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The Museum History Journal is currently seeking submissions.  This new, peer-reviewed, semi-annual journal has just published its inaugural issue for Spring 2008.  Articles that appear in the first issue that may be of interest to historians of science in America include: Charlotte Porter, "Natural History Discourse and Collections: The Roles of Collectors in the Southeastern Colonies of North America" Mary Anne Andrei, "The Duty to Conserve: The Importance of Natural History Museums as Exemplars of Conservation Ethics" William S. Walker, "John C. Ewers and the Problem of Cultural History: Displaying American Indians at the Smithsonian in the Fifties"

The Social Science Research Council is currently accepting applications for their Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship.  Each year the SSRC offers these fellowships in certain research fields.  Each research field is led by tenured professors who serve as research directors, leading a team of graduate students.  The fellowship entails two workshops and the availability of up to $5000 in research funds. Research fields for 2008 include: Animal Studie s (Janet Browne, Harriet Ritvo) and Critical Studies of Science and Technology Policy (Sheila Jasanoff, Clark Miller).  The deadline is February 8th.

Lawrence University is accepting applications for their 2008-2009 Fellows in the Liberal Arts and Sciences postdoctoral program.  Historians who will have their PhDs in hand by August 2008 or who  have received their degree within the past five years are encouraged to apply.  Fellows will teach at Lawrence for two years, with salary and research support.  Lawrence University is a highly selective liberal arts college in beautiful Appleton, Wisconsin .

DNA Sleuth Bruce Stillman Lectures on the Future of Molecular Medicine @ 8 pm President of New York’s prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory , Dr. Bruce Stillman take us to the frontlines of cancer and disease research. Get ready to go cellular as Dr. Stillman asks: Where will the latest discoveries in genetics take us? Will it be possible to live with cancer one day? What are the most promising new technologies for biomedical researchers? How can we employ the latest breakthroughs in science to benefit public health? A recipient of the Curtin Medal for Excellence in Medical Research, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Stillman focuses his research on DNA replication. In addition to serving as Cold Spring Harbor's president, he is the director of the laboratory's cancer center. BEFORE AND AFTER --Groove to science-inspired tunes and self-replicating bio-video --stick around for the Q&A --sample the cocktail of the ni...

A new on-line journal for historians and philosophers of science has published its first issue.   Spontaneous Generations  is peer-reviewed and interdisciplinary in focus.  Each issue will include research articles, short editorials, and focused discussion on selected topics.  The journal is currently accepting on-line submissions.  

Podcasting is still unfamiliar territory for many academics, but the number of good quality history podcasts is growing rapidly. Elizabeth Green Musselman has entered the fray with the first podcast devoted exclusively to the history of science, technology, and medicine. Her podcast, The Missing Link , is a delightful program consisting of several half hour episodes on a particular theme. The latest episode includes live audio of Ted Porter's lecture at the most recent History of Science Society conference in Washington DC. Earlier episodes explored science fiction, gender, and animal companions. Much of the podcast content comes from Musselman herself, but she has also encouraged her students to prepare short essays, and welcomes outside submissions as well. The program has a high-quality production value which makes for a pleasant listening experience. Individual episodes might be easily incorporated into syllabi as lecture supplements, or as part of a larger assignment. Hopeful...

Exhibit Announcement Benjamin Franklin: A How-To Guide The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University [From the Website] What do you know and how do you know it? Today we are surrounded by self-help literature and how-to guides. While Franklin did not create this how-to universe, this most celebrated of self-made Americans did much to shape it.In recognition of the 300th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Franklin, three scholars - Joyce E. Chaplin, Sara J. Schechner, and Thomas A. Horrocks - have joined forces to curate a two-part exhibition that is simultaneously on display in two Harvard venues and explores the self-help theme from two perspectives. At Houghton Library, the exhibition examines the Circulation of Knowledge, focusing on how information was made public. At the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, the focus is on Science and Sociability, exploring how science was part of a social context that prized human interaction and collabo...

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 Among the greatest advantages offered by full-text databases are their indexing and search capabilities. I see many historians of science using these features to good effect in their research. But when it comes to teaching, most of the student assignments I see (and as a librarian, I see a lot of them) just use these new resources in old ways—typically just as a source for known items. I’d like to suggest that many of the full-text collections now available can be used to design interesting assignments that were not feasible before—especially for undergraduates. The trick is to start by looking at the databases available to you and determining what they are best at—that is, how do they index their content; what kinds of search and retrieval mechanisms do they use, how do they organize and display their results. Then you can develop assignments that are shaped as much by the features of the digital resources as by subject material.In general, commercial, licens...

Thursday, March 02, 2006 Distinguished Lecturer address delivered at the Forum's annual meeting in November, 2005 The Forum 20 Years Later: Establishing a Creation Story Marc Rothenberg Smithsonian Institution I am very honored to be selected as the Distinguished Historian by the Forum and to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Reingold and Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, among others. Because this is the 20th anniversary of the formal establishment of the Forum, it seems appropriate to take this opportunity to reflect upon the events of two decades ago. It was a busy time in my life. My marriage, my assumption of the editorship of the Joseph Henry Papers, and the establishment of the Forum all took place within five months of each other. But today I will reflect on only one of these three milestones.In looking back at the founding of the forum, I hope to supplement Clark Elliott’s excellent account of the history of the Forum published in Catching Up with the Vision, the special 1999 issu...

Hear ye! Hear ye! Yo! Yo! Union Hall’s Secret Science Club is partnering with Public Agenda to confront the problem of global warming . And we’re having a town meeting—with a twist (of lime). You must RSVP for this special event! When: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 7 pm What: A Public Dialogue on the Challenges of Climate Change Where: Union Hall’s subterranean grotto, 702 Union St., Brooklyn, NY We all know global warming is real. But what are we doing about it? Come meet your neighbors. We’ll work in groups to share ideas and brainstorm —and then get together to raise the roof. Special guests! Radley Horton, climatologist at Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies + Ben Jervey, author of The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York City will be on hand to answer your questions. What impact will global warming have on New York City and the world? How should we deal with it? You be the judge! Pl...