Jointly organized by: THE CITY OF MECHELEN & HERITAGE CENTRE LAMOT, and THE INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORY ASSOCIATION

The Organizing Committee invites proposals for papers to be presented at this International Conference to commemorate the 175^th anniversary of the first commercial rail operations on the European continent, between Brussels and Mechelen, to be held in Mechelen, Belgium, from 27^th to 29^th May 2010.

This conference should shed light on the complex relationship between the railways, the cities and the users – consumers of this new transport mode.  Railway lines structure cities and create landscape. Cities benefit from the railways, like railways benefit from the cities. Railways bring in new culture, new identities and new representations.  A railway station was a new object, a new place and a new building in the city’s environment. With a railway station a city became part of a greater chain of production and consumption in a network without borders.

The need to accommodate the railway companies posed new questions to city councils, not only about the level of urbanism, but also about network building, the geography of transport and city architecture. Detailed research into the complex relations between cities and their rapidly growing hinterlands and into the transformation of cities by the early railway lines will help us to understand the potential of railway locations for our near future.

The conference welcomes papers on the first railway experiences in Belgium and in other countries, with attention to the political, geopolitical and economic context of the early and the new adaptors, and the forms of network building, organisational structure and financing of the early projects. Experiences in a transnational context – international exchange of knowledge, etc. – are highly recommended. The conference welcomes also papers on railway stations as new places in or nearby cities;  the way an identity is created within that new entry into town; the user – consumer of mobility on 19th and early 20th century railways; the decline of the railway stations in the 1950s and 60s and the revival of the railway station at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century due to new investments in public transport, implementation of high speed rail, investments in city development, etc. We especially encourage transnational and comparative approaches, and welcome proposals of a more empirical nature, as well as proposals exploring theoretical or methodological issues.

The deadline for abstracts and a short CV (max one page each; Word or rich text format only) is October 15th. 2009. Please send proposals to: trein@mechelen.be. Submitters will be notified by the programme committee by January 15th 2010. Travel costs and accomodation are paid by the organisors for the conference period (27-29 May 2010). It is the intention of the organisers to publish the papers after the conference.

Scientific Committee:
Colin Divall – Institute of Railway Studies & Transport History – University of York UK; Ralf Roth – Wolfgang Goehte University Frankfurt & IRHA – Guy Vanthemsche – Vakgroep Geschiedenis Vrije Universiteit Brussel; Nico Wouters – Heritage Centre Lamot and vakgroep Geschiedenis UA – Paul Van Heesvelde International Railway History Association.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986, the Intrepid was a mass-produced city at sea, one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during and just after World War II. During the early years of the Cold War, the Navy began modernizing its Essex-class carriers for the jet age. Frequent overhauls and refittings extended the Intrepid’s service through the Cold War, the space race, and the Vietnam War.  In 1974, the Intrepid was decommissioned and shortly thereafter, New York City developer and philanthropist Zachary Fisher spearheaded a campaign to save the ship and open it as a museum at Manhattan’s Pier 86.  This tour will examine the Intrepid’s long career in the Navy, highlighting key design features of the historic aircraft carrier.

Starting in October 2006, the Intrepid Museum embarked upon an unprecedented two-year restoration and renovation project.  The Intrepid went into dry-dock, where her hull was repaired and painted.  Perkins & Will/Eva Maddox Branded Environments worked with the museum’s exhibits department to create a world-class museum environment within the ship’s hangar deck.  Among the goals of the redesign was the creation a contemporary-looking insertion that would complement both the contemporary and historic features of the hangar deck.  Another objective was to develop a style guide so that future exhibits would have the look and feel of the hangar installation, creating a cohesive appearance that is unique to the Intrepid Museum yet akin to other major museums in New York and around the world. The Study Day will explore the ways in which Intrepid Museum’s redesign addresses these goals. 

