NEWSLETTER OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY No. 129a, n.s. Spring 2016 Welcome to Singapore! elcome to Singapore in 2016. Our city-state is environmentalism, and international relations among its home to a thriving and expanding community themes, which makes us a natural host for SHOT. Our Wof young STS-oriented scholars spread across campus is spacious and green, with landmark architecture, four institutions of higher learning, all of whom are cooperat- lots of restaurants, and ubiquitous air conditioning. A large ing to make this meeting a success. If you’ve never been to staff of students and academics here will also be working Asia, or Southeast Asia, this is your opportunity to extend to make you comfortable. Please join us and help through horizons. The same is true if you’re already in the region, your presence and contribution to make SHOT’s very first as the conference will bring some of the leading STS Asia-based conference a great success. scholars from around the world to your doorstep. As for the – Gregory Clancey history of technology, we intend this conference to be a Chair, Local Organizing Committee landmark event in that field, and an invitation to scholars from a wide variety of disciplines and locations to join us in thinking historically (or ‘diachronically,’ as your taste dictates) about the role and presence of technologies in human and non-human affairs. IN THIS ISSUE Asia is an originator and consumer of so much of the 1 Welcome to Singapore! world’s technology, but is under-represented in social 3 Weather and Transportation in Singapore science and humanities scholarship that considers 4 President’s Message technology as a category. This is most apparent when it 6 Secretary’s Message comes to accounts that transcend the immediate present. 7 Program Overview While this conference will feature papers from every 12 Events at the Annual Meeting part of the globe, and not just Asia, it’s also a unique 14 Online Registration opportunity to reflect on what the rise of social science 15 Special Interest Group Events and humanities scholarship on technology in this half 16 Preliminary Program of the world means – and could mean – across all our fields and locations. 45 Tours 47 Registration Form Our venue, Tembusu College at NUS, is one of four 55 Conference Hotel in Singapore residential colleges at the National University of 55 Call for Proposals for Hosting Future Singapore’s new “University Town” campus. Named Annual Meetings after a local tree, the college counts STS scholarship, SHOT Newsletter 2 Spring 2016 SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY OFFICE OFFICERS Deptartment of History President Francesca Bray 310 Thach Hall Vice-President/ Auburn University, AL 36849-5207, USA President-Elect John Krige Fax 334-844-6673 Email [email protected] Secretary Dave Lucsko Website http://www.historyoftechnology.org Treasurer Ross Bassett Editor Suzanne Moon SHOT Newsletter Editorial Policies, For Change of Address, Membership Advertising Rates, and Submission Information, and Journal Delivery Queries Deadlines Please contact: The SHOT Newsletter is published once a year Robert White-Goodman in July and sent to all individual members of Journals Division the Society who request it. During the rest of Johns Hopkins University Press the year, news of the Society is available on its 2715 N. Charles St. website. Items for inclusion will be published if Baltimore, MD 21218, USA received by 1 June. Material for the newsletter Phone 410-516-6964 may be submitted via electronic mail. Non- Fax 410-516-3866 members and institutions may receive the Email [email protected] Newsletter by separate subscription for $15 per year. The Newsletter is also available The SHOT logo was created by Brickworks online at SHOT’s website. of London Readers should verify closing dates and other information provided by institutions and ADVERTISING RATES sponsors; the Secretary and SHOT are not Full page (7½" x 9½") $200 responsible for changes or typographical errors or omissions. Advertising for books, journals, and Half page (7½" x 5" or 3" x 9½") $150 other matters related to the interests of the Society Quarter page (3" x 5") $100 and its members is accepted if received by 1 June. SHOT Newsletter 3 Spring 2016 2016 LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Gregory Clancey Sulfikar Amir Jerome Whitington Margaret Tan Hallam Stevens Sorelle Henricus Itty Abraham Eric Kerr Shekhar Krishnan Catelijne Coopmans John DiMoia Ellan Spero Lisa Onaga Jessica Ratcliff Tyson Vaughan Weather in Singapore in June Transportation within Singapore Temperatures in Singapore during the conference will be SHOT will provide buses to carry you from the Grand warm and relatively humid. According to the almanacs at Copthorne to University Town in the mornings, and from AccuWeather.com and the Weather Underground, we University Town back to