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Announcing Five PhD Positions – A Global History of Technology, 1850 – 2000 (GLOBAL-HOT)

A new research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC)

Project leader: Professor Mikael Hård

Darmstadt University of Technology (TU Darmstadt), near Frankfurt, Germany, announces five three-year positions for doctoral students (with the option of a two-year extension), beginning October 1, 2017. We welcome applications from talented and diligent students willing to explore new research perspectives, empirically and methodologically, for a truly global history of technology.

This is GLOBAL-HOT: The historical project investigates the fate of machines and technical systems in various parts of the world from 1850 to 2000. The team members investigate the persistent use of indigenous technologies along with globalized ones, as well as the emergence of hybrid solutions. The goal is to increase our understanding of the relationships between the development and use of technologies in Europe and North America on the one hand and the so-called Global South on the other. Some of the topics and areas of particular interest include:

  • The local translation of internationally available plans, designs, and practices
  • Technological encounters and the emergence of hybrid artifacts in the Global South
  • The maintenance, operation, and repair of buildings and infrastructures
  • The continued application of locally embedded practices and know-how

For this endeavor, the project will draw on a wide array of sources that go beyond written material in official archives – including artifacts, artwork, and images, along with interviews, oral sources and the media: magazines, newspapers, and TV/radio broadcasts. For further information, please visit our preliminary homepage: www.global-hot.eu

Requirements: Applications are open to students with an excellent master’s degree. To guarantee geographical and cultural coverage, the project leader only considers candidates who have thorough research experience in one of these geographical areas: East/Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Arab world (including the Middle East and North Africa), East/Southern Africa, West Africa, or Latin America.  In addition to documented knowledge of English (written and spoken), command of a local and, when applicable, a former colonial language is required. English is the common project language.

Applicants are expected to, at the end of their appointment, submit a PhD thesis to the School of the Social and Historical Sciences at TU Darmstadt. Theses can be written in German or English. In addition, candidates are required to contribute actively to the success of the research project as a whole, e.g., by participating in regular meetings, coordinating their time and work plans with the team, co-authoring articles, and helping with publicity and the organization of events. We thus expect strong collaborative abilities and a pronounced willingness to become part of an exciting research team. Team members are expected to take up residence in the Darmstadt/Frankfurt area.

Formalities: Successful candidates will be offered a half-time position at pay grade TV-TU Darmstadt E13 (gross ca. 1,800 euros per month). The position includes health insurance and social security. Additional funding for research travel is available.

How to apply: If you are interested in one of the positions and would like more information, feel free to request a brief project description from global-hot@pg.tu-darmstadt.de

Your application should include a CV and a cover letter in English (max 1,200 words). Please use this letter to tell us more about your background, motivation, and how attaining a PhD in this program would fit into your future employment and academic plans. Please attach degree certificates and documents that support your qualification for the position, such as language certificates, recommendation letters, and transcripts. All documents (incl. the cover letter) need to be merged into one single pdf file that does not exceed 10 MB and sent to global-hot@pg.tu-darmstadt.de

Please use the following text in the “subject” line of your email: your last name + “position no. 197.”

TU Darmstadt intends to increase the number of women scientists and encourages them to apply. Candidates who have a degree of disability of at least 50% are given preferred treatment if equally qualified.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a Skype interview, and they will also be asked to write and to submit a short essay (max. 2,000 words) on a relevant topic beforehand.

Deadline: June 6, 2017

Contact person: Professor Mikael Hård, Department of History, School of Social and Historical Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Dolivostrasse 15, DE-64293 Darmstadt, Germany, hard@ifs.tu-darmstadt.de

Visit us online: www.global-hot.eu

Follow us on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/project/A-Global-History-of-Technology-1850-2000-GLOBAL-HOT

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[Call for Proposals] 2017 International Conference on Gender in Science & Technology (10/27-28, Kaohsiung, Taiwan)

Dear Researchers,

Gender in Science and Technology (S&T) is a critical interdisciplinary research domain and has become a much-addressed perspective in scientific policy and research in many countries. This year, the Taiwan Gender in Science & Technology project (Taiwan GIST) entrusted by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), organizes the 2017 International Conference on Gender in Science & Technology. We invite all those interested and involved in gender, science and technology policy or research, to exchange views and opinions and establish new networks with peers and other stakeholders in the field of Gender in S&T. Taiwan GIST is pleased to announce the Call for Proposals for the 2017 International Conference on Gender in Science & Technology, to be held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, October 27th -28th, 2017.