Why participate in an SAH study-day?  It’s simple.  These study-days offer:

·          Special access—SAH tours get to go behind-the-scenes, experiencing places and seeing things not available to the general public;

·          Exceptional scholarly expertise—SAH tours are led by experts in the field, scholars well-versed in the topic who typically share insights that have not yet been published; and

·          Unparalleled networking opportunities—SAH tours offer participants the chance to interact with other scholars in a venue that is informal, interactive, and intellectually engaging.

For more information, please follow this link: A Landmark at Sea: The Architecture and Design of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, or register now at: https://asoft130.securesites.net/secure/sah/index.php?src=forms&ref=SAH+Study+Day+-+Intrepid&id=SAH+Study+Day+-+Intrepid.

The Department for the History of Science and the Program in Women, Gender and Sexuality [WGS] at Harvard University invite applications and nominations for a tenure-track appointment that will be located half-time in each program. The appointment is intended to advance research and teaching on questions and themes at the intersection of history of science (including medicine and technology) and historical and contemporary scholarship on women, gender, and sexuality. The area of focus is open, but might include science and technology studies (including biotechnology), modern life science, environmentalism and ecology, non-Western science, medicine, and technology, and science and/health policy.

The successful candidate must show promise of distinguished scholarship, and be able to demonstrate a commitment to excellence in teaching undergraduates interested in both women, gender and sexuality studies and in the history of science. He or she should also be able to teach and advise at both doctoral and master’s levels.

All applicants must hold the doctoral degree by or before the fall semester of 2010.  Harvard University is an equal opportunity, affirmative-action employer and encourages applications from women and/or ethnic minority candidates.

Letters of nomination are welcome.  Letters of application should be accompanied by a current curriculum vitae, no more than two sample publications, and a sample syllabus and/or teaching statement. Materials should be sent in duplicate to:
WGS and History of Science Search Committee
c/o Marcus Dahmen, Department of the History of Science,
Science Center 371, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138.
mdahmen@fas.harvard.edu
Deadline for applications is October 15, 2009, and interviews may be scheduled shortly thereafter.

In 2010, the International Water History Association will organize an international conference on water history in Delft, the Netherlands. Scheduled for June 16-19, 2010, the conference will be a unique opportunity to exchange existing and to develop new insights about the history of one of our most precious resources. Subjects can range from rivers to drops, from seas to mountain lakes. See the conference Web site at : www.waterhistory2010.citg.tudelft.nl.

The conference is co-organized by IWHA and the Department of Water Resources at Delft University of Technology. Three special sessions will be organized: Water History in the Low Lands, Irrigation in Ancient Societies, and History and Future. Furthermore, a special workshop on irrigation is planned.

Delft is an attractive, historic town with a vibrant student life: outdoor cafes and restaurants are plentiful; all are easy to find and in walking distance. No other university city has so many active student, sport, and cultural associations. As Delft is based in the urban west of the Netherlands (Randstad), cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and The Hague are all within easy reach. Just take one of the many trains—anytime—as they also run at night. Its University of Technology, and its water-related programs in particular, are famous around the world.

According to the draft schedule, papers for this conference should be submitted before January 15, 2010, with letters of acceptance being foreseen on March 15, 2010.

In case you cannot wait for the call for papers, you are invited to contact: Maurits W. Ertsen, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands; e-mail: m.w.ertsen@tudelft.nl.

Water History welcomes articles from such fields and perspectives as environmental history, urban history, the history of technology, archaeology, cultural studies, management studies, engineering, geography, agricultural history, and the sciences. Though we encourage submissions that are relevant to today’s concerns, the journal’s core mission is to study the past, not the present. Articles should primarily relate to the history of water and the way that it has affected both human history and other aspects of the natural world. Please visit: http://www.springer.com/environment/water/journal/12685 or go directly to online submission at http://www.editorialmanager.com/iwha/.

