“Experiment And Experience: Ancient Egypt in the Present” is a conference where those interested in ancient Egypt or in technology (academics, craftspeople and the general public) can meet and share their common enthusiasm. All ages and abilities are welcome. An array of demonstrations and talks include flint knapping, flower arranging, textiles, and shipbuilding, as well as woodworking, stoneworking, manufacturing of ritual clay artefacts, antler bow manufacture, glassworking, an oral performance, and of course mummification!

Experimental archaeology applies the scientific method and has the potential to be a powerful interdisciplinary research tool. Along with experiential approaches, it is an excellent medium for educating and widening participation. This conference aims to integrate the arts, humanities and sciences through a series of lectures, workshops and practical demonstrations that explore the value of a hands-on approach to understanding the past generally and Ancient Egypt in particular.

Hosted by CEMA, Egypt Centre and the Department of History and Classics, Swansea University 9am Monday 10th through Wednesday 12th May 2010 Faraday A , Swansea University.

Please see http://www.swan.ac.uk/egypt/conference010.htm for the full announcement, programme and booking form.

Carolyn Graves-Brown
Curator
Egypt Centre
Swansea University
Singleton Park
Swansea
SA2 8PP

Johnson Controls will soon be celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding. We are reflecting on the first invention that started the company and spawned an industry. Warren Johnson, the founder of Johnson Controls, was granted the first patent for a room thermostat in 1883, and organized the Johnson Electric Service Co. two years later, in 1885. He went on to develop automatic systems of temperature regulation, the most important of which were wholly pneumatic.

In attempting to ascertain the importance of his invention to the building industry, energy conservation, and other related fields as they developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company would like to hear from SHOT members who have studied the early importance of automatic temperature regulation in buildings.

Please address all replies to kenneth.wirth@jci.com.
Kenneth J. Wirth, Jr.
Records and Archives Project Manager
Johnson Controls, Inc.
5757 N. Green Bay Ave.
Glendale, WI  53209
Tel.: 414-524-2287

If you or someone you know has published an article in 2009 dealing with any aspect of the history of electricity, electronics, telecommunications, or any other electrically-related field­, and this entails history of technology in its broadest sense­, please consider nominating it for the IEEE Life Members’ Prize in Electrical History. Paper authors are encouraged to nominate themselves by submitting a copy of their article, and everyone is asked to submit notice of anything that they have seen published in 2009 that they feel is worthy of being considered for the Prize. For more information, see the official prize announcement below or contact Andrew Butrica, Prize Committee Chair, at abutrica@earthlink.net, or W. Bernard Carlson, SHOT Secretary at shot@virginia.edu.

NOTICE: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Life Members’ Prize in Electrical History, supported by the IEEE Life Members’ Fund and administered by the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), is awarded annually to the best paper in the history of electro-technology, ­power, electronics, telecommunications, and computer science, ­published during the preceding year. Any article published in a learned periodical is eligible if it treats the art or engineering aspects of electro-technology and its practitioners. The article must be written in English, although the journal or periodical in which it appears may be a foreign language publication. The prize consists of a cash award of $500 and a certificate. To nominate an article, please send a copy (paper or electronic) of the article to each member of the prize committee. Deadline for the 2009 prize is April 15, 2010.

Andrew J. Butrica (chair)
Apt. 913-South
5225 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, MD 20814
abutrica@earthlink.net

Robert MacDougall
Department of History
University of Western Ontario
Social Science Centre 4328
London, Ontario N6A 5C2
CANADA
rmacdou@uwo.ca

Eden Medina
School of Informatics and Computing
Indiana University
901 E. 10th Street, Room 305
Bloomington, IN 47408
eden.medina@gmail.com

Journal Of Geology And Mining Research (JGMR) is currently accepting manuscripts for publication. JGMR publishes rigorous theoretical reasoning and advanced empirical research in all areas of the subjects. JGMR covers all areas of the subject. The journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence, and will publish:

• Original articles in basic and applied research
• Case studies
• Critical reviews, surveys, opinions, commentaries and essays

We welcome articles or proposals from all perspectives and on all subjects pertaining to Geography, Geology, Mining, Oceanography, Meteorology, Mineralogy, Petrology, Geomorphology, Ecology, Environmentalism, Volcanology, Sedimentology, Seismology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Hydrogeology, Economic Geology, Plate tectonics, Metallurgy, Radiogeology, Paleontology, Geodesy. The journal will also address developments within the discipline. Each issue will normally contain a mixture of peer-reviewed research articles, reviews or essays using a variety of methodologies and approaches.

