The Role of Publics in Policy Governing Applications of Cutting-Edge Science

In many cases, scientific applications emerge in a space that is already characterized by controversy, competing social values, and vested interests. In such cases, policy frameworks pertain not only to the science, but to a larger social domain. Science policy, in these instances, cannot proceed without structural mechanisms to consider broader public values and interests. These arguments are illustrated using the cases of microbial genomics, salmon genomics, and human tissue biobanking.