For anyone who attended the HSS Annual Meeting in Phoenix, please see below for the link to submit travel grant reimbursements:
http://www.hssonline.org/Meeting/2009HSSReimburse%20Form.htm

If you have any questions about the NSF travel grants, please view the following FAQs:
http://www.hssonline.org/Meeting/2009HSSMeeting/travelgrantfaqs.htm

Hope to see you in Montreal, Quebec for next year’s HSS (with the Philosophy of Science Association) from 4-7 November 2010!

Annual Business Meeting: The Graduate and Early Career Caucus would like to know if there are particular issues that you would like added to the annual meeting agenda. The meeting will be held on Saturday from 12:00-1:15 in the Cowboy Artists Room. The meeting will include an overview of GECC activities this year, elections of new GECC officers, a discussion regarding panels and programming for next year, and a raffle! Please contact us at hss.gecc@gmail.com with any issues/topics/concerns that you would like to have considered for inclusion in the meeting agenda.

PANEL: I’ve Got a Ph.D. in the History of Science, Now What? Historians at work in a down economy on Saturday, 11/21 at 9-11:45am

PANEL: Digital Media in the History of Science on Saturday, 11/21 at 1:30-3:10pm

History of Science in Film: A Screening of Proteus and a Conversation with Director David Lebrun on Saturday, 11/21 at 3:30-5:30pm

GECC social events include a Mentoring/Newcomer mixer, Happy Hour on Friday, and Friday night party!

Click here to see more info about our panels, social events, and business meeting to add to your schedule.

The HSS GECC will be nominating a new co-chair (promoting a current officer), an officer to replace the incoming co-chair, and a mentorship program officer during the 2009 HSS Annual Meeting held on Saturday from 12:00-1:15 in the Cowboy Artists Room. Please consider volunteering for these leadership positions, self-nominations encouraged!

HSS GECC Mentorship Program Officer

The HSS Mentorship program brings together junior and senior members at the annual History of Science Society meetings. The program is open to all meeting participants: senior scholars volunteer their time and attention to younger scholars to help them feel at home and enjoy the meeting and to acquaint themselves with other meeting participants and HSS.

Program officer duties include:

a) Inform HSS members of the program: information channels include HSS Newsletter, HSS online, GECC blog, GECC list-serv, Women’s Caucus list-serv, interest groups/forums’ list-servs. Create messages, advertisements and instructions to be sent to these forums and program participants in cooperation with GECC Information Officer.

b) Manage the HSS GECC Mentorship Program Officer’s e-mail account, currently at HSSmentorship@gmail.com, password from current officer.

c) Take care of secretarial duties concerning the program. These include:

I) Contacting and informing participants after initial application to the program

II) Finding an older scholar to pair mentor volunteers with mentees. Contacting and informing the older scholar responsible for partnering participants, including the distribution of applications and negotiating the annual schedule concerning the program

III) Contacting and negotiating with HSS executive office concerning the annual schedule and needs of the program at the annual conference

IV) Creating the annual timetable for the program

V) Gathering information via survey after the annual meeting, analyzing the information, and suggesting changes to the program, its documents or protocol based on the input.

VI) Archive the documents concerning the program and the data gathered in cooperation with GECC Information Officer

2. Suggested annual schedule:

I) Analyze survey and data gathered from last year’s meeting with preceding Mentorship officer so that information is available in January’s GECC officers’ meeting.

II) Make appropriate changes to protocols by March. Negotiate changes with GECC officers, HSS office, or other parties of interest as appropriate.

III) Advertise Mentorship program throughout the year: post instructions and guidelines for mentors and mentees at least two weeks before the annual meeting CFP deadline.

IV) Negotiate with last year’s volunteers and/or Women’s Caucus, who will/might volunteer to do the partnering before summer break. Decide the program application deadline for that year in cooperation with older scholar, who should be given at least 3 weeks to do the partnering.

V) Advertise the program application deadline in September (was September for 2009 and 2nd cfp October 7. Mentees should contact their mentors at least 3 weeks before the conference in order to schedule a time to meet.

VI) Send out partner info with further instructions pertaining to that year to partners at least one month before annual meeting.

VII) Send out a reminder regarding first contact to younger scholars three weeks before conference.

VIII) Gather info on drop-outs two weeks before conference and take appropriate action.

IX) At the annual meeting, meet with the participants at the newcomers gathering.

Special tasks to consider for 2010 include: devise a distribution system for calls for participation and determine any new informational channels, increase program participation, consider devising a method for the organization of an ad-hoc mentorship experience, i.e. protocols and forms for a system in which mentees could find themselves mentors during the (early) conference.

