HSS 2008 Annual Meeting 
Call for Papers and Posters
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
6-9 November 2008
(Joint meeting with PSA)
The History of Science Society will hold its 2008 Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, PA in the Omni William Penn hotel (site of the 1999 annual meeting). Proposals for sessions, contributed papers, and, for the first time, posters, must be submitted by 1 April 2008 to the History of Science Society’s Executive Office. Papers that are part of a session are due no later than 8 April 2008.
(Submissions Closed)
Poster proposals must describe the visual material that will make up the poster. The HSS is also exploring the possibility of pre-circulated papers. Please contact the program chairs to discuss this. Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged (forms at bottom of page). Submissions on all topics are requested. All proposals must be submitted on the HSS Web site (http://www.hssonline.org) or on the annual meeting proposal forms that are available from the HSS Executive Office.
HSS members are asked to circulate this announcement to non-HSS colleagues who may be interested in presenting a paper or poster at the Annual Meeting. You do not need to be a member to participate, but all participants must register for the meeting. Applicants are encouraged to propose sessions that include diverse participants: a mix of men and women and/or a balance of professional ranks (e.g., mixing senior scholars with junior scholars and graduate students). Strong preference will be given to panels whose presenters have different institutional affiliations. Only one proposal per person may be submitted. In order to ensure broad involvement, an individual may only appear once on the program (see the guidelines for exceptions). Prior participation at the 2006 or 2007 meetings will be taken into consideration.
Before sending a proposal to the HSS Office, we ask that everyone read the Committee on Meetings and Programs’ “Guidelines for Selecting Papers, Posters, and Sessions” (see below).
The 2008 program co-chairs are Ted Porter (UCLA) and Ken Alder (Northwestern University).
Committee on Meetings and Programs: Guidelines for Evaluating Proposals
1. In evaluating individual proposals for possible inclusion in general sessions created by the Program Chairs of “contributed papers”:
(a) The principal criterion will be the quality of the proposal.
(b) A second factor of substantial weight will be the need to bring balance to the program.
(c) No person, but for the most exceptional circumstances (to be cleared with the chair of CoMP), may appear on the program twice (as presenter of a paper, commentator, discussant, or chair). A person may, however, serve more than one function in a single session—e.g., as chair and presenter or commentator or discussant or as a presenter in a panel. Also, a person is exempt from the stricture against duplication if he or she serves only as an organizer of another session or a presenter in a special gathering such as a workshop or plenary session.
(d) Priority will be given to people who did not appear on the two previous years’ programs.
(Note: The Program Chairs will reserve a block of sessions for “contributed papers,” primarily, but not solely, by graduate students. Graduate students are also encouraged to apply as participants in regular sessions.)
2. In evaluating sessions that organizers submit as wholes and whose proposals support unified themes:
(a) The principal criterion will be the importance of the topic and the perceived quality of the proposals and their integration into a meaningful and useful session.
(b) Another criterion will be the need for balance in the subjects covered on the program.
(c) Another factor will be sponsorship by an official HSS interest group or committee (one session only).
(d) Applicants are encouraged to propose sessions that include diverse participants: a mix of men and women and/or a balance of professional ranks (e.g., mixing senior scholars with junior scholars and graduate students). Strong preference will be given to panels whose presenters have different institutional affiliations.
(e) Priority will be given to people who did not appear on the previous year’s program.
(Note: For inclusion on the official program, the following activities require regular applications as sessions:
public forums or speakers sponsored by HSS interest groups and committees
honorific sessions sponsored by members’ colleagues
commemorations of historic events
plenary sessions
other special gatherings
Program Chairs will judge these submissions along with other sessions on their merits. (Of course, official HSS interest groups and committees remain welcome to mount special programs in the time-slots normally allocated for their business meetings. Similarly, HSS members remain welcome to organize private activities independent of the official program.)
3. In evaluating posters, which will be set up on 6’ x 3’ tables during a session devoted entirely to poster presentations (authors must be present)
(a) The principal criterion will be the quality of the proposal.
(b) Poster presentations should be principally “extra-textual.” These can be images, artifacts, even “experiments.” Displays must serve as the lynchpin for some kind of point (if not an argument) that can be conveyed in a short oral explication/demonstration.
(c) Another factor of substantial weight will be the need to bring balance to the program.
(d) No person, but for the most exceptional circumstances (to be cleared with the chair of CoMP), may appear on the program twice (as presenter of a paper, or poster, commentator, discussant, or chair). A person may, however, serve more than one function in a single session—e.g., as chair and presenter or commentator or discussant or as a presenter in a panel. Also, a person is exempt from the stricture against duplication if he or she serves only as an organizer of another session or a presenter in a special gathering such as a workshop or plenary session
4. In evaluating workshops, field trips, or site visits:
(a) The principal criterion will be the activity’s relevance to the society’s collective goals.
(b) A related issue will be the activity’s logistical feasibility.
(c) Another factor of importance will be the need to bring balance to the program.
(d) A final aspect will be sponsorship by an official HSS interest group or committee, including the local arrangements committee.
(Note: The program chairs will reserve periods during Thursday afternoon and Friday evening for workshops, field trips, site visits, and related activities.)
Audio Visual Needs: Those who propose a paper are asked to identify their a/v needs. Due to the high number of requests for LCD projectors and their limited availability, preference will be given to those who make their request first and who demonstrate a significant need for a visual component to their presentation.
Future History of Science Society Meetings
- 18-22 November 2009
Phoenix, Arizona - 4-7 November 2010 (With the Philosophy of Science Association)
Montreal, Quebec