International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology NEWSLETTER Editorial Office: Chris Young; History, Science, & Culture; Mount Angel Seminary, St. Benedict, OR 97373; e-mail: [log in to unmask] Spring 1999; Nineteenth Issue; (Volume 11, No. 1) CONTENTS President's Corner 1 Oaxaca 1999: Meeting Information 1 Oaxaca 1999: Travel and Accomodations 1-2 Committee on Education Report 3 ISHPSSB 1999 Elections: Information 3-6 Special Offers for Members 6 Special Announcements 6-7 Positions Available 7 Conferences 7-9 Publications of Interest 10 Internet: Lists and Sites 10 Internet: ISHPSSB List and Site 10-11 Oaxaca 1999: Preliminary Program 11-19 Oaxaca 1999: Pre-Meeting Workshop 19 Membership and Renewal Information 20 Fall 1999 Newsletter 20 Society Addresses 20 Enclosures: Meeting Registration Form Local Accomodations Request Form ISHPSSB Ballot PRESIDENT'S CORNER Lisa Lloyd As our provisional program shows, our upcoming Society meeting in Oaxaca, Mexico (July 7-11) will have our widest international participation ever. In addition, there is a wide variety of new topics and projects being presented, demonstrating the vitality and excitement of our fields of studies of Biology. Some members have expressed concerns about safety issues in Oaxaca. Nearly 16 million US citizens visit Mexico each year; the publicity surrounding dangers of tourist travel in Mexico involved four incidents, none of them near Oaxaca. The best place to get updates is from the US Consular Affairs travel information, which is at http://travel.state.gov/ This site also links to an extremely useful page of tips for travel to Mexico from the Dept of State. You'll need to shop around for your best air ticket plans. From my research, it seems that the plan must be to fly to Mexico City from your own country, then catch a flight to Oaxaca from the Mexico City airport, using either the Mexicana de Aviacion or Aeromexico airline companies. In the range of flights I examined from various airlines, the layover time is consistently around one hour. (Prices from US cities were all around $600.) Those wishing to avoid the Mexico City area altogether can arrange flights directly from Los Angeles to Oaxaca. Information for a range of hotels and the arrangements for package accomodations in Oaxaca are posted on the website, at http://antequera.com/TurismoConvento/eng.html These are also included in this Newsletter. I tested out the method by calling the Oaxaca travel agency. It sounds complicated, but really it's just that you need to call one place to tell them what you want, and send the money to another place. Meanwhile, we continue our process of collecting proposals for meeting sites for the 2001 meetings. This is the last call: if you think your institution might serve as a possible host, please contact me immediately at [log in to unmask] Since we already have a couple of European possilibities, and no well-developed U.S. ones, it's very important to propose a U.S. site if the meetings are to be held, as tentatively thought, in the U.S. Finally, I encourage all members and their colleagues to come to the beautiful city of Oaxaca, enjoy the mountain air, experience the ancient ruins, and join us in exploring the latest and best work in studies of Biology, at our friendly meetings in the historic mission of Santo Domingo. • OAXACA 1999: MEETING INFORMATION A registration form should be enclosed with this Newsletter. If you did not receive one, contact David Magnus. You may also register on the ISHPSSB web site. Registration in Oaxaca will begin Tuesday, July 6, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., and will continue on subsequent days. You will find the registration desk at Santo Domingo, the main site of the conference and not far from all the downtown hotels. • OAXACA 1999: TRAVEL AND ACCOMODATIONS ISHPSSB members interested in doing a little research ahead of time will find that the Oaxaca area is a region rich in history and culture. Two recent articles in Natural History magazine describe the ongoing archaeological research being done in three separate sites ("Palatial Digs," March '99), and the unique cuisine of the area ("The Unconquerable Tostada," April '99). The following hotel and accomodations information is now available at the Turismo Convento Travel Agency web site http://antequera.com/TurismoConvento/eng.html where more information about hotels and amenities in the city will be available. For the same information in Spanish, go to http://antequera.com/TurismoConvento/esp.html You can contact the travel agency directly, register on the web site, or send the enclosed form to the agency. Using either method, you will need to make your payment separately to one of the banks listed below. Payment must be received in advance. The people in charge are Apolo and Ulises Bonilla, the owners of Turismo El Convento de Oaxaca. This travel agency has offices at some of the hotels included in our program, and in particular at the Camino Real. We have designed two different packages, either with 5 or 3 nights at Oaxaca. Extra nights can be added. Each package includes 4 lunches, a Guelaguetza dinner (a Mexican banquet with typical dancers), and a 3-hour trip to the archaelogical site of Monte Alban (scheduled for Sunday, 11 a.m.). A typical menu for lunch would consist on natural fruit juices, salads, two main dishes (pasta or meat), coffee and tea (vegetarian food included). Special