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OFF-YEAR WORKSHOP COMMITTEE 2007-2009 ISHPSSB meets every two years, in odd-numbered calendar years. During the even-numbered, "off," years, the Society will help to publicize and lend its name to workshops or meetings that meet the following criteria. Such workshops ideally present the opportunity for informal discussions in a relaxed atmosphere, and may also offer formal sessions. This committee is charged with soliciting and reviewing off-year workshop proposals. The Off-Year Workshop Committee will consider proposals for workshops that meet the criteria below. Some funding for graduate student (ISHPSSB members only) travel to the workshops may be available. Proposals are due to Chris Young by March 7, 2008. -meetings must be interdisciplinary (combining the disciplines of history, philosophy, and or social studies of biology) ISHPSSB WORKSHOP 2003-2005 INVITATION GUIDELINES Guidelines for Preparing an Invitation to Host a workshop authorized by the International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB) Prepared by Chris Young, Nathaniel Comfort, Christiane Groeben, Jane Maienschein, Lenny Moss; September 2001. An invitation to host an ISHPSSB Workshop should address the following items and be sent to the ISHPSSB President.
Ad-hoc Committee Report 2001 Since the question comes up periodically about whether ISHPSSB might meet annually rather than once every two years, and since the Council continues to consider that a bad idea that might overburden the Society, the proposal was made that ISHPSSB co-sponsor occasional meetings in the "off" years. The Council decided not to act on a proposal that came to the meeting, during the Quinnipiac meeting, that we authorize such offerings as regional or thematic meetings. The president appointed a committee, which considered the issue and makes the following proposal: We propose that ISHPSSB authorize meetings in the off years, on an ad hoc basis, with a clear application and approval process to be determined by the President. These meetings must be interdisciplinary, meet all the requirements of Society meetings concerning accessibility, open access, and open invitations to members. The Society will not provide funding, but will provide mailing lists that include all those members who have not explictly asked to be removed from such lists. These meetings must be thematic in nature, which distinguishes them from the regular ISHPSSB meetings. They may be organized as workshops or as conventional meetings, but all members must be eligible to attend, though the selection process for speakers can be determined by clearly indicated processes that differ from those employed in our usual meetings. Normally, we would expect the Society to co-sponsor meetings only in the "off" years and to co-sponsor no more than one or at most two such meetings in any given year. Normally, we would expect such meetings to rotate geographically, insofar as there are multiple proposals. We recommend that the Council seek proposals for co-sponsored meetings for the years 2002 and 2004 on an experimental basis, and assess the success of the experiment and the costs and benefits that the experiment has yielded to the Society by 2005. Off-Year Workshop Report 2004 Future Directions in ISHPSSB The first ISHPSSB Off-Year Workshop, Future Directions in ISH (FDISH), was held on September 23–26 at the University of San Francisco. The event was co-hosted by USF and UC Davis, and was conceived and run by graduate student members of ISHPSSB. FDISH focused on graduate training in philosophy of biology, aiming to create opportunities for graduate students and faculty to exchange ideas, build professional and personal relationships, and further their research projects in an inclusive and collaborative atmosphere. FDISH was attended by seventy-nine participants (twenty-five faculty, fifty-four graduate students) who converged on the University of San Francisco, near Golden Gate Park and Haight-Ashbury. Of these, eighteen were invited faculty; other participants included faculty, post-docs, and graduate students from forty-four institutions in the US, Australia, Canada, India, Mexico, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK. The number and diversity of graduate student participants were greatly enhanced by travel grants from ISHPSSB for student members, and by some additional travel grants from other sponsors. FDISH was able in addition to provide two off-site events for all participants—an informal pizza dinner on the first night and a more formal closing banquet on the last. In addition to ISHPSSB, the sponsors who made these events possible are: the National Science Foundation, UC Davis Division of Graduate Studies, UC Davis Division of Social Sciences, UC Davis Division of Biological Sciences, University of San Francisco, Indiana University HPS Department, UC Davis Department of Philosophy, Arizona State University Center for Biology and Society, Stanford University Office of the Provost, and Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences. The generous support of these sponsors allowed for a full program schedule, including lectures, round-table discussions, and faculty office hours. These informal office hours, dubbed “Happy Office Hours” (HOHs), were an important feature of FDISH, and along with the dinners, helped set the workshop’s inclusive tone. Hybridizing office hours and happy hour, HOHs took place in local bars and coffee shops near USF each day after the last scheduled session, when participating faculty met with small groups of students for informal discussions. Having prearranged “office hours” in these informal settings made faculty more accessible to students, and facilitated many productive discussions.
Summary of sessions: There were also seven roundtable discussions: Rob Skipper (Philosophy, University of Cincinnati), with panel members Steve Downes (Philosophy, University of Utah), Kelly Smith (Philosophy, Clemson University), and Anya Plutynski (Philosophy, University of Utah), gave practical advice on “How to market oneself as a philosopher,” from writing a CV to surviving the on-campus interview. Bill Bechtel (Philosophy and Science Studies, UC San Diego) and Lindley Darden (Philosophy, University of Maryland) presented mechanistic accounts of explanation grounded in molecular, cellular, and neurobiology. Elihu Gerson (Tremont Research Institute) led a roundtable on the tensions and challenges of pursuing interdisciplinary research, with panel members James Griesemer, Michael Ghiselin (Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, California Academy of Sciences), Edna Suárez Díaz, and Richard Creath (Philosophy, ASU). Jay Odenbaugh, with panel members Lindley Darden, Rob Skipper, Roberta Millstein (Philosophy, California State University at Hayward), and Steve Downes, explored the diversity of models used in biology. Jane Maienschein (Center for Biology and Society, ASU) and Kim Sterelny gave practical advice for students on writing, submitting, and revising journal articles, drawing on their experience as editors of The Journal of the History of Biology and of Biology and Philosophy, respectively. David Magnus (Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics), with panel members Kelly Smith, Jason Robert, Jane Maienschein, and Tom Cavanaugh (Philosophy, USF), discussed future directions in bioethics, and the opportunities and challenges of this field. Finally, FDISH organizers Melinda Fagan (HPS, Indiana University), Patrick Forber (Philosophy, Stanford), Vivette García Deister (Philosophy, UNAM), Matt Haber (Philosophy, UC Davis), Andrew Hamilton (Philosophy and Science Studies, UCSD and Philosophy, USF), and Grant Yamashita (Population Biology, UC Davis) led the closing roundtable, assessing the aims and content of FDISH. The organizers would like to thank to everyone who participated. The level of interest and enthusiasm for FDISH in the ISHPSSB community was terrific, and should encourage future off-year workshops. Thanks also to everyone who gave us feedback, via our questionnaire or email. For additional information, visit the FDISH website (http://www.ishpssb.org/workshop2004/), designed and maintained by Grant Yamashita and Roberta Millstein. |
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