Vol. 41, No. 1, January 2012
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Reflections from Cleveland and the 2011 Annual Meeting
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Reflections from Cleveland and the 2011 Annual Meeting
Thanks from Nuria Valverde
Nuria Valverde was unable to attend the prize ceremony, but offers the following thanks to her friends, colleagues, and family. Her article, "Small Parts: Crisóstomo Martínez (1638–1694), Bone Histology and the Visual Making of Body Wholeness," won the 2011 Derek Price/Rod Webster Prize for the best article in Isis.
First I want to thank you, the History of Science Society, for giving me the chance to express my gratitude. It is a high honor to be awarded with the Price/Webster Prize, and it is also flattering, but above all it is encouraging. I speak as a woman, as a female researcher, as a Hispanic citizen and member of a culture that is still considered to be part of an academic periphery. In a sense, "Small Parts" represents an effort to introduce some of the objects and specific problems of the Spanish tradition in a broader context, but at a personal level the prize has added new meanings to it. It is now also a trophy and, despite so many hours of lonely work, a collective one. Institutions including the European Social Fund, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and the National Council for Scientific Research are behind it.
I also have had great professors and colleagues whom I would like to acknowledge for their support: first, I wish to thank my thesis supervisor and friend Antonio Lafuente for the time we spent discussing history and philosophy of science; I also thank Juan Pimentel for his encouragement, and Miruna Achim for her complicity. I won't mention the full list of friends to whom I am, in one way or another, in debt.
But the main person who helped me in becoming a historian of science is, beyond question, my daughter, Raela.
Post–Meeting Survey for 2011
Greg Macklem, Society Coordinator
It's been nearly two months since the 2011 HSS Meeting in Cleveland, and most of the post-meeting work is winding down in the HSS Executive Office, while preparations accelerate for the 3-Society Meeting in Philadelphia and 2012 HSS/PSA Meeting in San Diego. We tried to apply some of the hard-learned lessons from the meeting in Montréal, and many of the changes we made helped the meeting work better for both staff and attendees. Many of the changes were made because of the responses in the meeting survey after Montréal, and the 150 responses we received for the 2011 meeting survey will help us to make more improvements in 2012 and beyond.
We received several compliments from meeting attendees while on-site, and we certainly appreciate the kind words. Much of the credit for whatever success we had belongs to our graduate students, Manuela Fernández Pinto and Laura Bland, as well as numerous volunteers. Without their hard work, we would not have been able to manage all of the meeting details, and I am grateful to them for their prodigious efforts.
In reviewing the survey responses, it was clear that satisfaction with most aspects of the meeting was generally high. The meeting hotel had some critics, but the overall response to the Renaissance Cleveland was positive. This extended to the meeting rooms, audio-visual services, and book exhibit as well. There were still some concerns voiced, and although some of those related to issues beyond our control, we will work to improve those things that we can. Other general aspects of the meeting, including registration and transportation between the hotels, received generally positive responses. Regarding the program, responses were positive, but there were several complaints about the lack of sessions on particular fields and periods. We certainly encourage attendees and other interested parties to submit proposals for the 2012 meeting in San Diego, and we will be creating a forum for people to find scholars with similar interests to submit session proposals.
The Thursday evening joint reception with SHOT and 4S at the Great Lakes Science Center also received good marks from survey respondents. The venue came in for a lot of praise, although a few people felt it was too big for meeting friends and acquaintances. Food and beverage service was also rated highly, although not as universally as the Great Lakes Science Center itself. Overall, the survey indicated that the reception was a successful one.
This brings us to the Saturday evening dinner, which has been alternately labeled by some as a reception or simply a Saturday snack. Many of the attendees were unhappy about the event, in particular the insufficient amount and variety of food, the lack of water at the tables, and inadequate staffing for the number of people. The Executive Office has also fielded several emails regarding the dinner. It is reasonable to expect some changes in the future to this part of the meeting, although the nature of those changes can't be easily predicted at this point. On the bright side, numerous attendees commented that they liked the ability to meet and socialize, and we were gratified to see lots of people stay in the ballroom well after the food was gone to chat with friends and colleagues.