Packages (Prices in U. S. dollars): The relative quality of hotels is designated by the number of asterisks (*) and the price. The travel agency will reserve a room for you where one is available at the rate you request. All hotels are located dowtown near Santo Domingo, except Victoria and Mision de los Angeles, which are a very nice 12-minute walk from Santo Domingo. Prices for double occuancy are per person. Additional charge for extra nights and children are listed. These prices include 4 lunches at the Camino Real Hotel and taxes, the Guelaguetza dinner (Friday night), and the field trip to Monte Alban. A) 4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS SINGLE DOUBLE 'Xtra Nite Child *** HOTEL $ 235 $ 176 $ 42 $ 50 **** HOTEL $ 310 $ 216 $ 65 $ 50 ***** HOTEL $ 455 $ 291 $ 112 $ 50 Gran Turismo/Camino Real $ 610 $ 366 $ 160 $ 50 B) 6 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS SINGLE DOUBLE 'Xtra Nite Child *** HOTEL $ 305 $ 216 $ 42 $ 50 **** HOTEL $ 420 $ 261 $ 65 $ 50 ***** HOTEL $ 660 $ 386 $112 $ 50 Gran Turismo/Camino Real $ 900 $ 496 $160 $ 50 Prices do not include: Transportation between Airport and Hotel (Edna and Ana took a taxi that cost $15 Mexican pesos ($1.5 USD) and it takes 15-20 minutes from airport to downtown.); Drinks at the banquet dinner, "La Guelaguetza"; Tips to Spanish-English tourist guides (optional); Breakfast or dinners other than the 4 lunches at Camino Real; or any other non-specified service. Follow the payment instructions below: 1) Prices are per person, in U. S. dollars or Mexican pesos at the current exchange price. 2) Payments have to be done by check deposit or wire transfer to either of the accounts below. (Due to Mexican legislation it is not possible to make credit card payments for these packages.) 3) 100% prepayment is required 4) A fax with the deposit slip form must be sent after payment has been done at the following fax number: (951) 4-03-72. This is very important to acknowledge individual payments. Payment can be made to either of the following accounts: Name: Turismo El Convento de Oaxaca, S.A. de C.V. Bank: Santander Mexicano Account number: 5150054420-7 SUCURSAL: 455 San Felipe City: Oaxaca; Country: Mexico or Name: Ulises Bonilla MartĚnez Bank: California Commerce Bank Number account: 5905121010 Phone number from E.E.U.U. 1-800-222-1234 Address in the USA: P.O. Box 30886 Los Angeles CA 90030-088 For additional information, contact: Turismo El Convento de Oaxaca S.A. de C.V. Apolo J. Bonilla MartĚnez , Sales Manager Calle 5 de Mayo # 300 Int. Hotel Camino Real Oaxaca, Oax TEL (951) 6-18-06; FAX (951) 4-03-72 [Note: If the Travel Agency can not answer all of your questions, Edna Suarez is in charge of hotel logistics for the Society: [log in to unmask]] [Note: Phone numbers listed above are for calls within Mexico. The country code for Mexico is 52.] OAXACA: Frequently Asked Questions: 1. Hotels are nearby Santo Domingo, except Victoria and Mision de los Angeles, which are within a 12 minute walking distance. 2. Lunch will be regular or vegetarian. 3. Hotel arrangements will be with the travel agency, UNLESS anybody wants to contact Edna Suarez ([log in to unmask]) for specific details. 4. We strongly recommend that handicapped people stay at the Camino Real Hotel 5. Maps will be handed out with registration materials when you arrive. 6. From the airport one can take a taxi cab that costs 15 Mexican pesos and takes 18 minutes to the dowtown area. 7. From the airport people may go directly to the hotel and then to the registration desk at Santo Domingo. 8. In July we can have showers, but the weather is very nice. 9. Don´t panic, Oaxaca is a very safe city. SEE YOU ALL, Ana • COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION REPORT The committee has established a website linking to resources for teaching HPSSB. The site can be reached through the ISHPSSB home page. We invite suggestions for additional links, including links to your own syllabi and other work. Files sent by e-mail attachment can also be included on the site. Please also send bibliographic references and feedback on links we have included. Do you have a syllabus on-line for any of the following: History of Biology; Philosophy of Biology; Biology & Society; Bioethics; Biology, enriched by HPSS; Darwin, The Genetics Revolution, 20th-Century Agriculture, Race, Gender & Science, or other special topics? Please send us your URL. Or take a moment to forward the latest electronic copy of your syllabus? We are also asking for a short informal paragraph discussing the design of your course, any underlying themes, effective teaching startegies relevant to the material, etc. We are also building a resource center for non-ISHPSSB members, especially K-12 teachers and non-majors biology teachers. If you have material relevant to this audience, let us know! Contact Peter Taylor or Douglas Allchin: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]• ISHPSSB 1999 ELECTIONS: INFORMATION As usual in the spring before the biennial meetings, ISHPSSB is having elections for its future president, positions in the executive, and half the members of the council. This year's ballot includes some innovations (all within the Society's by-laws) that should be explained. Since these approaches to nominations as well as the voting and ballot counting systems have been adopted only for this election, the procedures will be reviewed at the Oaxaca meeting. A persistent problem for academic societies is that candidates for president who do not win rarely run again, either for president or any office. The Society loses their experience and energy in running its affairs. ISHPSSB tried once to address this problem by having only one candidate for president, but some members felt this approach was not democratic and the council decided not to continue it. In these elections two other approaches are being tried: 1) There are three candidates for president. Although this doubles the number of losing candidates, the idea is to lessen the blow for them and increase the chance that they will run again. 