For further questions, please contact one of the editors.
Johann Tempelhoff
Niche Area for the Cultural Dynamics of Water
North-West University
Vaal Triangle Campus
PO Box 1174
Vanderbijlpark
1900 Gauteng
South Africa
Email: johann.tempelhoff@nwu.ac.za

Heather J. Hoag
History Department
College of Arts and Sciences
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
USA
Email: hjhoag@usfca.edu  (email contact preferred)

Maurits W. Ertsen
Water Resources Management
Department of Civil Engineering and Geosciences
Delft University of Technology
PO Box 5041 2600 GA Delft
The Netherlands
Email: m.w.ertsen@tudelft.nl

The International Water History Association has a web page at www.iwha.ewu.edu

The Center for Contemporary History and Policy (CCHP) of the Chemical Heritage Foundation is seeking scholars to write case studies on contemporary materials innovation. The case studies, typically 25-35 pages in length, will consist of empirical investigations on research and development, production, marketing, and use of new materials since ca. 1980. Studies should describe the underlying scientific and technical advances, but the primary analytical orientation should be on the broader social, economic, and political context of materials innovation, including but not limited to: the role of regulation; the influence of standards and standard-setting institutions; the role of organizational factors; the impacts of changing markets and supply chains on corporate innovation; the effects of the changing innovation environment.

The CCHP will provide selected scholars with stipends and research funds to conduct research and write the case studies, as well as other administrative support to publish and disseminate the final results. Successful scholars will be required to visit Philadelphia for a mid-term review and a final presentation. Selected scholars will retain copyright of the case studies, and the CHF encourages them to publish the results as scholarly articles and book chapters.

For more information on the Materials Innovation Project, please visit our website at http://www.chemheritage.org/about/about-cchp-pubs-materials-innovation.html

Preferred Themes for 2009-2010
While we will accept proposals on all topics covered within the broad boundaries outlined above, in order to maintain the balance of the overall project, we plan to give preference to proposals engaging in the following themes: (1) Materials innovation in non-U.S. contexts, especially in Asia; (2) Emerging regulatory regimes in nano-materials; (3) Failed materials innovations, which become a bottleneck in technological development. For clarifications on preferred themes, please get in touch with the Program Associate, Innovation Studies Program.

How to Apply: The deadline for proposal submission is 31 July 2009. Submissions should include:
(1) Cover letter including the following information: name; mailing address to be used for future correspondence; telephone and fax numbers; e-mail address; present rank and institution name; date Ph.D. received or expected; and title of your research project.
(2) Case study proposal of not more than 1,000 words in length.
(3) Curriculum vitae.
(4) (For graduate students only) One letter of recommendation sent directly to the Program Associate, Innovation Studies Program.
Please send the complete package to:

Chi Chan, Program Associate, Innovation Studies Program
cchan@chemheritage.org
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Proposals will be reviewed by CCHP and outside reviewers, and candidates will be notified of results by mid-August 2009. We expect the first draft of the selected case studies to be completed by spring 2010. For more information about CCHP activities, please visit our website at http://www.chemheritage.org/about/about-cchp.html. To make further inquiries about the project and/or application procedure, please contact Chi Chan, Program Associate, Innovation Studies Program at 215.873.8249 or cchan@chemheritage.org.

ICCE-17 has received an overwhelming response of over 700 presentation abstracts for this year’s Honolulu conference.   A list of accepted paper titles will be available soon at the conference Web site, www.uno.edu/~engr/composite. Please inform interested parties that we are still accepting submissions of NEW paper titles. 

Interested authors should submit a detailed two-page (two-column format) abstract to David Hui, dhui@uno.edu. Abstracts must have as many results as possible. All detailed abstracts are peer-reviewed and will appear as short-papers in World Journal of Engineering (WJOE), upon payment of registration fee and attendance of ICCE-17.  Further, all full-length versions of these short-papers (with title change) will also be peer-reviewed and published in WJOE.  Thus, each presenter will have two journal papers as a benefit of coming to ICCE-17 Hawaii.