 Manuscripts must be sent as e-mail attachment to jgmr.academicjournals@gmail.com. JGMR editorial board makes an objective and quick decision on each manuscript and informs the corresponding author within four weeks of submission. If accepted, the article is published online in the next issue.

JGMR is an Open Access Journal: One key request of researchers across the world is unrestricted access to research publications. Open access gives a worldwide audience larger than that of any subscription-based journal and thus increases the visibility and impact of published works. It also enhances indexing, retrieval power and eliminates the need for permissions to reproduce and distribute content. JGMR is fully committed to the Open Access Initiative and will provide free access to all articles as soon as they are published.

JGMR is an open access journal and all articles published are available online without restriction to scientific researchers in the public and private sectors, government agencies, educators and the general public. The journal also provides a medium for documentation and archiving of research articles. JGMR papers are exposed to the widest possible readership.

Our objective is to inform authors of the decision on their manuscript within four weeks of submission. Following acceptance, a paper will normally be published in the next available issue.

Please visit http://www.academicjournals.org/JGMR to view our current issue.

The 2010 Program Committee seeks panel proposals that will focus on “Power and Politics.” Power is a foundational concept in history and the social sciences, and just as clearly a contested one. Traditionally, the understanding of power as the capacity to enact one’s will against resistance and images of the coercive, central state apparatus held sway, and these are still compelling visions. More recently, we have seen the emergence of a rather different conception of power as a diffuse set of forces, at work in the practices of everyday life, which may entangle actors in their own subjection. Here, the analysis of power has expanded to include the constitution of domination outside the formal polity, in forms of inequality and difference such as race, gender, or sexuality, or in terms of capillary processes working through classification systems, therapeutic discourses, and other technologies of regulation. Similarly, notions of politics and the political are debated. Some focus on collective practices, formal and informal, directed at states, while others stress the ways in which “the personal is political,” or examine individual or small-scale acts of compliance, resistance or inauguration that may be carried into the polity. And which issues and relations are considered political is historically specific. Power and politics, then, have many faces, and we may trace their institutionalization in forms of rule and the formation of subjects in a broad array of spatial, national and historical contexts.

As historical social scientists and social science historians, we hail from many traditions and disciplines. But we share common ground in the weight we assign to historicizing our understandings of power and politics. SSHA is a site in which we may use our collective intellectual resources and disciplinary traditions to help us to challenge foundational concepts and conventional understandings within our own fields.  More broadly, still, we can ask what the streams of social science history and historical social science imply for understanding power and politics in today’s world, and in the future.

The 2010 conference will be held in downtown Chicago, in the Palmer House Hilton. Chicago has served as a stage for some of America’s most memorable political events and has a rich history as a site of civil rights, labor, feminist, anti-war, student and other social movement organizing; many are fascinated by its municipal politics, its role in national partisan battles, and its emergence as one of North America’s global cities.  Thus, we also encourage panels and papers organized around Chicago themes. Papers and panels on themes not related to the conference theme are also welcome.

Proposals for individual papers and complete sessions will be accepted at http://ssha.org; the deadline for all submissions is 15 February 2010. SSHA will continue to make competitive grants for graduate student travel, now with additional help from the Charles and Louise Tilly Fund for Social Science History, which will also support a graduate student paper prize.

SSHA President for 2009-10: Ann Shola Orloff, Northwestern University, ssha2010president@gmail.com

Program Committee Co-Chairs for the 2010 Conference:
Monica Prasad, Northwestern University (Sociology), m-prasad@northwestern.edu
Jennifer Mittelstadt, Pennsylvania State University (History), jlm71@psu.edu
Kimberly Morgan, George Washington University (Government), kjmorgan@gwu.edu

Syracuse University Library invites applications for the position of Plastics Collection Project Leader. This 18 month, benefits eligible position reports to the Director of Special Collections. The successful candidate will lead an ambitious effort to build the plastics history collection, which includes artifacts, printed materials, and archives, and oversee the ongoing development of the web portal plastics.syr.edu.

In 2008, Syracuse University Library took custody of a collection of thousands of artifacts, books, and archival collections documenting the history of the plastics industry. Most of these materials are housed in the library’s Special Collections Research Center (scrc.syr.edu) where interested patrons may consult them. This bold new collecting area requires a well-rounded and entrepreneurial leader to administer its continued growth.