2) Some of the presidential candidates are also council candidates, which makes it possible for losing presidential candidates to be elected to council. These approaches to the nominations meant some choices concerning voting and ballot counting systems had to be made: a) For a three-candidate presidential election the preferential voting system was chosen so that the winning candidate has the majority support. In this system, the first preferences are tallied and, if no candidate has 50% or more of the votes, the ballots of the candidate with the lowest total are reallocated to the second preference person on each. b) The ballots for president '01-'03 will be tallied first. If the winning presidential candidate is also a council candidate, he will withdraw from the council ballot count. c) If any of your three council votes is for a person also running for president, you have the option of designating a substitute vote for council. The substitute vote will be tallied only if one of your council votes is for the person elected president. With this system, no one will lose a vote in the council election; everyone will have three votes that count. This removes any reason to adjust your presidential or council preferences according to whether a candidate is or is not running for both positions. Note: If you have paid your dues, but no ballot has been included with this newsletter, please contact David Magnus ([log in to unmask]). Executive Continuing executive members are: President '99-'01: Dick Burian (Virginia Tech; [log in to unmask]); Past-president: Lisa Lloyd (Indiana U.; [log in to unmask]); Secretary: Peggy Stewart ([log in to unmask]); and Treasurer (& Membership services): David Magnus (U. Pennsylvania; [log in to unmask]). Statement: David Magnus is currently the Graduate Studies Director at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. His activities for ISHPSSB have included the organization of many sessions, and giving papers at each meeting for the past decade. For the past two years he has served as Treasurer and CFO for the Society which mostly has meant staying out of the way of Joe Savage, his administrative assistant. The Center for Bioethics has supplied administrative support and will continue to do so. Chief activities have been maintaining and updating membership records; arranging for the payment of all dues; distribution of funds for graduate students and unaffiliated scholars; providing membership labels upon request; assisting with the production of the society newsletter; assisting with the procurement of grants and/or donations for the society, and attempting to find ways to increase the membership of the society. We will soon be taking orders for a greatly reduced subscription rate to Biology and Philosophy and the Journal of the History of Biology. During his two years as Treasurer, paid membership has more than doubled. New executive members Program Organizer (unopposed): Douglas Allchin (independent scholar, Minneapolis; [log in to unmask]) Statement: I am a charter member of ISHPSSB (1989). My research, presented at various meetings, centers on disagreement and error in science and how they are resolved. I am also involved in biology education -- for example, serving as a member of ISHPSSB's Education Committee and leading the SHiPS Science Teachers Network (since 1989). I have valuable previous experience as Program Co-Chair of the 3rd International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Conference (1995). In organizing the 2001 program, I would like to balance the formal institutional need for presenting papers (to secure travel funds) with the Ishkabibble tradition of fostering dialogue. I anticipate that this will involve (at least) an optional framework for making papers available on-line prior to the meeting, to allow more opportunity for discussion at the meeting sessions themselves. President-elect--to be chosen from these three candidates: Werner Callebaut (Faculty of Sciences, Limburgs Universitair Centrum, Belgium/ Konrad Lorenz Institut fuer Evolutions- und Kognitionsforschung (KLI), Austria/ Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Universiteit Maastricht, the Netherlands; [log in to unmask]) Statement: Most of my research and teaching concerns the interrelations between biology and cognition. More specifically, I try to contribute to a rapprochement of an extended evolutionary synthesis, epigenetic perspectives on biological and cognitive development, and naturalistic accounts of society and culture. With Karola Stotz (University of Sidney), I am currently working on a volume, "Cognitive Biology and the Challenge of Development and Sociality." On leave from Maastricht, I am developing a Cognitive and Theoretical Biology Work Space at the KLI, which will be made