Cornell University graduate students in the Department of Science and Technology Studies will host a conference on "Technology and Identity" April 16-18 in Hans Bethe Auditorium, Clark Hall.

The conference will include presentations by researchers from Cornell and at least seven other institutions. Members of the public are welcome to attend and participate in discussions. The event is organized entirely by graduate students and papers will be presented by current or recent graduate students. The keynote speaker will be Kenneth Gergen, the Gil and Frank Mustin Professor of Psychology, Swarthmore College.

The conference is about figuring out what the definition of "identity" is, said organizer Jamey Wetmore. "Lots of people throw that term out, and we're wondering if we could get a more formal definition or at least figure out how people are using it."

The conference program suggests that identity is being influenced by modern technology. Several presentations deal with the Internet, where identity can shift at will. One presenter, Wetmore said, has created a half-dozen different online personas ranging from teen-ager to senior citizen, specifically to study what advertisements and other communications are e-mailed to these virtual people.

Other sessions will explore such matters as the way sport utility vehicles relate to the identity of their owners, how advertisers tailor their pitches to women's cultural identities (or perhaps, how they try to influence those identities), the role of psychiatry in defining what is or is not normal, and the new idea of characterizing people by their genetic makeup.

For further information contact Shobita Parthasarathy at the Department of Science and Technology Studies, (607) 266-0924, sp73@cornell.edu.