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SITE SELECTION COMMITTEE

2007-2009 (for 2011 meeting)
Barahona, Ana, Chair
de Chadarevian, Soraya
Dupré, John
Farber, Paul
Gannett, Lisa
Mitchell, Sandy
Rodriguez Caso, Juan Manuel
Sansom, Roger
Vergara-Silva, Francisco
Young, Chris

ISHPSSB meets every two years, usually in June or July, for a period of about 5 days (or parts thereof). The meeting ideally presents the opportunity for informal discussions in a relaxed atmosphere, as well as having formal sessions. Those wishing to issue an invitation to host the site of a forthcoming meeting should make contact with the Secretary and the President of ISHPSSB as soon as is feasible. The Society has the goal of deciding on a site at least three to five years before a meeting is held, so that the subsequent site(s) can be announced at the preceding meeting.

This committee is charged with soliciting and reviewing proposals to host the ISHPSSB meeting.


Procedure

The Site Selection Committee distributes a Call for Site Proposals. (See sample below)

The Committee provides any assistance needed to prepare proposal(s) for submission.

Proposals are submitted by email to the President who forwards them to the Site Selection Committee for review.

The Site Selection Committee makes a recommendation to the Council, which is responsible for the choice of the site.

Council votes on the site proposal(s).

The Site Selection Committee finalizes the terms of the arrangement with representatives of the approved site.

Timeline

The 2003-2005 committee is seeking a site for the 2009 meeting. The Call for Site Proposals should be issued in Fall 2004 for review before the Council meeting in 2005.


Call for Proposals for ISHPSSB Meeting Site in 2009

It may seem a long time away, but now is the time to start planning for the 2009 ISHPSSB meeting. The first step is to decide on a location. I invite all interested individuals who would be interested in having their institution host the meeting, to present a proposal to us within the next two months (by January 15). Proposals should include a general description of the institutional site, availability of housing (dorms, hotels, etc) and meeting rooms (large lecture halls for plenary sessions and enough smaller classrooms for individual sessions), availability of transportation (both internationally and locally), and other features (local activities, scenery etc) that would make the location attractive. Please send suggestions directly to me via e-mail at: allen@biology2.wustl.edu, or regular mail at Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130


ISHPSSB INVITATION GUIDELINES

Guidelines for Preparing an Invitation to Host the Site of the Biennial meeting of the International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB)

The Secretary and President will provide a time line for the process for issuing the invitation to a decision by the Council.

An invitation to host the site should address the following items and be sent to the President: Michael Dietrich (2003-2005).

PROPOSED SITE for the ISHPSSB Meeting for {proposed dates, 20XX} at
{place name}

PROPOSAL BY {name of proposer}
{professional title of proposer}
{mail and email addresses of proposer}
{phone and fax of proposer}

What relation does the proposer have to the proposed site, e.g., faculty at the university?

LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY

Where is the meeting to be held? What are its advantages?

Transportation to site--Airports, Train and Bus Service
Is transportation for international travelers easy? Is airfare competitively priced? (This usually means that more than one airline services the route(s).) Is there adequate local transportation to the proposed site?
Can tickets for local transportation to the site be purchased prior to the meeting?

Parking
Is parking available? What are the fees?

Attractions
E.g., evening entertainment, restaurants proposed excursions?
(Some sentiment in ISHPSSB is that there not be too much to do away from the meeting, as a quiet place is more conducive to informal discussions.)

Proposed dates: {typically June or July}
The dates should not require travel on July 4 because of the US holiday; other possible conflicts with holidays in other countries should be checked.
Have potential conflicts with any other meetings (e.g., International History of Science; International Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science; other?) been investigated?
Are facilities known to be available? Have they been reserved? When will a letter from an official at the Institution be available to confirm that meeting (and dorm) rooms are available for the proposed dates?

Meeting Rooms.
Rooms for up to seven concurrent sessions are needed, plus a room for the plenary with up to 300-400. Rooms should be close to one another to allow session hopping. Are the meeting rooms air-conditioned? Do they have good acoustics?

Audiovisual equipment availability: Are overhead transparency projectors available for each room? Are microphones, slide projectors, VCR's, computer projectors available, as needed? Is this a. v. equipment available at no extra cost or for a reasonable charge?

Is there a convenient place for coffee breaks near the meeting rooms, but sufficiently distant that conversation does not disrupt the sessions? Will there be chairs (and preferably) tables near the coffee for informal get-togethers? Is there a supplier of drinks and food for breaks, who will deliver it near the meeting rooms?

