ISSN 0739-4934 NEWSLETTER HISTORY OF SCIENCE VOLUME 31 NUMBER 1 January 2002 SOCIETY LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT John W. Servos, Amherst College he volumes of Isis on my shelf tell me membership in the HSS is less expensive fund such vital publications as the Current Tthat I joined the History of Science today than it was in 1975 when measured in Bibliography and the Guide to the Profession Society in 1975. I don’t recall the exact inflation-adjusted dollars. Comparison of (the next edition of which we hope to publish circumstances but am pretty sure that it was the HSS with other scholarly societies later this year). a shot in the dark. I then knew little about the reinforces the conclusion that membership We sought an endowment in order history of science and even less about the in the HSS is a bargain. In preparing this to insure that membership in the Society HSS. As it turns out, it was a lucky shot. The letter, I visited the Web sites of sixteen other would continue to be accessible to a wide benefits of membership quickly repaid the scholarly societies, picking most of the names circle of scholars and to give the Society the very modest expense. For student dues of off the list of our sisters in the American flexibility to serve its members and the nine dollars, the Society sent me a journal Council of Learned Societies. Six of these profession in creative ways. It has served full of reviews and articles that opened new organizations offer individual members flat these purposes well. Of late, however, the vistas, a magnificent annual Bibliography, membership rates; of these six, only one (the Society has had to shoulder costs that simply and a Newsletter that kept me up to date on Bibliographical Society of America) did not exist as recently as a decade ago. conferences, news of the profession, and, of undercuts our 2001 dues of $57 for an Until recently, for example, preparation of course, job openings. individual membership. Ten societies peg the Current Bibliography cost the Society These benefits of membership still dues to the income of members. Seeking a very little because of the extraordinary attract young historians to our Society, but quick comparison, I looked at what a person generosity of its long-time editor, John Neu, there are now other reasons to join as well. earning $62,000 per year (roughly the middle and his employer, the University of Graduate students, independent scholars, and of the typical sliding scale) might pay. Dues Wisconsin. Since John’s retirement, the HSS junior scholars have opportunities for travel at this income level range from a low of $65 grants to attend annual meetings–meetings (American Musicological Society) to a high continued on p. 2 that are now four or five times the size of the of $194 (American Sociological gatherings of the 1970s. We receive discounts Association). Benefits of membership in the on Osiris and convenient access to the HSS, I should add, compare favorably with CONTENTS marvelous electronic Bibliography of the those offered by most of these societies. History of Science, Technology, and How has the Society managed to Cover Story: Medicine through our cooperative expand its services while keeping its dues so Letter from the President 1-2 arrangement with the Research Libraries low? Our endowment is an important part of Innovations in Education 4-6 Group (RLG). We can instantly find the answer. The HSS is unusual among information about teaching resources– scholarly societies in having resources News and Inquiries 7-9 sample course syllabi and listings of video capable of supporting a significant fraction 2001 Meeting News 10-11 resources for our courses–on the Society’s of its activities. Built up over the past two Web site. During the coming year Isis will decades through the vigorous efforts of many Awards, Honors, become available in electronic form, and of our members, the endowment generates and Appointments 12 back issues of Isis will soon thereafter be sufficient income to pay approximately a available through JSTOR. And so, in the quarter of the Society’s annual operating Grants, Fellowships, not-too-distant future we will be able to call expenses. Income from endowed funds is and Prizes 13-15 up articles from current and past issues of being used to fund most of our annual prizes, Jobs 15 Isis from our homes and offices much as we to subsidize travel to meetings for some now secure access to the RLG database. students and independent scholars, to Future Meetings 16-18 Despite the expansion of services, maintain the Web page and the other services Isis Books Received 20-22 our dues are still modest. In fact, individual provided by our Executive Office, and to HISTORY OF SCIENCE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2002 HSS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE History of Science Society