The key dates in run-up to the conference are
Call for cases 25. July–22. October 2025Call for case participation 12. November–22. December 2025Call for papers (not case-based) 12. November–22. December 2025- Registration 15. January–15. February 2026
- The conference 25.–27. March 2026 at Ruhr University Bochum
Conference programme
🚧 We are working on the programme, but the overview looks like this.
Overview
| Wednesday 25. | Thursday 26. | Friday 27. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Case work | Case and student presentations | |
| 09:30 | ↓ | ↓ | |
| 10:00 | ↓ | ⤓ | |
| 10:30 | ↓ | Paper session 1 | |
| 11:00 | ↓ | ↓ | |
| 11:30 | ↓ | ⤓ | |
| 12:00 | ↓ | Lunch events | |
| 12:30 | Welcome | ↓ | ⤓ |
| 13:00 | Opening keynote | ↓ | Paper session 2 |
| 13:30 | ⤓ | ↓ | ↓ |
| 14:00 | Introduction to Ruhr Valley | ↓ | ⤓ |
| 14:30 | break | ↓ | break |
| 15:00 | Opening panel | ↓ | Closing keynote |
| 15:30 | ↓ | ↓ | ⤓ |
| 16:00 | ↓ | ↓ | Closing remarks |
| 16:30 | ⤓ | ⤓ | ⤓ |
| 17:00 | break | Museum visit; screening | |
| 17:30 | stsing e.V. GA | ↓ | |
| 18:00 | ↓ | ↓ | |
| 19:00 | ⤓ | ↓ | |
| 19:30 | Reception | ⤓ | |
| 20:00 | ⤓ | Social event |
Wednesday 25. March
| when | what |
|---|---|
| 12:30 | Welcome |
| 13:00 | Opening keynote by Anne Pasek from Trent University |
| 14:00 | Introduction to Ruhr Valley by Uli Paetzel from Emscher Cooperative Lippe |
| 14:30 | break |
| 15:00 | Panel Planetary Entanglements of Science and Technology with Phoebe Sengers from Cornell University, and Sandra Maß and Tina Asmussen from Ruhr University Bochum |
| 17:00 | break |
| 17:30 | stsing e.V. General Assembly |
| 19:30 | Reception |
The opening keynote of Before Ruins will be given by Anne Pasek from Trent University. Following the address, Uli Paetzel, the director of the Emscher Cooperative Lippe will present on socio‑ecological transitions in the Ruhr region.
Continuing the first day of the conference, after the opening and a break, we host an interdisciplinary and creative panel Planetary Entanglements of Science and Technology. Phoebe Sengers (department of Science & Technology Studies and of Information Science, Cornell University), meets Sandra Maß (International History at Ruhr University Bochum) and Tina Asmussen (Early Modern Mining History at Ruhr University Bochum, and head of the mining history research department at the German Mining Museum). Expect a multimodal happening.
After the General Assembly of the stsing e.V., the first day will ends with a reception.
Thursday 26. March
| when | what |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Case work |
| 17:00 | STS meets archaeology |
| screening of Terranova's Isabelle Stengers: Building hope on the edge of the abyss (2023) | |
| 20:00 | Social event |
The second day is focused on the cases working in parallel. Later afternoon there will be a visit to the German Mining Museum, and screening of Fabrizio Terranova's 2023 film Isabelle Stengers: Building hope on the edge of the abyss.
The day concludes with a festive Before Ruins social event.
Friday 27. March
| when | what |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Case and student presentations |
| 10:30 | Paper session 1 |
| 12:00 | Lunch events |
| 13:00 | Paper session 2 |
| 14:30 | break |
| 15:00 | Closing keynote by Endre Dányi University of the Bundeswehr Munich |
| 16:00 | Closing remarks |
On the third day, the cases will present their work, mixed with student presentations. Lunch events include STS in times of crisis and war.
Finally, Endre Dányi (Sociology of Globalization, University of the Bundeswehr Munich) will close off the conference with a reflection on the collective journey.
Venue
Buildings HGB and GABF
Ruhr University Bochum
Universitätsstraße 150
44801 Bochum
North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)