Due to budgetary constraints, we are unable to reduce the registration fee of US$520 (due before June 26, 2009).
David Hui, Ph.D., Doctor Honoris Causa; Chairman ICCE-17 Hawaii, USA
Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Univ. of New Orleans
Editor-in-Chief, Composites B: Engineering
Tel: (504) 280 6192; dhui@uno.edu

The Society for the History of Technology’s Special Interest Group for Computers, Information and Society (SIGCIS – www.sigcis.org) welcomes submissions for “Michael Mahoney And The Histories of Computing(s),” a daylong workshop on the history of computing in memory of historian Michael S. Mahoney. In keeping with Mahoney’s broad historical perspective, we encourage submissions not only about computers themselves but also about the technologies and knowledge systems into which computers have been embedded as well as the societies in which they are used. Contributions directly related to Mahoney’s work are welcome but not required. The keynote speaker, William Aspray, will discuss Mahoney’s contribution to the development of the history of computing.

The workshop will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA on Sunday, October 18, 2009. It will occur on the final day of the annual SHOT meeting with sessions in the morning and afternoon. SHOT has reserved that day for SIG events and therefore the workshop will not overlap scheduled sessions and most other SHOT functions. It will be held at the same site as the SHOT meeting.

SIGCIS encourages scholars of all levels and affiliations to participate. Organized sessions and individual papers are both welcome. In keeping with the conference theme contributions that address historiographic issues or situate work within a particular history of computing are particularly welcome. Individual contributions can fit one of a variety of formats.

1. Traditional 20 to 25-minute presentations followed by a question and answer session with the SIGCIS community. In this case a one-page abstract (maximum 400 words) will be reviewed and included in the electronic conference program. Abstracts should address the paper’s topic, argument, evidence used, and contribution to the existing literature. A full version of the paper should be sent to the session commentator at least a week prior to the meeting.
2. Dissertation proposals. We hope to include a dissertations-in-progress session, in which individuals will present their ongoing dissertation work and seek feedback from the history of computing community. In this case submit an abstract of your dissertation proposal. The full proposal will be included in the electronic conference program if accepted. Participants will be encouraged to read this prior to the session. You will have five to ten minutes to introduce the material, leaving the bulk of time available for discussion.
3. Works in progress. This is your chance to receive informal and expert discussion of draft dissertation chapters, journal articles, or book chapters. Submit a one-page abstract (maximum 400 words) including discussion of the current state of the work and any specific kinds of feedback you are seeking. If your proposal is accepted you will need to supply the draft for discussion by 1 October for inclusion in the electronic program for the workshop. You will have five to ten minutes to introduce the material, leaving the bulk of time available for discussion.
4. Proposals in other formats are also welcome. For example round table discussions, demonstrations of software of interest to historians of computing, or “author meets critics” sessions.
SHOT presenters are encouraged to apply but must present material significantly different from that presented in the main conference program.

Individual submissions should be made at http://www.sigcis.org/?q=workshop09a, and must include:
1. an abstract or dissertation proposal as described above. Paste this text into the web submission form.
2. a one-page curriculum vitae, including current e-mail addresses as a Microsoft Word or PDF document. Upload this via the web submission system. Use the filename AuthorLastName_vita. For example Smith_vita.

Proposals for complete sessions should be made at http://www.sigcis.org/?q=workshop09b, and must include:
1. The name of the session and the names, email addresses and paper titles of the presenters, organizer, chair and commentator (if applicable)
2. a one-page description (maximum 400 words) of the session that explains how individual papers contribute to an overall theme
3. an abstract for each presenter in the form described above
4. for the each presenter and other participants (including commentator if used) a one-page curriculum vitae. Compile as one Word or PDF document and upload via the web submission system.

