Events for June 2009
June 12, 2009
Conference at CHF: “Composition to Commerce: Chemistry, History, and the Wider World”
Chemical Heritage Foundation | Visit site »
Dates: June 12 - 13, 2009
Location: Chemical Heritage Foundation
Free, but registration is required.
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) invites you to join us for a 1½-day conference, “Composition to Commerce: Chemistry, History, and the Wider World,” to be held at CHF headquarters in Philadelphia, 12 - 13 June 2009. Conference organizers are Seymour Mauskopf (Duke University), Alan Rocke (Case Western Reserve University), and Anke Timmermann (Chemical Heritage Foundation).
The history of chemistry has a long and distinguished lineage of chemist/historian practitioners. The professionalization of the history of science in the second half of the 20th century has broadened the topics of investigation in the history of chemistry, but also produced a need for historians to be aware of the methods and implications of their research. Today, historians of chemistry pursue a rich array of research topics ranging from medieval and early modern chymistry to contemporary nanotechnology, and from laboratory and industrial practice to the functions and challenges of chemistry in the public sphere. “Composition to Commerce: Chemistry, History, and the Wider World” is intended to bring together some of the leading scholars of the history of chemistry both to present the fruits of their current research and to reflect on how their work relates to general themes in the recent historiography of chemistry and science.
The conference will commence on Friday, June 12, with two back-to-back sessions on: “Chemistry as Technoscience” (speakers Ursula Klein & Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent) and “Material Culture of the Chemical Laboratory” (speakers Marco Beretta & Carsten Reinhardt)
Friday’s sessions will be followed by a reception for all participants.
Also see listing for Saturday, June 13.
June 13, 2009
Conference at CHF: “Composition to Commerce: Chemistry, History, and the Wider World”
Chemical Heritage Foundation | Visit site »
Dates: June 12 - 13, 2009
Location: Chemical Heritage Foundation
Free, but registration is required.
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) invites you to join us for a 1½-day conference, “Composition to Commerce: Chemistry, History, and the Wider World,” to be held at CHF headquarters in Philadelphia, 12 - 13 June 2009.
Saturday, June 13, will feature sessions on: “Alchemical/Chemical Practices in the Study and the Classroom” (speakers William Newman & Matthew Eddy), “Chemists and Society in the 18th Century” (speakers Lissa Roberts & Mi Gyung Kim), and “Chemistry in a Broader Context” (speakers Alan Rocke & Kathryn Steen).
The conference will close with a final keynote address from Seymour Mauskopf, Duke University.
Also see listing for Friday, 12 June.
June 18, 2009
Panel Discussion: “What Would Galileo Think?”
The Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science | Visit site »
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Place: Franklin Theater, The Franklin
Three scholars speculate on what Galileo might think about today’s controversial scientific issues, including stem cell research, evolution and climate change. Panelists include Mario Biagioli, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University; Ruth Schwartz Cowan, Professor of History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylania; and Maurice Finocchiaro, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
This is the opening session of a symposium on “The Legacy of Galileo” featuring scholars and authors in the areas of science, religion, and art. See listings for June 19 and 20.
June 19, 2009
Symposium: The Legacy of Galileo
The Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science | Visit site »
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Place: Franklin Theater, The Franklin
This all-day symposium features presentations and panel discussions by scholars and authors in the areas of science, religion, and art. The complete program is posted here.
Also see listing for June 18.
June 23, 2009
David V. Black, Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section) Fellow, Chemical Heritage Foundation
“Teaching the History of Chemistry through Student-Created Podcasts”
Chemical Heritage Foundation, Brown Bag Lecture | Visit site »
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Place: 6th Floor Conference Room, Chemical Heritage Foundation
Information: 215-873-8289 or bbl@chemheritage.org
For the past two years, teams of students in David Black’s media design courses have traveled to sites in Utah to document the history, uses, mining, refining, and production of the chemical elements and industrial materials. They have interviewed subject experts, toured and videotaped sites, and the footage is being edited into a series of podcast episodes. In this presentation, David will show samples of the video episodes, discuss the project and its purposes, how his research at CHF this summer will fit in, and ask for feedback on approach, scope, audience, sponsorships, and project assessment strategies.
David Black is the Société de Chimie Industrielle (American Section) Fellow at CHF this summer. He has 20 years’ experience teaching physical science, history, and media design technology courses at high schools and vocational colleges in California and Utah. He has also worked with NASA’s Explorer Schools program as an Educator Facilitator, leading educator workshops at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA.