The first time I was introduced to the president of my university, on the periphery of a crowded academic meeting, he naturally asked what field I was in. Without thinking I said "STS" and immediately regretted it. "History" would have been the safer choice. There was no ST department or program at the National University of Singapore (NUS), or anywhere else in my newly adopted country, and few people I'd met there had heard that acronym. "That means science, technology, and society," I quickly added, hoping I wasn't sowing even more confusion. He was an engineer. "Ah. I do STS too!" he exclaimed to my surprise, with eyes lit. "I'm attending the STS conference in Japan." I wasn't aware of any such conference, but before I could clarify, he was being introduced to another assistant professor, and I stood there puzzled. It turned out the Japanese prime minister had begun hosting high-level "STS Forums" in the early 2000s with invitations to the presidents of major companies and, apparently, universities as well. "Science and Technology in Society " was how they were styled, but no matter. Even if hardly anyone else in Singapore had heard the acronym, the president of my universitv had. Just mavbe. I thought. we could build on that.