The deadline for proposals is 22 June 2009. Notifications will be sent by 29 June 2009. If you are a graduate student seeking travel funding please submit ASAP for expedited review because the SHOT deadline for funding is 1 June. Questions should be addressed to workshop chair Joseph November [november@sc.edu].

Workshop Organizers: Joseph November, Program Committee Chair; Jeffrey Tang, Local Arrangements Chair; Brent Jesiek, Internet Infrastructure; Thomas Haigh, SIG Chair.

The SHOT Special Interest Group Women in Technological History [WITH] announces its travel award for 2009. The purpose of the award is to encourage participation of “new voices” at the annual meeting of the Society for the History of Technology [SHOT]. WITH invites applications from scholars presenting topics or perspectives underrepresented in SHOT as well as from individuals who can contribute to the annual meeting’s geographic and cultural diversity. The 2009 SHOT meeting will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 15-19, 2009. See http://historyoftechnology.org/annual_meeting.html.

Eligibility for the WITH Travel Award is open to individuals who are giving a paper at the SHOT annual meeting. Priorities for the WITH award will go to: (1) a scholar or graduate student new to SHOT belonging to a group underrepresented in SHOT, whose paper addresses issues of gender, race, ethnicity, and/or difference in the history of technology; (2) a non-US, non-Western graduate student or scholar new to SHOT presenting on any topic.

The award will include registration for the Pittsburgh meeting, a year’s membership to SHOT and WITH, the WITH breakfast or lunch, the graduate student breakfast (if appropriate), and the awards banquet; the balance of funds will be allocated to travel expenses.

Application deadline for the WITH Travel Award is June 15, 2009. For more information and the application form, go to the WITH homepage at http://www.women-in-technological-history.net or contact Joan Rothschild, chair of the award committee, at jrjar@nyc.rr.com.

The University of Ottawa is seeking applications for the position of Director, Institute for Science, Society and Policy (ISSP). The University recently approved the creation of the ISSP, an interdisciplinary unit which aims to be Canada’s leader in understanding and addressing the interplay of science, technology and society through cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, teaching and knowledge transfer. The University’s bilingual and cosmopolitan character, and its proximity and access to decision makers in government, non-governmental organizations and the private sector will give the new Institute a strategic advantage in helping shape policy linked to science and technology at the national and international level.  The new Director will also join of a vibrant community of scholars from several faculties who are currently conducting research on various issues of science, technology and society.
This position presents a unique opportunity to position the ISSP as a geographical and virtual hub that will connect scholars and students across Canada and around the world. The ideal candidate must be a builder capable of designing and developing the Institute’s strategic and financial planning, while fostering a strong and dynamic research program through the creation and maintenance of networks of researchers and research partnerships.  Institutes at the University of Ottawa also have a teaching mandate, so the Director will be expected to develop an interdisciplinary graduate program.

Terms and Qualifications: Applicants should be outstanding scholars of established reputation with expertise in the field of science, technology and policy, who have also demonstrated strong leadership and management skills.  The successful candidate will be appointed in a tenure-track position in the Faculty of Arts, where the ISSP will be located.   The salary and academic rank will be determined by the candidate’s qualifications and experience in accordance with the collective agreement.
The University of Ottawa is justly proud of its 160-year tradition of bilingualism.  Through its Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, the University provides training to staff members and to their spouses in their second official language.  At the time of tenure, the Director will be expected to have the ability to function in a bilingual setting.  

Applications: Interested candidates should send their application, curriculum vitae and the names of three referees (preferably electronically) to:
Professor Ruby Heap, Chair of the Selection Committee, c/o Office of the Vice-Rector, Research, Tabaret Hall, Room 246, 550 Cumberland Street, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5. Inquiries may be directed to Professor Heap at rheap@uottawa.ca

Deadline: The Committee will begin to consider candidates in June 2009 and will continue this process until the position is filled.  The preferred starting date is January 1, 2010.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.  Equity is a University of Ottawa policy; women, aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.