Requirements (listed in order of priority):

• Define collecting goals for library’s plastics collection.
• Oversee the continued development of the web portal plastics.syr.edu.
• Build relationships with industry leaders in order to attract donation of collection materials and cash gifts.
• Suffuse plastics collection into Syracuse’s many academic teaching programs.
• Convene plastics advisory board made up of interested plastics industry and academic parties.
• Answer reference questions about the collection and arrange for patron use.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in the history of science, design, technology, or business (PhD preferred) OR master’s degree in library and information science or museum studies.
• Work experience in academic libraries, archives, or museum.
• General knowledge about the role of plastics in history and society.
• Ability to work with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including academia, industry, and business.
• Proven record of leadership in programming and outreach.

Salary and Benefits: 18-month, benefits-eligible position, full-time, 37.5 hours per week. Annual Salary: $50,000. Information regarding the University’s generous benefits package can be found on the Department of Human Resources website at http://humanresources.syr.edu/benefits/.

Contact: Syracuse University requires that you complete an online application. To complete an online application through the Internet, please go to www.sujobopps.com. Applicants should attach both a cover letter and resume with the application and include the names of three professional references.

Application deadline: Position will remain open until filled. Syracuse University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Technology and Culture, the journal of the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), is pleased to announce that has moved to its new home at the University of Oklahoma. Contact information for all new business including submissions and correspondence is:

Email: techculture@ou.edu

Telephone: 1-405-325-2311

Postal address:
Suzanne Moon, incoming Editor-in-Chief
The Technology and Culture Editorial Offices
University of Oklahoma
Cate Center 4
332 Cate Center Dr. Room 484
Norman, OK 73019
USA

The Edelstein Prize is awarded annually to the author of an outstanding scholarly book in the history of technology published during the preceding three years.  Previously known as the Dexter Prize, the Edelstein Prize was established in 1968 through the generosity of the late Sidney Edelstein, a noted expert on the history of dyes and dye processes, founder of the Dexter Chemical Corporation, and 1988 recipient of SHOT’s Leonardo da Vinci Award. The prize, supported by a gift from the Sidney and Mildred Edelstein Foundation, consists of $3500 and a plaque.

Publishers, authors, and readers may nominate a title for the prize.  Please send one copy to each of the committee members listed below, postmarked by 15 April. A book is eligible for three years following its copyright date (so that books copyrighted in 2007, 2008, or 2009 are eligible for the 2010 prize).  Books originally published in a language other than English are eligible for the three years following the copyright of the English translation.

A book must be renominated in years two and three of eligibility in order to be reconsidered.  Renomination requires that a copy of the book be sent to any new committee members, and that ALL the committee members receive an email renominating the book.  All committee members must receive a book or renomination message dated by the deadline in order for a book to be considered. Deadline: 15 April 2010

For recent winners and more information, please contact the committee chair or Bernie Carlson, SHOT Secretary at shot@virginia.edu or see the prize’s web page at: http://www.historyoftechnology.org/awards/edelstein.html.

2010 Selection Committee
Francesca Bray (Chair)
Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh
SSPS, Chrystal Macmillan Building
15a George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LD
United Kingdom
francesca.bray@ed.ac.uk

Eda Kranakis
Department of History
University of Ottawa
155 Séraphin Marion St.
Ottawa Ontario K1N 6N5
Canada
kranakis@uottawa.ca

William K. Storey
History Department
Millsaps College
1701 North State Street
Jackson MS 39210
storewk@millsaps.edu

The Chemical Heritage Foundation, an independent historical research center, library, and museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, would like to encourage applications for long-term and short-term fellowships in residence at CHFs Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry for the academic year 2010-11. These fellowships are for scholars working in some area of the history and social studies of alchemical, chymical, chemical, and related sciences, technologies, crafts, or industries in all chronological and geographical areas. To get a better sense of the kinds of research we support, please visit our website and review the work being done by our current and past fellows. Our pages on Research and Fellowships can be found at: http://www.chemheritage.org/research/research.html

The deadline for applications is 15 February 2010. We have a purely online application procedure. Each applicant will select whether they are applying for a 9-month post-doctoral, 9-month dissertation, or short-term (with a specific number of months) fellowship. They will fill out the online form, attach the necessary supporting documents (cover letter, CV, and proposal), and contact information for two references. Fellows will be selected by an external peer review selection committee and awardees should be notified in April 2010.

