Mailing address
Cruft Laboratory 314
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
19A Oxford Street
Cambridge, MA, 02138
Website
Tolu Odumosu
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program/Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age
Contact:
Telephone: 617-496-3634
Email: tolu_odumosu@hks.harvard.edu
Website: http://tolu.odumosu.info/
Experience
Tolu Odumosu is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Science, Technology and Public Policy Program. Topically, his research is focused on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), with particular emphasis on mobile devices and their appropriation, the design and implementation of national telecommunications infrastructure, and the governance of transnational ICT technical standards organizations. Theoretically, most of Dr. Odumosu's work focuses on developing and expanding the notion of "constitutive appropriation" as an analytical framework, geared towards a more robust theory of democratic participation that includes both human and non-human elements.
Tolu was most recently a fellow in the Program on Science, Technology & Society where he completed his Ph.D. dissertation work, which examined Nigeria's adoption and use of mobile communication technologies. He holds a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a M.Eng. from Cornell University in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and a B.Sc. (Honors) in Electrical Electronics Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
February 2013
"The Discovery-Invention Cycle: Bridging the Basic/Applied Dichotomy"
Discussion Paper
By Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Professor of Technology and Public Policy; Professor of Physics, Harvard; Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program; Co-Principal Investigator, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group, Tolu Odumosu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program/Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age and Lee Vinsel
In this paper we hope to provide an alternative point of view. By examining both the evolution of the famous "linear model of innovation" — which holds that scientific research precedes technological innovation — and the problematic description of engineering being "applied science" we seek to challenge the existing dichotomies between basic / applied research, science and engineering, tracing how knowledge travels between different knowledge domains through a case study of a selected group of Nobel Prizes in physics.
Winter 2013
"RIP: The Basic/Applied Research Dichotomy"
Journal Article, Issues in Science and Technology, issue 2, volume XXIX
By Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Professor of Technology and Public Policy; Professor of Physics, Harvard; Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program; Co-Principal Investigator, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group, Tolu Odumosu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program/Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age and Lee Vinsel
"This mini-history reveals how knowledge grows through a richly interwoven system of scientific and technological research in which there is no clear hierarchy of importance and no straightforward linear trajectory. Accepting this reality has profound implications for the design of research institutions, the allocation of resources, and the national policies that guide research. This in turn can open the door to game-changing discoveries and inventions and put the nation on the path to a more sustainable science and technology ecosystem."
December 31, 2012
"Technological Somnambulism Revisited: Sleeping through the New Invisible Surveillance Technologies"
Op-Ed, Vignettes@STS.Next.20
By Tolu Odumosu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program/Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age
"...[T]his kind of surveillance was seen as unproblematic even in a field as sensitive to informed consent as medicine, is cause for reflection. As the patient, who had to take this device into my home, I was never asked for my consent, neither was I informed of the data recording capabilities of the CPAP machine."
December 3, 2012
"4 Ways to Get Phone Service the Next Time a Hurricane Sandy Calls"
Op-Ed, Christian Science Monitor
By Tolu Odumosu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program/Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age and Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Professor of Technology and Public Policy; Professor of Physics, Harvard; Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program; Co-Principal Investigator, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group
In the aftermath of a disaster such as superstorm Sandy, two-way communication is essential. People need to be able to receive news and updates, and to request assistance and provide status updates to loved ones. Yet after hurricane Sandy, large portions of New York, New Jersey, and other areas lost their communication systems — their mobile phone network, cable TV, and Internet. Some sought out the last few pay phones as the only equipment that worked. Here are four ways to better prepare our phones and other devices for the next disaster.
Winter 2012
"Toward a Common Wireless Market"
Op-Ed, Issues in Science and Technology
By Tolu Odumosu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program/Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age and Venkatesh "Venky" Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Professor of Technology and Public Policy; Professor of Physics, Harvard; Director, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program; Co-Principal Investigator, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group
"With different policies and a focus on interoperability, the FCC can move the wireless industry toward a single interoperable market in which consumers have real choice and flexibility. This truly competitive market is achievable in the near future, and it can be reached with minimal financial and logistical impact on mobile wireless operators...."
Martha Stewart Photo
March 25, 2011
Communications & Internet Policy—Panel Discussion
Media Feature
By Tolu Odumosu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program/Project on Technology, Security, and Conflict in the Cyber Age
The Communications & Internet Policy panel had a far ranging discussion at Harvard Kennedy School's September 2010 Technology & Governance 2.0 conference on the pressing policy challenges in the Information and Communications Technology space, Topics covered include, IPV4 to IPV6 challenge, competitive pressures in cable vs. fiber optics, Internet Governance, and the problems of Internet advertising.
