SPT newsletter



		*SPT newsletter* Volume 26, Number 2 (Summer 2002) Current Newsletter \| Previous Newsletters Contents SPT Election Results Calls-for-Papers Call for Nominations for the Editor of The Newsletter Conference Report Conference Announcements Funding Source Announcement New Research Sources New Publication Graduate Program Announcement From the Editors A Note On Dues SPT Election Results Deborah Johnson reports that the results of the SPT election (which was rather close) are as follows: VP/President-elect: Paul Thompson Executive Board: Anne Johnson and Peter Kroes Congratulations and a warm welcome to Paul, Anne, and Peter! Call-for-Papers: SPT XIII 13^th Meeting of the Society for Philosophy and Technology July 7, 8 and 9, 2003 Park City, Utah Conference Theme: "Technology and Global Society" This year, the program committee especially invites submissions on the following topics: Security and Information Systems Biotechnology, Trade and Development Democracy, Trust and Global Institutions The Global Village Revisited Technology and Environment Technology, Sport and the Olympics Movement Submissions on all aspects of philosophy and technology are always welcome. Submission may be made with an abstract of between 200 and 400 words. Electronic submissions in a standard word-processing or PDF format may be forwarded to: pault@purdue.edu Abstracts in triplicate may also be mailed to: Paul B. Thompson Program Chair, SPT XIII Philosophy Department Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907-1360 Early Notification Deadline: Presenters desiring early notification of acceptance should send abstracts before September 1, 2002. Notification of acceptance will be made by October 10, 2002. Final Deadline: All abstracts must be submitted by November 30, 2002. Notification of acceptance will be made by February 10, 2003. Persons interested in serving as respondents or chairing sessions should contact Paul Thompson at the e-mail address listed above. Final papers for the program should not be more that 12 pages, double-spaced. Completed papers will be required by May 1, 2003 in order to provide respondents with ample time for preparing remarks. Call-for-Papers: Journal of Women's History The Journal of Women's History is soliciting articles for a special issue on women's labors throughout the world, under diverse economic and gender systems, and in all historical periods. They seek manuscripts on all forms of women's work, both paid and unpaid, including but not limited to family, household work. Contact: jwh@osu.edu (Announcement ID: 129657) URL: http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/announce/show.cgi?ID=129657 Deadline: 1 August 2002 Call for Nominations Editor, The Newsletter of SPT The Society for Philosophy and Technology seeks nominations for the position of Editor of the Society's Newsletter. Send nominations (self nominations are welcome) to Noam Cook (sdncook@aol.com) by 1 October 2002. Conference Report: Mephistos 2002 Graduate Student Conference The 20^th Annual Mephistos Graduate Student Conference was held at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, Virginia, over the weekend of 14-17 March 2002. The conference was open to graduate students who participate in the broadly defined field of "science studies"—meaning the history, philosophy, policy, and sociology of science, technology, and medicine. With great camaraderie and a high level of scholarship, the graduate students of the Center for Science and Technology Studies (STS) hosted 34 students from 18 universities and 7 countries. The geographical range of participants spanned from Israel and Scandinavia to California and Canada, while the range of scholarship spanned from technology policy studies to the ethical dimensions of science in national context. The wide variety of students' backgrounds helped foster an atmosphere of open dialogue and intense discussion. In particular, several presentation themes (such as technology transfer and the political connotations of technology) lead to sustained debate inside and outside the official conference forum. (Read: people argued.) Mephistos has proven to be an invaluable experience for graduate students in the fields of science and technology studies. The forum provides a unique collegial atmosphere, with presentations limited to graduate students, but with audiences from across academic ranks. The revolving annual conference is generally able to provide travel grants to all participants. This year was no exception as generous grants were awarded to all who visited Blacksburg. Next year's Mephistos will be hosted by the University of Wisconsin at Madison. All faculty members of SPT are encouraged to bring the conference to the attention of their graduate students. (Look for a CFP for Mephistos 2003 sometime this fall.) Conference Announcements "The Technological Fix" Sponsored by the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society Location: Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington Deleware Date: 4-5 October 2002 Keynote speaker: Thomas Hughes See http://www.hagley.lib.de.us/center.html for original announcement information. "Do Collections Matter To Instrument Studies?" A joint meeting of the British Society for the History of Science and the Scientific Instrument Commission. Location: Oxford, United Kingdom Date: 29-30 June 2002 BSHS Presidential Address by Jim Bennett See http://www.sic.iuhps.org/conf2002/bshssic.htm for more details. Funding Source Short-term grants-in-aid support visits to Hagley Museum and Library, Wilmington, Delaware, for scholarly research in the imprint, manuscript, pictorial, and artifact collections. They are designed to assist researchers with travel and living expenses while using the research collections. Scholars receive a stipend, make use of the research holdings, and participate in the programs of