The research collections at CHF, where the chosen fellows will be in residence throughout their fellowship period, range from the fifteenth century to the present and include approximately 10,000 rare book volumes, significant archival holdings, thousands of images, and a large artifact and fine arts collection, supported by over 100,000 reference volumes, monographs, and journals. Within the collections there are many areas of special strength, including: alchemy, mining & metallurgy, dyeing and bleaching, balneology, gunpowder and pyrotechnics, gas-lighting, books of secrets, inorganic and organic chemistry, biochemistry, food chemistry, and pharmaceuticals. Recipients of all fellowships are expected to participate in and make a contribution to CHF’s intellectual life. CHF is also an active member in the Philadelphia Area Center for the History of Science.

To be eligible for all but the special Société and Ullyot fellowships, applicants must either have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) or be a doctoral candidate at the dissertation stage. 

There are 3 basic types of fellowships: (1) Long-Term Postdoctoral Fellowships. Tenure of fellowship: 9 months. Amount of award: $43,000. Eligibility: PhD in hand by July 2010; (2) Long-Term Dissertation Fellowships. Tenure of fellowship: 9 months. Amount of award: $25,000. Eligibility: Graduate students at the dissertation stage; (3) Short-Term Fellowships. Tenure of fellowship: 1–6 months. Amount of award: $3,000 per month. Eligibility: PhD scholars and graduate students.

We are also currently offering two additional special fellowships:

• Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section) Fellowship (3 months in residence). The fellowship is designed to stimulate public understanding of the chemical industries. Applications are encouraged from writers, journalists, educators, and historians of science, technology, or business. Multimedia, popular book projects and Web-based projects are encouraged. Applicants must specify how the outcomes of their projects will reach a broad audience. Amount of award: $10,000.
• Glenn E. and Barbara Hodsdon Ullyot Scholarship (2 months in residence). The Ullyot Scholarship aims to advance the public understanding of the importance of chemistry and related sciences to the public welfare by supporting graduate or postdoctoral research into the history of chemistry and related sciences. Applications are encouraged for educational media and Web-based projects as well as popular book and magazine publications. Applicants must specify how the outcome of their proposed projects will reach a broad audience. Amount of award: $6,000.

Applications must include the following to be provided via the online application: (1) cover letter; (2) research proposal of no more than 1,000 words addressing the relevance of CHF resources, how the work advances scholarship, and how the outcome might be published; (3) C.V. of no more than three pages in length; (4) the applicant must also supply contact information for two referees to send electronic letters directly to CHF by the deadline.

For further information visit www.chemheritage.org, e-mail: fellowships@chemheritage.org, or write to Fellowships Coordinator, Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106, USA.

The Department of History at the University of Arizona invites applications for an advanced Assistant or Associate faculty position in U.S. environmental history/history of environmental science, to begin August 2010.

This position is part of a new university-wide hiring initiative in environmental science and policy. The University of Arizona, one of the most fertile campuses in the country for the study of regional to global environmental change, is seeking to deepen its interdisciplinary strength in environmental research. For more information see the UA Institute for the Environment, http://www.environment.arizona.edu/home.

We seek an established scholar with an excellent record of peer-reviewed publications, grants, and teaching. Ph.D. in history, or a relevant discipline, is required before date of hire. Preferred qualifications include expertise in 19th-century U.S. History; experience in graduate training and mentoring; and experience in working on collaborative interdisciplinary grants.

The successful candidate will be expected to pursue an active research agenda leading to publications in peer-reviewed scholarly venues; collaborate on interdisciplinary grants and research related to environment topics, especially with UA faculty associated with the Institute of the Environment; effectively teach undergraduate and graduate history courses; advise and mentor graduate students; and actively contribute to department, college, and university service committees and participate in professional organizations and public engagement.

The department seeks individuals who are able to work with diverse students and colleagues and who have experience with a variety of teaching methods and curricular perspectives. As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, the University of Arizona recognizes the power of a diverse community and encourages applications from individuals with varied experiences, perspectives and backgrounds M/W/D/V.

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. To apply, please go to http://www.hr.arizona.edu (job number: 44430), complete the on-line faculty application, and attach a letter of application describing research and teaching interests and experience, curriculum vitae with the names of three professional references. To ensure consideration, candidates must apply to this on-line posting. The additional materials – CV and Letter of Application- may either be included with the on-line application, or may be mailed directly to the Search Chair at the address below. Review of applicants will begin 2/15/10 and will continue until the position is filled.