History of Science Society

Vol. 41, No.4, October 2012
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Notes from the Inside

The 3-Societies Conference

My deep thanks to all who attended the British Society-North American Conference in the History of Science this past July in Philadelphia. Some 311 individuals registered for the meeting, an increase of approximately 157% over the ill-fated conference in St. Louis (a memory that Philly will challenge for supremacy). Attendees were treated to three full days of sessions that ranged from historical displays and disciplinary identity to perception as practice in educational settings, and scholars interested in Victorian science and the history of chemistry enjoyed an especially generous array of sessions to attend. View an electronic copy of the program or view the abstracts from the program.

It is always a pleasure to associate with our colleagues from Britain and Canada and this conference did not disappoint. From the memorable BSHS reception that celebrated the 50th anniversary of The British Journal for the History of Science, and featured local treats, such as Tastee Cakes and pretzels with assorted dips, to the maple-flag waving of Gordon McOuat at the plenary where he reminded everyone, on the anniversary of the War of 1812, that Canada had once reigned triumphant over the U.S., everyone was engaged (view a video of the plenary).

And considering that the sessions were held in historic Houston Hall on the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) campus, purportedly the oldest student union in the U.S., and that attendees were treated to a keynote address by Ron Numbers at Benjamin Franklin Hall at the American Philosophical Society (APS), and a fabulous opening reception at the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF), and side trips to the Wagner Museum, the Mütter Museum, and the Academy of Natural Sciences, there were enough activities to keep most scholars happy. (I even received reports that the reading rooms at CHF and APS saw record numbers of scholars).

The conference would not have been possible without the generous support of Penn, the CHF, the APS, and the Philadelphia Area Center for the History of Science (PACHS). I am grateful to Ruth Schwartz Cowan and Susan Lindee (Penn), Ron Brashear (CHF), Martin Levitt (APS), and Babak Ashrafi (PACHS) for their help and am also thankful for the work of our program chairs Angela Creager (HSS), Sabine Clark (BSHS) and Sophie Lachapelle (CSHPS). We look forward to the next meeting in 2016, with our Canadian hosts, and as the calendar would have it, HSS will host again on the occasion of our 100th anniversary, in 2024. Mark your calendars!

- Jay Malone, HSS Executive Director