Science, Technology, Society | Alumni Distinguished Professor

Dr. Patterson has taught and conducted food crop research and outreach in several European, African, and Latin American countries during his 41-year career at NCSU.  These activities have been undertaken on university campuses, in villages, and at the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research facilities. His teaching interests—and the focus of STS 323—center on initiatives that address global sustainable human development issues. During his academic career he has supervised the research programs of more than three dozen international graduate students, most of whom are citizens of the less-industrialized countries whose development needs are central to STS 323. The Prague Institute version of STS 323 is an examination of the most impressive human development advances the Czech Republic and neighboring countries have made during the post-Soviet era. Using field trips that involve full student participation and interaction with Czech specialists in support of the lectures, Dr. Patterson emphasizes the creativity and leadership role the Czech people are demonstrating—including being a model for responsible use of resources and respect for the natural world—in meeting domestic needs for food, clothing, and shelter. The dynamic relationship of the Czech people to other European countries, including culture, trade, and political interaction, is examined in the context of global community building and sustainable use of all resources needed by peoples of all the nations on our planet.