What areas for informal discussions and even get-togethers are available, both during the day near the sessions and in the evening, perhaps in dorms?

Book Display:
A reasonable sized room is needed for the book display. It should be in a convenient place for people to browse during the day between sessions and it should be able to be securely locked at night.

Accommodations:
How will reservations for accommodations be handled?

Dorms:
Describe rooms. Number available. What they provide, etc.
Air conditioned? Linens? Are there refrigerators in a common area or can they be rented by registrants?
What is the cost of rooms? single? double? student?
Can children be accommodated in dorms?

Hotels and B & Bs:
Proximity? Cost? Air-conditioned? How many rooms available, and will a block be held for the conference's registrants?

Dining.
Is there a common dining facility with reasonably priced meals? Will those staying in hotels be able to eat at the common dining facility on a pay-as-you-go basis? Will some sort of meal ticket have to be purchased? If so, please detail requirements. What sort of arrangements are made for registrants who are vegetarian or who have other special diet needs?
Is a banquet or picnic planned?

Childcare:
What arrangements will the conference make or what help will be given to parents who need childcare?

Currency exchange:
Will foreign travelers be able to convert to local currency nearby? If not, what advice should be given to foreign travelers before they arrive?
Are deposits and payments for rooms accepted through Visa, MasterCard and other commonly used credit cards? (Note: bank fees for converting foreign currency checks are very expensive, so the ability to accept credit card deposits is essential.)

Library, Copying, and Web Access:
Will registrants have access to a university library?
Is a copy machine available? with reasonable costs?
Can documents on computer disk be printed somewhere?
Will registrants be able to check their email?
Will a web site for the location be set up that can be linked to the ISHPSSB web page? by whom?

Accessibility:
See Appendix 2 for Accessibility Guidelines for those in wheelchairs or with other difficulties in walking about.

Formal and Informal Gatherings:
Receptions? Informal last evening gathering with refreshments? Are sufficient chairs available? Can the local arrangements staff bring food and drink (preferable to the requirement that the institution provide it).
Is there any chance of sponsorships by local institutions? or book publishers? Local arrangements folks should work with Secretary/Treasurer/President-Elect on obtaining sponsors.

Staff: Who will be available to help with running the meeting?
staffing registration table? a.v. aids? others?

Proposed budget (to be worked out in consultation with ISHPSSB Secretary, Treasurer, Program Chair, President-Elect, and others, as appropriate)

EXPENSES

Estimate of Conference Expenses:

Meeting Rooms
Audiovisual equipment
Postage, Supplies, Printing Costs (note what are these for)
Staffing for Registration and Other Services
Coffee break food and service
Receptions
Contingency Fund
Total

Estimate of charges to registrants:
Registration Costs (based on XXX {200-300? more?} registrations)
Dorm Room, XX per night single, XX per night double
Parking fee

Banquet or picnic XX per person

Estimated Total Cost to registrant: XX

Note: The local hosts will be working with the Program Chair, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the President-Elect (if already elected) to work out various duties such as preregistration and registration. The Program Chair, who is elected by the membership, and the appointed Program Committee, decide on the content of the program; the local hosts will coordinate with the Program Chair in assignment of rooms for sessions, coffee break and reception times, etc. Discussion needs to occur as to who is responsible for printing the meeting program and booklet of abstracts (and shipping to the site, if needed); this has been done in different ways in the past.

APPENDIX 1, Accessibility Requirements
Accessibility Survey for ISHPSSB meeting sites
Prepared by Ron Amundson

The following criteria should be checked to allow assessment of the accessibility of the meeting site. We do not assume that all criteria must be met for a site to be acceptable. Accurate information about specific barriers should be recorded. If a site is chosen that is not totally accessible, information about specific barriers and accessibility problems should be available in advance to allow potential conferees to plan and to make informed choices about attendance. The "Checklist" is followed by a "Narrative" with definitions and specifications.

It is not necessary to actually use a wheelchair to determine accessibility, but it might be helpful. A baby stroller or other wheeled device might also be useful. It is easy for non-disabled people to step off a curb or up a short stairway without noticing it. If a wheelchair or stroller is not used, one must pay very close attention to

-----------

Checklist:

-- Is the conference building itself accessible from the street? If not, record the problems.

-- Is the accessible route between conference rooms obvious to attendees? If an indirect route is needed for accessibility, that information must be written up and made available to attendees on arrival. (For example, if an elevator exists but is far from the conference rooms, the location of the elevator must be publicized. If a stairway is on the shortest route between buildings, but a longer route is accessible, the location of the longer route must be publicized.)