the Grand Copthorne in the should be looking at high temperatures in the high 80s F evenings. Other transportation options abound. Taxis are (approximately 31° C), and low temperatures in the mid- abundant and inexpensive (approximately S$10 to S$15 70s F (approximately 24° C). Humidity will range from between the hotel and University Town, for example). about 65 to 95 percent. Public transportation is also inexpensive, with unlimited 3-day bus/MRT/LRT passes starting at just over S$20. Singapore is also a very safe and walkable place, and a Transportation to Singapore number of destinations are within short walking distance Singapore is served by Changi Airport (SIN), a major of the Grand Copthorne. However, please bear in mind transportation hub in Southeast Asia that Skytrax has that distances in Singapore can seem greater than a named the best airport in the world on three occasions, glance at a map might suggest, especially in the summer most recently in 2015. Located on the eastern edge of the heat. (In 2015 your secretary, who is no stranger to hot island, Changi is approximately 13 miles from the Grand and humid weather and who often takes long walks back Copthorne and 18 miles from University Town. Changi is home in Alabama, found the 6-mile walk from University served by more than 75 airlines, including most of the Town to the Orchard Road shopping district a bit taxing, major international carriers. and was happy to spend S$15 for a cab ride back.) The easiest way to get from the airport to the Grand Note: When traveling by taxi to University Town, please Copthorne or to University Town (and vice-versa) is by tell the driver to take you to “ UTown ,” and not “NUS,” taxi, which costs approximately S$20 to S$40 depending “National University of Singapore,” nor even “Tembusu on the time of day. Public transportation is also available College.” “ UTown ” is the most widely-known name of the to the vicinity of the Grand Copthorne (Tiong Bahru venue among cab drivers. EW17 station is a 17 minute walk from the hotel) and Also, please note that when traveling by cab to the Grand to University Town (Dover EW22 station is a 20 minute Copthorne Waterfront, you should tell the driver to take you walk from University Town). to the “Grand Copthorne Waterfront on Havelock Road.” SHOT Newsletter 4 Spring 2016 President’s Message est wishes to all SHOT members for the Year of Technology,” along with Daiwie Fu from Taiwan. A the Monkey, the zodiac sign which favours such philosopher of science and technology, Professor Fu has Bcharacter traits as curiosity, cunning and a taste for played a major role in establishing STS as a critical experiment. In other words it should be an excellent year discipline in Asia, including founding the journal EASTS. for artisans, engineers and historians of technology. EASTS’ legendarily hospitable editorial team will be well represented in panels and social events at the Singapore SHOT’s ingrained love of experiment will find full meeting. expression this year in our June meeting in Singapore, which will be a true melting-pot of nations, disciplines, Asian themes and the broader questions they stimulate will perspectives and formats. Singapore will certainly be a naturally feature prominently at the Singapore meeting – meeting to remember! The programme brings together thanks to SHOT-Asia, the EASTS Network, the Forum for historians and practitioners, philosophers, STS scholars and the History of Technology in China, the APSTSN and all artisans, feminists and activists from all over the Asia- our other Asian and Pacific colleagues for the splendid list Pacific region as well as Europe, Africa and the Americas, of events! These include an IAEA-sponsored forum in a mix of “traditional” and threaded sessions, discussion marking 5 years since the Fukushima disaster, and a set of panels and roundtables. Many participants are newcomers threaded panels reflecting on the Needham legacy in to SHOT, who we hope may be tempted to join our Society history of technology. long-term. As an Asianist myself, it will be a real thrill for Feminism is another key theme in Singapore. 2016 marks the me to meet so many fellow SHOT members in Asia. We 40th anniversary of WITH (Women in Technology History), shall really miss those of you who couldn’t manage the and we celebrate with several events: in addition to Ruth unusual date or the distance, but we hope you will tweet in Schwartz Cowan’s Keynote Address, there is a Presidential to add your ideas to the mix. Panel on “Why Feminist Perspectives on Technology Still Our warmest thanks are due to Greg Clancey, Master of Matter: A Global/Presidential Roundtable,” organised by Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore, Arwen Mohun, with discussion led by feminist scholars for proposing that SHOT meet in Asia, and for making it from East and South Asia, Europe and the United States; possible.