Executive Office University of Washington President Box 351330 John W. Servos, Amherst College Seattle, Washington 98195-1330 Phone: 206-543-9366 Vice-President Michael M. Sokal, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Fax: 206-685-9544 Email: [email protected] Secretary Web site: http://www.hssonline.org Margaret J. Osler, University of Calgary Physical address (Fed-Ex, UPS): Treasurer Johnson Hall, Room 236 Marc Rothenberg, Smithsonian Institution University of Washington Seattle, Washington 98195-1330 Editor Margaret W. Rossiter, Cornell University Subscription Inquiries: ISIS and HSS Newsletter Please contact the University of Chicago Press directly, at: Executive Director [email protected]; fax: 773-753-0811. Robert J. Malone (ex officio) Or write University of Chicago Press, Subscription Fulfillment Manager, 1427 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 60637-7363. continued from p. 1 Moving? Please notify both the HSS Executive Office and the has had to pay its fair share of the editorial costs of the Bibliography– University of Chicago Press at the above addresses. an expense that has put a considerable strain on our budget. Our Web • site, to cite another example, is a great convenience to job seekers HSS Newsletter and participants in annual meetings and a valuable resource for those seeking information about the history of science, but its maintenance Editorial Policies, Advertising, and Submissions involves time and expense. In trying to keep membership dues as The History of Science Society Newsletter is published in low as possible, the Society has met some of these expenses by January, April, July, and October, and sent to all individual gradually increasing its draw on the endowment from about 3.6% at members of the Society; those who reside outside of North the beginning of the 1990s to about 4.5% in recent years. Preliminary America pay an additional $5 annually to cover a portion of indications suggest that the Society will need to draw about 5% in airmail charges. The Newsletter is available to nonmembers the coming fiscal year in order to achieve a balanced budget. and institutions for $25 a year. This is hardly a crisis, but the trend suggests that the The Newsletter is edited and desktop published in the Society needs to find ways to increase the size of its endowment over Executive Office on an Apple Power Macintosh system using the coming years in order to sustain its level of services, fulfill its Microsoft Word and Adobe PageMaker. The format and obligation to promote the history of science, and maintain its editorial policies are determined by the Executive Director in commitment to keeping membership affordable. Officers of the consultation with the Committee on Publications. All Society will be alert to opportunities to enlarge the Society’s advertising copy must be submitted camera-ready. resources in the future, as they have been in the past, but any Advertisements are accepted on a space-available basis only, organization that seeks external support must also demonstrate that and the Society reserves the right not to accept a submission. its membership believes in its own cause. And so I urge you to be The rates are as follows: Full page (9 x 7.5"), $400; Horizontal generous when the Society asks for your support in the months and or Vertical Half page (4.5 x 7.5"), $220; Quarter page (3 x 5"), years ahead. It is one way to insure that the Society we give the next $110. The deadline for insertion orders and camera-ready copy generation of historians of science is as healthy and vigorous as the is six weeks prior to the month of publication (e. g., 20 one that our teachers have given us. November for the January Newsletter) and should be sent to the attention of the HSS Executive Office at the above address. HSS recommends that all camera-ready ads be sent via overnight FUTURE HSS MEETINGS or 2-day mail to the physical address above. The deadline for news, announcements, and job/fellowship/ Milwaukee, WI prize listings is firm: The first of the month prior to the 7-10 November 2002 month of publication. Long items (feature stories) should be Cambridge, MA submitted six weeks prior to the month of publication as email 20-23 November 2003 file attachments or on a 3.5" disk (along with a hard copy). Please send all material to the attention of Gail Alexander at Austin, TX the HSS address above (email or disk appreciated). 18-21 November 2004 © 2002 by the History of Science Society 2 HISTORY OF SCIENCE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2002 HSS 2002: Call For Papers 7-10 November 2002, Milwaukee, WI The History of Science Society will HSS Committee on Meetings & commentator, discussant, or chair). Where hold its 2002 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Programs Guidelines possible, Program Chairs are also encouraged 7-10 November 2002.