Situating the “Situating Science” Cluster

Vol. 40, No. 1, January 2011
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Situating Science

by Emily Tector

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s Strategic Knowledge Cluster, Situating Science: Cluster for the Humanist and Social Study of Science, has already reached the half way mark of our seven-year project.

Situating Science (or Situsci, for short) fosters contact and collaboration between scholars working in history, philosophy, and sociology of science and promotes linkages between those engaged in the academic study of these topics and those working on cognate topics in the news media, museums, policy development, and the arts. At the most recent HSS/PSA conference in Montreal, we were happy to co-sponsor the reception at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.

Our Nodes in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic Provinces serve as organizational centres for their respective regions, initiating and facilitating STS-HPS activities, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinarity, under the Cluster’s four themes: “Historical Ontology and Epistemology”; “Science and Its Publics”; “Material Culture and Scientific/Technological Practices”; and “Geography and Sites of Knowing.” The nodes also serve as centres for information exchange with other nodes and with the national and international STS-HPS communities through the means of the new Situating Science website (www.situsci.ca). Among the site’s features are searchability, updated opportunities and resources, live stream and recorded videos of Situating Science events, plus a searchable “Network Directory” of STS-HPS scholars in Canada. Local events can be found under “Network Nodes.” We welcome your suggestions for improvement.

National Projects

Fig.1 Delegates at the Dinwiddie exhibit, Dalhousie University Archives, during the international “Circulating Knowledge, East and West” conference, July 2010 Recently, the Cluster has been involved in several national projects, including a series of workshops: “Scientific Models and Simulations (4)” (University of Toronto, May, 2010); “Thought Experiments” (Dalhousie University, June); and “The Makers’ Universe: Science, Art and Instruments in Early Modern Europe” (McGill University, Sept.). Halifax and Vancouver also hosted two international conferences, the first of which was on “Objectivity in Science” at the University of British Columbia in June, followed by the “Circulating Knowledge, East and West” at King’s in July. (See Fig. 1: Delegates at the Dinwiddie exhibit, Dalhousie University Archives, during the international “Circulating Knowledge, East and West” conference, July 2010) The latter conference brought scholars from India, Singapore, China, Europe and North America to Halifax to explore the circulation of science and natural philosophy in the colonial and post-colonial period, and was coordinated with the launch of the online edition of the “James Dinwiddie Papers” at the Dalhousie Archives. “Circulating Knowledge” is the first in a multilevel project to create scholar exchange and growth in the humanities and social studies of science between Canada and Asia.

In 2011–12, the successful applicants to the annual Workshop proposal competition will organize: “Intersections: New Approaches to Science and Technology in 20th C. China and India” (York University), “Scientific Authority within Democratic Societies”(UBC), and “The Politics of Care in Technoscience” (York University).

Science and its Publics

National Lecture Series: Science and its Publics

Fig.2 Science and its Publics Lecture Series launch, Nov. 9, 2010 Following on the success of the 2009–10 “Trust in the New Sciences” national series (videos online), the Canadian Centre for Ethics and Public Affairs (CCEPA) and the Cluster have launched a new national lecture series, on “Science and Its Publics”. The first of the series, “Science and the Media: Lost in Translation,” was November 9th at King’s. (See Fig.2: Science and its Publics Lecture Series launch, Nov. 9, 2010) This panel discussion coincided with the Atlantic launch of the Science and Media Centre of Canada and engaged partners Genome Atlantic, Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, plus a host of local public and institutional groups. The series collaborated with the Making Publics Project in Montreal Nov. 25th for Dr. Golinski’s study of “Frankenstein in the Public Sphere” and continues to Toronto for an investigation of the public’s role in the latest Multiple Sclerosis treatment. The Series then moves to Halifax and Ottawa in early March for Dr. Pantalony’s exploration of “Provenance and the Role of the Public Museum,” and Dr. Lock caps the series with her latest research, “Facing Uncertainty: Who is Destined for Alzheimer’s Disease?” in Saskatchewan and Alberta at the end of that month. All events are recorded, streamed live and announced on our website.

Students and Research

This year we welcomed MA students Dani Hallet (UBC) and Megan Dean (King’s) and Postdoctoral fellows Alex Choby (University of Alberta) and Melinda Baldwin (York University). Other students at each Node have been invaluable in assisting with project activities.

For the remainder of the project, the Situating Science Cluster will move forward with plans to sustain STS/HPS networks beyond its seven years and construct a permanent Centre or Institute for Science Studies in Canada. It will also continue to cultivate international partnerships with Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

For more information, and to keep up-to-date with activities and resources as they develop, please visit the Situating Science Cluster website at www.situsci.ca, or contact the Situating Science Project Coordinator (situsci@dal.ca, 902 422-1271, ex. 200).

Emily Tector
Project Coordinator
Situating Science
University of King’s College Halifax, NS B3H 2A1
Email: situsci@dal.ca
Phone: (902) 422-1271, ex. 200
Fax: (902) 423-3357

Gordon McOuat
Director, Situating Science, SSHRC Strategic Knowledge Cluster
History of Science and Technology Programme Contemporary Studies Programme
University of King’s College Halifax, NS B3H 2A1
phone: (902) 422-1271, ex. 216
fax: (902) 423-3357

History of Science Society