accessible on the internet for interactive use. Other lines of work concern the complementarity of the Anglo-American and German-Austrian branches of evolutionary epistemology, and the reappraisal of the philosophy of science of the Vienna Circle from a broad biological perspective that includes views and approaches that were excluded from the Modern Synthesis. Finally, I am preparing a large scale case study in biological/cultural coevolution that can function both as an empirical test of evolutionary epistemology and as an instrument to critically assess memetics. As ISHPSSB president or council member I would want to concentrate on furthering the international nature of the society by devoting special interest to academics and work (both historical and contemporary) emanating from countries in Central Europe, Latin-America, etc. we have not reached well, if at all, until now. Another concern of mine would be quality control regarding both the scientific content of the meetings and the administrative functioning of the society. Both aims might imply securing a more solid financial basis for our functioning without giving up our cherished autonomy. I would also like us to think about ways to profitably use our collective and institutional expertise to strengthen the ties between workers in the history, philosophy, and social studies of biology worldwide. Lindley Darden (U. Maryland; [log in to unmask]) Statement: The International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology fulfills the important mission of fostering interfield interactions among philosophers, historians, sociologists, and biologists. The society should strive to continue its openness to students, to new formats, to informal exchanges in its summer meetings and to international interactions. I would also like to see plenary sessions that cut across the disciplines as a regular feature of the summer meetings. Perhaps regional gatherings of members can be encouraged in the off-years between the regular meetings, if there are members who would like to organize them. They would foster additional opportunities for graduate students and for those who cannot easily travel to distant meetings. Biographical information: Lindley Darden is Professor of Philosophy, a member of the Committee on the History and Philosophy of Science, and of the Committee on Cognitive Studies, at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a philosopher of science and historian of biology interested in discovery and conceptual change in biology. She received her Ph.D. in Conceptual Foundations of Science from the University of Chicago in 1974. Her book, Theory Change in Science: Strategies from Mendelian Genetics, was published by Oxford University Press in 1991. Her current research is on discovering mechanisms in molecular biology. She served on the ISHPSSB 1991 program committee, 1993-95 nominating committee, as the 1993 cochair of the poster session, and organized sessions and/or presented papers or posters in 1997, 1993, 1991, and 1989. Gregg Mitman (U. Oklahoma; [log in to unmask]) Statement: The meetings of the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology have always been those I most look forward to. For younger scholars, they offer a warm and supportive environment. For all, ISHPSSB serves as an intellectual commons where the integrity of disciplinary perspectives is respected and the vitality of interdisciplinary exchange is valued. The intellectual companionship fostered by these meetings provided an important forum in the development of my own scholarship, which centered first on the history of biology and political life in American culture (The State of Nature: Ecology, Community, and American Social Thought, 1900-1950, University of Chicago Press, 1992) and over the last ten years has focused increasingly on the interactions between science and popular culture, culminating in a historical exploration of nature film as a technology at the intersections of art, science, and entertainment (Reel Nature: America's Romance with Wildlife on Film, Harvard University Press, 1999). The main task of an ISHPSSB president continues to center on the biennial meeting. If elected president, I would continue in the tradition of past presidents in working to ensure a conference full of innovative sessions and one that is open to new participants and ideas. To this end, travel funds for graduate students and independent scholars have been important and I would pursue opportunities that might increase available funds for travel support. In addition, issues like child-care facilities and handicap accessibility are important if we are to continue to make meetings open to as many participants as possible. As either president or a council member, I would also hope to expand new initiatives to help members remain in active contact between meetings and extend the reach of the society. Certainly, the listserv is a valuable addition. As a council member of the History of Science Society, and as a former program committee member of the American Society of Environmental History, I also believe that joint sessions co-sponsored by ISHPSSB at meetings of affiliated professional organizations would be important for forging new relations and increasing the visibility of our society and its members. I believe these initiatives could be accomplished while maintaining the society's informal infrastructure that many members find