The Novum is a site for the Science, Technology, and Society degree program at South Dakota School of Mines. The STS program offers both a major and a minor in STS as well as a minor in Creativity & Collaboration in STEM.
Novum means new thing. The term is often used in discussions of science fiction to refer to a new invention or social change that creates the world of the story. The speculation required to imagine new fictional worlds mirrors the creative thinking required to enact new futures in the real world. The STS degree prepares students to examine and analyze the ways the world is, to imagine what it could be, and to take action to effect change.
We look to our students to create the world they (and we) will live in, and a degree in STS is a way to both contribute to and understand this world as it unfolds.
Most Recent Posts
When the Room Becomes One: Conducting as a Technology of Collective Communication
What counts as a technology? In this piece, Dr. Gerrit Scheepers considers conducting – the act of leading a group of musicians – as a collaborative, collective technology.
Welcome to Fall 2026!
Find out more about what’s going on this fall with the STS program (and the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences department broadly)!
Reflecting on STS at 4S: The Conference Experience
Last fall, three STS faculty and two STS students went to the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) conference in Seattle. Learn more about faculty presentations and what students learned!
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