Looking toward future meetings, the two most commonly cited reasons for attending meetings in general were the program and the opportunity to visit with colleagues. The host city came in a distant third. The cities in which respondents were most interested included Seattle, San Francisco, Philadelphia (come to the 3-Societies Meeting in July!), Portland, and New Orleans. As we determine future hosts for 2015 and beyond, these results will be an important factor in our search.
Once again, thank you to all of the attendees of the 2011 HSS Annual Meeting in Cleveland, for, in essence, you are the meeting. We hope that your overall experience was positive, and we hope to see you in Philadelphia in July and again in San Diego in November.
If you are interested in the detailed results of the meeting survey, you will be able to find them online at www.hssonline.org/Meeting/2011meetingsurvey.html.
Sights from the 2011 Annual Meeting
photos courtesy of Darin Hayton
HSS Distinguished Lecture.
Above: Program Chair, Michael Gordin (right) embraces Silvan (Sam) Schweber after introducing Sam.
HSS Distinguished Lecture.
Above: Sam Schweber delivers the 31st Distinguished Lecture of the HSS.
Committee on Education workshop on National History Day. "Copernicus Crosses the K-12/University Divide"
Left to right: John Lynch, chair; Kavya Ravichandran and Connie Miller of the Birchwood School, Cleveland OH; Owen Gingerich; Bob Westman discuss Kavya's creation of her award-winning website on heliocentrism.
Nathan Reingold Prize for best graduate student essay: "Fighting Chance: The Science of Probability and the Forecast Controversy between the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory and the U.S. Signal Service in the Late 1880s."
James Bergman and Paul Farber, HSS President
Joseph H. Hazen Prize for excellence in education in the history of science
Pam Henson receives congratulations from President Farber
The Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Award for the best book in the history of science for a popular audience: Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway.
Above: Erik Conway and Naomi Oreskes, Davis Prize Winners.
The Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Award for the best book in the history of science for a popular audience: Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway.
Above: Naomi Oreskes is congratulated by HSS President, Paul Farber.
The Margaret W. Rossiter History of Women in Science Prize: Reproducing Women: Medicine, Metaphor, and Childbirth in Late Imperial China.
Yi-Li Wu receives congratulations from HSS President, Paul Farber.
Society Coordinator Greg Macklem reacts to the news from Paul Farber that an additional 200 people will be attending the Society dinner.
The Pfizer Prize for best scholarly book in the history of science: Mathematics in Ancient Iraq: A Social History.
Above: Eleanor Robson, John Santoro (Pfizer), and HSS President, Paul Farber.
The Pfizer Prize for best scholarly book in the history of science: Mathematics in Ancient Iraq: A Social History.
Above: Eleanor Robson, Pfizer Prize winner
George Sarton Prize for a lifetime of excellence in scholarship.
Above: Bob Richards accepts the Sarton Medal from HSS President, Paul Farber
George Sarton Prize for a lifetime of excellence in scholarship.
Above: Bob Richards, Sarton medalist
Above Left: Jane Carlson (SHOT) and Jay Malone (HSS) prepare to receive guests for the reception at the Great Lakes Science Center.
Above: Local Arrangements Co-Chairs, Alan Rocke and Molly Berger, at the Great Lakes Science Center.
Sweet victory.
From left, Emily Richens, Elizabeth Baber, Pablo Ruiz, and Sean McGovern show off the mega bag of candy they won for stuffing the most packets.
Notre Dame students and friends preparing the meeting packets in the HSS project center at Notre Dame.
Clockwise from left Manuela Fernández, Sean McGovern, Emily Richens, Pablo Ruiz, Elizabeth Baber, Meizhen Dong, Laura Bland, and Richard Oosterhoff.