic debility, economic precarity, trans-antagonism, ecological extraction, and misinformation. We stress the importance of platforming voices and scholars whose work and existence is at odds with this “normal.”
To that end, we are explicitly prioritizing folks whose work exist outside of the academic hegemony – including, but not limited to, anti-colonial, Black and Afro-Diasporic studies, Indigenous studies, Asian / Asian American studies, scholarship from the Global South, disability justice, feminist theory, Latinx/Chicanx studies, trans and queer theory, and anti-imperialism scholarship. NESTS is a space for graduate students to present their work in an informal and constructive setting, receive feedback, participate in discussion, and meet fellow colleagues. We encourage alternative, unconventional, and creative approaches that go beyond the usual conference presentation (e.g. documentaries, performances, podcasts, recorded audio, zines, and more). Graduate students of all levels are encouraged to attend and present. In the spirit of gathering and maintaining a northeast STS community, we will also be organizing professionalization talks for grads in attendance (e.g. information about job talks, peer-review, networking).
NESTS is a space for graduate students to present their work in an informal and constructive setting, receive feedback, participate in discussion, and meet fellow colleagues. We encourage alternative, unconventional, and creative approaches that go beyond the usual conference presentation (e.g. documentaries, performances, podcasts, recorded audio, zines, and more). Graduate students of all levels are encouraged to attend and present. In the spirit of gathering and maintaining a northeast STS community, we will also be organizing professionalization talks for grads in attendance (e.g. information about job talks, peer-review, networking).
To learn about you conference organizers click here.
Keynote Speaker
We are excited to host professor Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, the artist known as SAMMUS, as our keynote speaker for NESTS 2024.
Not only is she an assistant professor of music at Brown University, but she is a rapper and producer too.
Dr. Lumumba-Kasongo's research includes black feminist sound studies, ludomusicology, and hip hop praxis.
SAMMUS explores the aesthetics of anxiety, esecially what it means to be an anxious black girl.
She's poetically committed to granular introspection as a form of personal & cultural shadow work.
You can find out more about her music at this webpage.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Deadline: Sunday, February 11, 2024
Please submit an abstract (max. 250 words) to http://tinyurl.com/NESTS2024 no later than Sunday, February 11, 2024. Submissions can be individual or with a co-author. If you would like to attend, but not present, please indicate this in the form above. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email the conference organizers.
Download the call for abstracts (PDF)
What counts as STS?
When we—the organizers—say "STS," we cast our net broadly. "Science and Technology Studies" isn't an obvious term. (Try explaining what I do to my parents). Below, we included some traditions and topics from which we understand STS. Again, it's only an illustrative example, not a comprehensive one.
If you think you're STS, you're probably sts. If you think you are not STS, you're still probably STS. As organizers, we'll be prioritizing work that is outside of or marginalized by the academic hegemony because that's what STS means to us.
Important Dates
Last updated: 3/28/2024
Mon. Jan. 15 - Call for Abstracts is published.Mon. Feb. 11 - Deadline to submit abstracts (11:59 PM ET).Late February - Authors notified about abstract acceptance.Wed. Mar 13 - Registration goes live.- Fri. Apr. 5 - First day of NESTS 2024.
- Sun. Apr. 7 - Last day of NESTS 2024.
- Mon. Apr. 8 - You grab some colleagues and start planning NESTS 2025 👀
LOGISTICS
Please see the frequently asked questions below.
How do I register for NESTS? How much is registration?
NESTS is free, but registration is required. Registration opens in February.
What's the lodging situation?
Registration does not include lodging. However, a limited number of accomodations can be arranged with local students.
What's the food situation?
We are providing five meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday; and breakfast and lunch on Sunday) to graduate students in attendance.
Troy is a regime of food apartheid (see "What does 'food apartheid' mean?"), so you'll need to go adjacent municipalities for non-convenience store perishables.
Most of Troy's restaurants, cafes, and bars are located downtown: just west of the campus, around River Street. Student favorites include Alias Coffee, Bard & Baker (board game cafe), Naughters, and—notably—Cafe Euphoria (a transgender and gender non-conforming worker-owned and operated cafe and restaurant). I steer clear of The Whistling Kettle after a manager gaslit me about a rat running around the dining area. I do not fuck with Little Peck's because its owned by slumlord and abuser.
How do I get to Troy, New York?
Located in Rensselaer County, Troy sits on the Hudson River in upstate New York. Troy is located 15 minutes east of Albany, the state capital, by car. Troy is easiest to access by car with limited access by busses, traines, and planes that stop Albany. For more information on bus, train, and air travel, consult the following university guide ("Getting Here"). For driving directions, consult the following university guide ("Directions").
How do I get to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)?
The main campus for RPI is located at 110 8th Street in Troy, NY 12180. NESTS activities may take place throughout the campus, but you can usually find STS folks on the top floor of the Sage Lab building (formally "Russell Sage Labs"). Otherwise, you can access the campus by the local bus agency, the Capital District Transit Authority (CDTA). Several routes serve the campus (e.g., 286, 87, 289) and fares range between $1.50 and $2.50. Buses accept coins and dollars. Bus drivers do not make change.
How do I get around the RPI campus?
Check out the Program page for information about the buildings we'll be in.
How do I get around the RPI campus if I have mobility issues?
Check out the Program page for information accessibility information about the RPI campus, and the SAGE and DCC buildings.
Where do I park?
Campus permit and lot regulations are in effect year-round, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Service, handicapped, public safety, and restricted parking areas are still enforced 24 hours a day. All campus parking lots are permit-only lots. Some lots include several metered parking spots, such as in West Lot and North Lot. Pay at the kiosks ("D" permit).
Additional information about metered parking, bike racks, and electric vehicle charging can be found on
RPI's Parking & Transportation website ("Parking").
Most street parking does not require a RPI permit. However, be mindful of the City's signage for parking restrictions.
It is not uncommon for students to park along Sage Avenue, 15th Street, College Avenue, Peoples Avenue, or 9th Street.
What do I need to present?
The classrooms and conference rooms will have basic audiovisual equipment. But things happen, so it wouldn't hurt to bring a video adapter for your laptop.
What if I have more questions?!
No problem! Email the conference organizers. We will get you situated!
CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS
You don't have to thank us (but it wouldn't hurt if you did)
Johnathan Givan
Co-Organizer
PhD Student
givanj dot rpi dot edu
Maggie Mang
Co-Organizer
PhD Candidate
mangm dot rpi dot edu
Gabriel Medina-Kim
Media & Webmaster
PhD Candidate
meding2 dot rpi dot edu
Graduate students of the Department of Science & Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
