Friday, September 11, 2015

Science and Literature Commission / DHST
 
Fall 2015 Newsletter
 
Dear friends and colleagues,
 
I hope this emails finds you well. As summer passed fast and fall is already here I would like to communicate with you sending some information about the current and future activities of CoSciLit.
 
a) 25th  International Conference of History of Science and Technology ,  Division of History of Science and Technology, International Union of History and Philosophy of Science, Rio, Brazil 2017.
 
The Commission of Science and Literature was established in 2013 in Manchester during the 24th International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Therefore our participation in one or  more symposia  in the 25th International Congress, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 23 to 29 July 2017,  (http://www.ichst2017.sbhc.org.br )  will be the first “appearance” of our Commission in such a great event for the community of the historians of science and technology.
We welcome proposals for thematic symposia and/or stand-alone papers to incorporate in our symposia until 31st March 2016. Each symposium has to secure at least three presenters. Please have in mind that according to the policy of the Congress only one paper can be given by each individual participating in the Conference.
 
b) Workshop on “Science  Fiction. Jules Verne and 19th century science”, Athens 17-18 December 2015.

In connection with several activities concerning the celebration of 2015 as international  year  of Light Coscilit organizes a two-days’ workshop on “Science Fiction. Jules Verne and 19th century science”.
We welcome papers for oral presentations of about 20-30 minutes on subjects (indicatively)  related with Jules Verne, his scientific knowledge, the scientific innovations of his time that inspired him, other futuristic novels of that time which had a scientific background, and the influence of Jules Verne for the development of science and technology.  Papers which will discuss other subjects and dimensions of science fiction are also welcome.
 
Deadline for the submission of the papers: 30 October 2015
 
Registration fees: 80 Euros
Registration fees for young scholars, postgraduate and graduate students: 30 Euros
 
c) Special issue of Almagest on science fiction.

We have arranged that the next issue of Almagest (published by Brepols) will be a special issue on science fiction in the framework of science and literature studies.
Guest editors will be John Holmes, Valerie Stienon, George N. Vlahakis and Kostas Tampakis.
We welcome papers on the subject from 6000 to 8000 words following the Almagest guidelines. (http://www.hpdst.gr/publications/almagest/guidelines-for-authors)
Deadline for the submission of the papers 15th December 2015.
 
d) Elections for the Commission on Science and Literature Council Board.

Members of the Commission willing to serve in the Council Board may submit their nominations until October 30th. Elections will take place electronically until 15th November and the results will be announced officially during the workshop about Jules Verne and 19th century science in Athens in 19th November.
Nominations are welcome for the following positions:
President 
Secretary
Treasurer
Webmaster
Regional officers for Asia, Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Europe
Young scholar – Ph.D. candidate Member of the Council
 
We accept nominations for the Council Board submitted by two members of the Commission, including self-nominations. A short CV (200 words max.) and a photo if possible have to be submitted as well in order to inform the members of the Society for the academic activities of the candidates.   Nominations may be submitted  to Prof. John R. Holmes J.Holmes.1@bham.ac.uk
Elections will take place through emails to a Committee of three members who are not canditates for the Council Board.
 
e) The site of the Commission will be gradually transferred to coscilit.eap.gr as the Hellenic Open University kindly agreed to host it in its server. 

f) New publications.

New book about science and literature published in Catalan by Xavier Duran:
"La ciència en la literatura. Un viatge per la història de la ciència vista per escriptors de tots els temps"
Universitat de Barcelona Publicacions i Edicions
Collecció Catàlisi
363 pàges.
ISBN 978-84-475-4233-8
Cristina Beatriz Fernández. JOSÉ INGENIEROS Y LOS SABERES MODERNOS. Córdoba, Alción, 2012 y JOSÉ INGENIEROS Y LAS ESCRITURAS DE LA VIDA. DEL CASO CLINICO A LA BIOGRAFIA EJEMPLAR. Mar del Plata, Eudem, 2014.
 
g) Forthcoming events.
 
BSLS Winter Symposium
Museum of English Rural Life and University of Reading’s Special Collections, Saturday 14th November 2015
Archival research has long been a mainstay of literature and science as a discipline, challenging the boundaries of what can be read as text and excavating long-submerged concepts and connections. The recent growth in collaborative doctoral awards and collections-based PhDs, alongside research strands such as the AHRC’s Science in Culture, however, demonstrate a need to consider more fully the implications of this kind of investigation. The BSLS’s Winter Symposium therefore provides an opportunity for literature and science researchers, at all points in their career, to reflect and build upon the successes and challenges of finding ‘Science in the Archives’.
 
The majority of us use special collections and archival materials in the course of our literature and science research, but we are not always encouraged to reflect upon the ramifications of doing so. This symposium will provide an important opportunity to stimulate and facilitate much needed discussion of the challenges as well as successes of finding science in the archives.For this event, we have adopted a different format from the standard academic twenty-minute conference paper, and will ask speakers to present in a more informal tone and for different lengths of time depending on the session. These shorter, less formal presentations will minimise preparation time for speakers as well as increasing discussion time for all participants. The organisers warmly seek a limited number of 10 minute position papers about methodologies and approaches to literature and science in the archives, from a range of time periods and from speakers at all stages of research or career.


h) For any further information  and application for membership  please send an email to gvlahakis@yahoo.com  and konstantinos.tampakis@gmail.com