the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society. More information on Hagley's research collections may be obtained through our on-line catalog at http://www.hagley.org. Further information on our grants and fellowships can be obtained from the Center for the History of Business, Technology, and Society's website: http://www.hagley.lib.de.us/center.html. Low cost housing may be available on the museum grounds. Stipends are for a minimum of two weeks, maximum of two months at no more than $1,400 per month. Deadlines for the year are: March 29, June 28, and October 31. Contact: Carol Ressler Lockman, Hagley Museum and Library, PO Box 3630, Wilmington DE 19807, email: crl@udel.edu; fax: 302-655-3188; phone: 302-658-2400, ext. 243. New Research Sources American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Archives Makes Collections Available to Researchers American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Archives 1200 New York Avenue NW Washington, DC 20005 http://archives.aaas.org Contact: Amy Crumpton, Research Archivist (202-326-6791 or acrumpto@aaas.org) The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS, pronounced "Triple-A-S"), the oldest general scientific society in the world, welcomes researchers and interested individuals to visit its archives and use its extensive collections. Researchers of history and science issues may find the following collections of interest. Descriptions of other AAAS collections are online at http://archives.aaas.org. Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Program, 1964-1992, 48.75 linear feet. This program monitors professional ethics issues faced by individual scientists and engineers and that affect the scientific community at large. These records document the work by committee and staff on a variety of issues, such as secrecy, misconduct, and privacy concerns surrounding access to and use of scientific data. Finding aids are available. Note that cases containing sensitive information may be restricted. Researchers must obtain access permission from program staff. Science and Human Rights Program, 1954-1994, 52.5 linear feet. The AAAS Science and Human Rights program has taken action on behalf of 3,000 scientists, engineers, and health professionals in over 70 countries who have been detained, persecuted, imprisoned and/or tortured. The program conducts its actions through letters, petitions, and fact-finding missions. The program has supported use of forensic science in Argentina, Guatemala, and Haiti, as well as the use of statistical applications to document human rights abuses in South Africaand Kosovo. Finding aids are available. Note that cases containing sensitive and graphic information may be restricted. Researchers must obtain access permission from Science and Human Rights staff. Records of Science Editor-in-Chief Philip H. Abelson, 1962-1984, 46.25 linear feet. Philip H. Abelson served as Editor-in-Chief of Science magazine from 1962 to 1984. During his tenure, he implemented more efficient peer review procedures for scientific papers submitted to the magazine and encouraged a more active style of science reporting that included broader coverage of science and policy issues. These records include correspondence, memos, editorials, and minutes of editorial board meetings. A number of Dr. Abelson's professional papers, including speeches and other materials not related to his work with Science, were donated by AAAS to the Library of Congress in early 2001. Finding aids are available. Records of Science Editor Ruth Kulstad, 1978-1984, 3.0 linear feet. Ruth Kulstad was an editor with Science who specialized in immunological disorders. Her records, from 1978 to 1984, document the scientific community's slowly growing awareness of the AIDS epidemic. Records of Science Writer Arthur L. Robinson, 1973-1987, 20 linear feet. Arthur L. Robinson worked as a science writer for AAAS's weekly publication Science. These files include notes from interviews, copies of technical articles, conference material, and clippings, for articles written by Robinson. Subjects include Air Force research, free electron lasers, GaAs (gallium arsenide semiconducters), superconducters, and X-rays. Finding aid is available. Founded in 1848 to represent all disciplines of science, AAAS has grown enormously in the scope of its programs and its public influence in the years since World War II. The AAAS Archives, located in the nation's capital, also contains records that document the Association's activities on environmental issues, arms control, the growth of federal support of research and development, science and ethics, human rights, and science education. Contact the AAAS Research Archivist, Amy Crumpton (202-326-6791 or acrumpto@aaas.org), for more information or to schedule an appointment. Descriptions of other AAAS collections are at http://archives.aaas.org. New Website from the (US) National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering has just launched a new website focused on the topic of technological literacy. The site is adapted from the recently released report, Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology. The site provides a web-friendly version of the Technically Speaking report as well as an extensive collection of online and traditional resources about technological literacy. The Technically Speaking website is at http://www.nae.edu/nae/techlit. New Publication An original exploration of the ways cyberspace affects human experience. Bodies in Technology Don Ihde University of Minnesota Press \| 232 pages \| 2001 \| Electronic Mediations Series, vol. 5 ISBN 0-8166-3845-4 \| hardcover ISBN 0-8166-3846-2 \| paperback New technologies suggest new ideas about embodiment: our "reach" extends to global sites through the Internet; we enter cyberspace through the engines of virtual reality. In this book, a leading philosopher of technology explores the meaning of bodies