Please keep checking back for updates on our HSS 2009 page. Latest annoucements include roommate finder and childcare options!

To address a much talked about need at HSS meetings, the Graduate and Early Career Caucus and Women’s Caucus of HSS are coordinating a childcare cooperative for the HSS Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, November 19-22. For reasons of liability, the Society cannot, legally, be involved in coordinating or providing childcare, so it is up to us, the members and conference participants, to do so. We will be using a commons room in the meeting hotel for our cooperative care arrangements.  Additionally, the local arrangements committee has provided a list of local child care providers on its web site for those who wish to use those services: http://cbs.asu.edu/hss/resources.php#childcare.

How the cooperative will work:

1. Please email Gina Rumore (grumore@umn.edu) with the following information by October 16:

• Number of children
• Age of children
• When you need childcare
• When you are available to provide childcare (you most certainly may volunteer to provide childcare even if you don’t require childcare!)

2. After the deadline, we will compile the needs and availability and circulate a spreadsheet to all those who responded showing when we have coverage and when we need coverage. We must have two adults with the children at all times.

3. Once we have heard back from everyone on the childcare spreadsheet, we will circulate a final schedule to all cooperative participants.

Please be aware that a request for childcare does not mean that there will be childcare available. Childcare will only be available during times we can coordinate to have two adults in the room with the children. We will do our best to accommodate, but it is up to you, the members, to provide the service.

This cooperative is very much a grassroots effort put together by several members of HSS who would like to see regular childcare at our conferences. If childcare is something you would like to have at future conferences, please get involved. If the demand this year is sufficient, we may be able to raise funds for more formal childcare arrangements in the future.

Thank You,

The HSS Graduate and Early Career Caucus and The HSS Women’s Caucus

Remember to register early to save money by October 9 for the 2009 Annual Meeting!

Online registration:https://www.hssweb.org/account/?next=/registration/register/

Alternate method: Print out the following form to mail or fax to the HSS Executive Office: http://www.hssonline.org/images/Meetings/2009HSSMeeting/2009registration_page.pdf

The Hyatt Regency Phoenix has a limited number of rooms set aside under a Student Subsidy block that will be $89/night (rather than the standard $129/night rate). Please make your hotel reservations as soon as possible to take advantage of this limited availability.

Click here to make online reservations. Please note that the pull-down menu will allow you to switch between the general and student hotel blocks.

The GECC would like to announce the following two panels and film screening that have been accepted for the upcoming annual meeting:

I’ve Got a Ph.D. in the History of Science, Now What? Historians at work in a down economy on Saturday, 11/21 at 9-11:45am.

Digital Media in the History of Science on Saturday, 11/21 at 1:30-3:10pm (co-sponsored by the Committee on Research and the Profession)

History of Science in Film: A Screening of Proteus and a Conversation with Director David Lebrun on Saturday, 11/21 at 3:30-5:30pm.

Please check back for additional information and rooms.

Need a little encouragement to chat with senior scholars at the annual HSS Meeting? Want to help younger scholars feel at home at the conference? Participate in the HSS Mentorship program at Phoenix, November 19-22, 2009.

The Mentorship program is designed to bring first-time attendees at the HSS Meeting together with a more experienced colleague together in a collegial spirit – communicating one’s ideas and interests in the conference atmosphere can be quite exciting for the first-timer, while a more seasoned colleague may find sharing their knowledge very satisfying.

Participation in this program requires some preparation. The first-time attendees and mentors’ first point of contact is the program officer at HSSmentorship@gmail.com by September 7, 2009. Please consult the Mentorship program guidelines at http://hssgecc.wordpress.com/mentorship-program/ for further directions.

The participants are paired on the grounds of shared scholarly interest by Joan Cadden (HSS Women’s Caucus) in October. The junior scholars are expected to contact their mentors by the beginning of November in order to “touch base,” to communicate their interests and goals for the Meeting, as well as to schedule a meeting time during the conference.

Thank you for your participation!

Travel Grants are only available to those persons participating in the 2009 conference (e.g. presenting a paper, chairing a session, commentator for a session, society governance).

Travel Grants are for transportation to and from the conference hotel, including shuttle services, but do not cover lodging and food. You may also request registration reimbursement. Travel Grants are reimbursed after the conference. Deadline for receipt of application is 31 July. Click here to go to the application form.

For more information about the travel grants, click here to read the FAQs.