International Invited Speakers:

Dr. Cara Tannenbaum Scientific Director, Institute of Gender and Health at Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada
Dr. Anne Pépin Director, Mission for the Place of Women at Le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), France
Dr. Heisook Lee Principal Research Fellow, Center for Gendered Innovation in   Science & Technology Researches (GISTeR), Korea
Dr. Alice Hogan Consultant & Former Director of the ADVANCE Program at NSF, USA
Drs. Ineke Buskens Independent Research, Evaluation and Gender Consultant

Conference Theme and Topics:
The conference theme “Gender and Technology Policy & Gendered Innovations" includes, and is not limited to, the following topics:

  1. Gender equality policy for the S&T fields in education, academia, and more
  2. Implementation of projects or measures to promote institutional changes or culture shifts in a specific community or profession
  3. The process and results of integrating methods and knowledge from gender studies into S&T knowledge production and innovation
  4. Other topics related to gender and S&T

Presentation Options:

  1. Oral presentation
  2. Poster
  3. Self-organized session (3-5 papers each, session duration: 90 min.)

Proposal Submission:

  1. Deadline of submission: May 31st 23:59 (GMT+8), 2017.
  2. To submit the proposal, please click here, Max. length of submitted proposals (abstracts required) is 300 words.
  3. Acceptance Notification is scheduled to be sent out by June 30th, 2017 via email. Official announcement will also be made on the conference website.

Registration:

  1. Conference registration will be opened on-line on July 5th, 2017. Click here
  2. All presenters must register to be included in the program. For papers with more than one author, at least one presenter must register.

Conference Venue:
International Building, National Sun Yat-Sen University (No. 70, Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung, TAIWAN)

Important Dates:
Deadline for submissions of proposals            May 31st
Acceptance Notification                                 Before June 30th
Registration Opens                                         July 5th
Registration Closes                                        August 15th
Conference Dates                                          October 27th-28th

Contact Information:
Tel: +886-7-7172930 #2010 (Ms. Hsu); #2017 (Ms. Lu)
Email: taiwangist2017@gmail.com

Organizer:
Taiwan GIST; Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering (& Science Technology and Society Research Center), National Kaohsiung Marine University; Graduate Institute of Gender Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University

Co-organizer:
Institute of Public Affairs Management, National Sun Yat-Sen University; Institute of Information Systems and Applications, National Tsing Hua University

Sponsors:
Ministry of Science and Technology, R.O.C. (confirmed); Education Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government (to be confirmed); Economic Development Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government (to be confirmed)

Read more about the conference

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Apply now for Australian Academy of Science Awards

The Australian Academy of Science invites applications for its 2018 research conferences, research awards and travelling fellowships.

The closing date to apply for travel, conference and research support is 1 June 2017.

For further information you can download the awards poster. Information on eligibility criteria and nomination/application processes, is available on the website www.science.org.au/opportunities .

For enquiries please email the Awards Team or call +61 2 6201 9407.

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Substantial Australian Nuclear History Archive collection

UOW Archives has recently accessioned the D290 Roy Macleod Collection. This collection consists of a substantial amount of primary and research materials relating to the History of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission and ANSTO, and Australian nuclear debates more broadly over a period of some decades.

Aside from the access restrictions noted below – this material is now available to staff and students of UOW.

Restrictions

Access Conditions: Contact Archivist in advance to arrange access.

Note: Select  documents  are  marked  Classified - access  to  this  material  will require permission from the relevant body and may be restricted.