in technology÷how the sense of our bodies and of our orientation in the world is affected by the various information technologies. Charting the historical, philosophical, and practical territory between virtual reality and real life, this work is an important contribution to the national conversation on the impact technology-and information technology in particular-has on our lives in a wired, global age. For more information, visit the book's webpage: http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/I/%20ihde_bodies.html Graduate Program Announcement History of Technology, Environment, and Medicine at NJIT and Rutgers The Federated Department of History at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Rutgers University-Newark invites applications for its graduate degree programs in the History of Technology, Environment and Medicine (HisTEM). The department offers the Masters of Arts (M.A.) for generalists and for students interested in preparing for further graduate study in history; it offers the Masters of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) for current and prospective secondary school teachers of history and social studies. Faculty from both campuses shares program administration and teaching, and the full resources of both universities are available to all history graduate students. Degrees are awarded jointly by Rutgers and NJIT. A limited number of scholarships are available for qualified students. The joint NJIT/Rutgers-Newark graduate history program is the largest and most diverse masters-level program in New Jersey. In addition to a faculty of national and international reputation, the HisTEM program offers opportunities for internship and research in association with local institutions such as the Thomas Edison National Historic Site, the Newark Museum, the New Jersey Historical Society and the special collections of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. For more information see our website http://www.njit.edu/directory/academic/history/grad.html or contact Lisa Herschbach, Graduate Director, Federated Department of History, NJIT/Rutgers University-Newark, University Heights, Newark, NJ 07102; 973 596 5634; email: lisa.m.herschbach@njit.edu. Applications for Fall 2002 (September) admission must be received by 5 June 2002 for Spring 2003 (January) admission by 5 November 2003. From the Editors Dear SPTers, Over the last 4 years The Newsletter has undergone a number of changes and improvements. We are now on a regular and, hopefully, timely schedule. Our mailing list is up to date. We are now able to eliminate almost all mailing costs since The Newsletter in now distributed electronically, expect for those few cases where mailed hard copy is necessary. Most of this has been accomplished because of the hard work, all free, of Andrew Garnar and Benjamin Cohen, both Ph.D. candidates in the Virginia Tech Science and Technology Studies Graduate Program. It has also required the resources of the Department of Philosophy at Virginia Tech and the able assistance of Terry Zapata, our Executive Secretary. It is also the case that the demands on my time and energies are increasing, exponentially it seems, as Virginia Tech faces both a serious budgetary crisis and major restructuring. It is therefore, regretfully, time to find a new Editorial team for The Newsletter. Elsewhere in this issue is a Call for Nominations for the Editor of The Newsletter. It is crucial to find someone with the time, energy and institutional resources to continue the work of the last four years. Time to step up to the plate! Finally, I wish to thank the Society for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. It has been fun and extremely satisfying. But it could not have been done without Andrew Garnar, Benjamin Cohen and Terry Zapata. Joe Pitt Newsletter Affairs Send inquiries about and information for The Newsletter to: Joseph C. Pitt, Editor Department of Philosophy Major Williams Hall Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061-0126 E-mail: jcpitt@vt.edu or Benjamin Cohen, Associate Editor E-mail: bcohen@vt.edu The Newsletter is published by Joseph C. Pitt and Benjamin Cohen, at Virginia Tech. SPT Membership SPT welcomes as members persons from all countries whose professional interests include philosophically significant considerations of technology. Membership is open to those who have an advanced degree (typically but not necessarily in philosophy), to those who are in a technological field, and to students whose work is in keeping with the interests of the Society. Dues are $20US per year, which includes a subscription to the SPT Newsletter (dues for students are $15US, and gratis for people in developing nations). New Ways to Pay Your Dues [from Noam Cook] Payment of SPT dues is now being handled by the Philosophy Documentation Center. Dues can be paid by cheque, money order or credit card (VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER). Payments by any of these methods can be sent to the address below. Credit card payments can also be made by fax or over the phone via the numbers below. (For credit card payments include card number and expiration date). Society for Philosophy and Technology Philosophy Documentation Center P.O. Box 7147 Charlottesville, VA 22906-7147 USA Tel. (toll free from the US& Canada) 800 444 2419 Tel. (from anywhere) 434 220 3300 Fax: 434 220 3301 SPT Officers President: Andrew Light, New York University Vice President/President-Elect: Paul Thompson, Purdue University Past President: Deborah Johnson, University of Virginia Secretary: Noam Cook, San Jose State Treasurer: Diane Michelfelder, Utah State University Executive Board: Yoko Arisaka, Philip Brey, Anne Johnson, Peter Kroes, Landgon Winner Techné Editor: Davis Baird, University of South Carolina Web Master: Tom Burke, University of South Carolina
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