-- Are all conference rooms accessible (on one floor, or by elevator)? If not, how many are accessible and how many are not?

-- Are accessible hotels, restaurants, and dining areas available? If possible, list names of some accessible hotels, or names of those which are known not to be accessible.

-- Do accessible routes exist between the conference building(s) and dining areas or restaurants? Hotels?

-- Are all conference rooms accessible internally? If not, describe problems (no room for wheelchairs, raised platforms for speakers, etc.)

-- Are accessible bathrooms available in the conference building?

-- Many Universities and other institutions have staff who specialize in accessibility for disabled people. If such a person exists at the site, please supply contact information.

-------------

Narrative:

"Accessible Routes." Accessible routes should be assessed between all conference rooms and rest rooms within the conference buildings, and outdoors between the conference buildings and restaurants and living quarters (hotels or dormitories). An "accessible route" is a pathway on a hard surface that can be traveled by wheelchair user and people with other mobility impairments. Outdoor accessible routes are normally concrete or asphalt. Brick or tile walkways are usually accessible, but cobblestones, uneven bricks, or gravel are a problem that should be noted.

Barriers along Routes: Routes which contain curbs or stairs are not accessible. Any ramp or slope on the route should be less than 1 in 12 in steepness. (This means that the ramp should be 1 foot long for every inch of vertical rise, or 120 cm in length for every 10 cm of vertical rise.) This is the typical slope of an American curb ramp. Some ramps in service areas, such as loading docks, are much steeper than this. It is not necessary for the inspector to actually measure the slope of every ramp. But it is important not to identify a loading dock ramp as "accessible." It is probably much too steep. It might be possible to find a route which is "accessible" only by using driveways. If that is so, the fact should be noted.

Barriers at doorways: Accessible doorways should be 32" (81 cm) in clear width. "Clear width" is the actual space which a wheelchair can fit through when the door is open. (It is not the distance across the doorway, because most doors do not open far enough to use the full distance between the walls.) Many doorways have thresholds which can be barriers. If the threshold at a doorway is more than 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) the height should be noted.

Dining areas and hotel rooms: It is important that at least some dining areas and restaurants are on accessible routes, and are internally accessible. If all conferees are expected to eat together, that location must be accessible. Information about which hotels or dormitories are known to be accessible, and which are known not to be accessible, should be made available before the meeting.

Hotel rooms internally: This may be difficult to determine. An accessible hotel must at least have rooms which do not require the guest to climb stairs. Doors to the room and bathroom should be accessible (both in width and threshold) and there should be enough space in the room for a wheelchair to go from the doorway to the bathroom and to the bed.

Rest rooms internally: Also difficult to judge. Most important is space. There should be room for a wheelchair to enter and to turn around inside the rest room. A 4 by 4 foot (122 cm) square space is adequate. Fully accessible rest room stalls (by American standards) must be 5 feet square. For practical purposes, if rest rooms seem to small for a wheelchair to enter or to turn around, that fact should be reported.

Conference rooms internally: Conference rooms must each have open floor space for a wheelchair to be located without blocking the door or aisles. Some conference rooms may have elevated platforms for speakers. These rooms should be noted, so that mobility impaired speakers can be assigned different rooms.


2001 Site Selection Report

Lindley Darden (president-elect and chair of the site selection committee) presented the report of the Site Selection Committee and thanked its members: Jane Maienschein and Walter Bock, with help from Dick Burian, Keith Benson, Ron Amundson, Rachel Ankeny, and Manfred Laubichler (report attached). ISHPSSB will meet in Vienna in 2003 (July 16-20) and in Guelph in 2005 (dates to be arranged). Details of the process were outlined, including the presence of guidelines on the society website.

Proposals for future meetings are welcome. The society is moving to a four-year cycle, where sites for the next two meetings will be decided, and each subsequent site chosen four years in advance. It is anticipated that within the next decade we may receive bids from some or all of the following countries: Italy; Germany; Sweden; Australia; Canada (Dalhousie); and Japan; as well as the following US cities: Notre Dame, Indiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Werner Callebaut (local arrangements 2003) expressed pleasure at the prospect of welcoming ISHPSSB members to Vienna and spoke briefly about the political conditions in Austria. The host institute will be the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research and the site will be the Vienna University campus.

David Castle (local arrangements 2005) welcomed the opportunity to host ISHPSSB at Guelph. Details of plans will be forthcoming when the time gets a little closer.

This site is maintained by Frédéric Bouchard .