A comprehensive list of materials in the collection can be found here.

http://www.library.uow.edu.au/archives/pdfs/d290.pdf

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Castration will turn you into a real man

The important historian of sexuality Theo van der Meer from Amsterdam is coming to USyd soon to present some of his work. I am sure many of you will be interested in attending. His paper is entitled “Castration will turn you into a real man”: Surgical castration of sex offenders in The Netherlands, 1938-1968". I am sure it will be of interest to historians, lawyers, criminologists, HPS and gender studies people alike.

He will present at Wednesday 26 April, 2-4pm at New Law Annex SR 444, Eastern Ave.

Further details about Theo and his work are available at:

https://wordvine.sydney.edu.au/files/1900/16221/

Ivan Crozier

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HPSSS blogs, lists and department information needed

You will note that under the About→Resources menu, we have three pages:

These are as complete as we can make them, but members will have more information to add.

Please email John Wilkins, Webmaster, with the details and he will add them to our lists.

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IUHPST Essay Prize in History and Philosophy of Science

The International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPST) is pleased to announce the outcome of the competition for the first IUHPST Essay Prize in History and Philosophy of Science. This prize competition seeks to encourage fresh methodological thinking on the history and philosophy of science as an integrated discipline.

The winner of the 2017 prize is Professor Theodore Arabatzis of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. His essay was entitled “What’s in it for the historian of science? Reflections on the value of philosophy of science for history of science”.

In his prize essay, Theodore Arabatzis distinguishes the “historical philosophy of science” from the “philosophical history of science.” The latter, which is the focus of his discussion, has the potential “to reconstruct particular historical episodes or to address historiographical questions by engaging with philosophical issues about, e.g., experimentation or conceptual change.”

The committee concurs with Arabatzis that the historiographical potential of philosophical reflection on scientific practice has not yet been fully explored. In the essay, not only is the case made abstractly and contextualized (with reference to Lakatos and Kuhn), but it is also shown concretely for particular topics (epistemic values, experiment, discovery and conceptual change) with various examples from the history of physical science.

The essay addresses the prize question directly: what can the philosophy of science do for the history of science? Arabatzis begins from N. R. Hanson’s insight that historical analyses necessarily involve metascientific concepts. In detailed discussions of how four particular philosophical ideas have played out in the historiography of science, Arabatzis demonstrates how the analysis of metascientific concepts, whose outlines can be traced by philosophical reflection, contributes to historiographical methods.

With an impressive reach and a deep understanding of both the history and the philosophy of science, “What’s in it for the historian of science?” convincingly shows the illuminating role that can be played by the philosophical history of science. The essay links this demonstration to a critical analysis of both traditional and cutting-edge work in HPS. It signals the availability of analytic and exploratory resources for the history of science, underwritten by the philosophy of science.

Professor Arabatzis will receive his prize and present the contents of his essay at the 25th International Congress of History of Science and Technology in Rio de Janeiro (23–29 July 2017).

This prize is administered by the Joint Commission, whose remit is to make links between the work of the two Divisions of the IUHPST: the DHST (Division of History of Science and Technology) and the DLMPST (Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science and Technology).

The panel of judges for the 2017 competition consisted of: Hasok Chang, University of Cambridge, UK (chair); Rachel Ankeny, University of Adelaide, Australia; Jean Gayon, Université Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne), France; Alan Love, University of Minnesota, USA; Lydia Patton, Virginia Tech, USA; Friedrich Steinle, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany. For further information about the IUHPST, see http://iuhps.net.

From HPS&ST Notes, April 2017

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Updates to website

We have managed to update the website in the following ways, which we hope will make it much more useful to members:

  1. The site is now secure, which means no information will be intercepted when you log on, or purchase membership, etc.
  2. The forums are now working; you can have public or private discussions.
  3. The AAHPSSS.org domain now appears in the address bar when you access the site from that URL.
  4. Members may now add events, and edit them later, from the submission page under the Events menu.
  5. RSS subscription has been added (see the footer).
  6. You can download all or some of the events listing to your calendar via an iCal file.
  7. The header image now randomly changes. If you have any images you would like to see in the header, let the webmaster know. They need to be at least 2000px wide and 1200px high. We will need copyright information as source details for our informative slider on the Platypus and Header Images page.

As always, suggestions are welcomed!