refreshing. At a time when relations between the science and science studies communities are strained, ISHPSSB stands out as a professional society that demonstrates the productive collaborations taking place between life scientists, social scientists, and historians and philosophers of science. Council Continuing members, '97-'01: Marilia Coutinho ([log in to unmask]); Cor van der Weele (U. Utrecht; [log in to unmask]); Walter Bock (Columbia U.; [log in to unmask]) New members, '99-'03--three to be chosen from the following: Werner Callebaut (see above) Jane Maienschein (Arizona State; [log in to unmask]) Statement: From the beginning, ISHPSSB (immediately dubbed "Ishkabibble") has been informal with maximal intellectual value per dollar and with an emphasis on building a community of interdisciplinary explorers of biological issues. Its greatest strengths are its interdisciplinarity, internationality, and the central role that graduate students and younger scholars have always played, and the organization must preserve these strengths in order to remain rich and vital. Yet there are challenges to each, and the Council must work to overcome them. First, interdisciplinary thinking is hard, and the individual disciplines tend to fly apart. For our meetings, we must work harder not to allow the program to ghettoize into separate sessions on history, philosophy, sociology, biology, and such -- attended respectively by historians, philosophers, sociologists, biologists, and such. Program committees need support in their determination to promote the sort of creative exchange of ideas that is so difficult elsewhere. Second, our international membership is advantageous to all, yet travel is more expensive the farther we go and it is more and more difficult for younger scholars to obtain funds for foreign travel. The officers must continue to seek grants and other support as well as to explore ways to benefit from this cross-cultural and multi-national exchange of ideas. Third, we must make sure that graduate students and independent scholars of all levels feel comfortable and welcome. The Council has always had a student member, not because that person has lesser status but because we wanted to be sure that there was representation from students. We need to listen to concerns about the profession, recognize that there are many ways for Ph.D.s to contribute to society (some much better paid and at least as rewarding as academic jobs) and to help provide "networking" opportunities for other than traditional career paths. What does an "Ishkabibbler" offer that is more exciting, dynamic, important, and intellectually valuable than anybody else: that's the question we should try to answer in order to continue to build a community that is more fun and more lively than existed before the society came along. As first president of the society, I would be happy to help continue this building through membership on the Council. Gregg Mitman (see above) Lenny Moss (U. Notre Dame; [log in to unmask]) Statement: I attended my first ISHPSSB meeting at the University of Western Ontario in 1989. Still working as a cell biologist and accustomed to the character of large scientific meetings, I found myself delighted with the ease of meeting people, and their openness, energy and enthusiasm for talking about ideas well into the night. This vision, however embellished by time it may have become, does provide for me a regulative ideal for thinking about the future of the Society. Much of my own efforts over these years have been oriented toward expanding our philosophical focus beyond the confines of the Modern Synthesis and especially in the direction of developmental perspectives and critical approaches to understanding the limits of the gene concept. I am interested in the social, ethical, and cultural, as well as epistemological, significance of how we understand, and come to understand, what it means to be human. My desires for the Society are to help sustain the richness that it has achieved and to help further promote multi-disciplinary and multi-national communication through meeting arrangements which are conducive to informal interactions (see above), processes of program development which maximize the possibilities for heterogeneity at the individual session level, current on-line availability of member's e-mail addresses, and a continued commitment to internationalism in the choice of meeting locations. Eva Neumann-Held (European Academy for Study of the Consequences of Scientific and Technological Advances; [log in to unmask]) Statement: My research interests are directed toward philosophy of biology, and particularly toward different conceptualizations of developmental biology and its connection to evolutionary theorizing. I am also interested in the social and ethical context and consequences of these different approaches. These research interests essentially require an interdisciplinary exchanges of the kind I have found in the ISHPSSB, particularly the biennial conferences. As a member of the council of ISHPSSB, I would certainly support the organizational structures that so far have allowed for such interdisciplinary discussions. But in addition, I would try to encourage "intradisciplinary" exchanges. I would like to support more exchanges between different "schools of thought" and "schools of research interests". The purpose here is to clarify the issues that are thought to distinguish those schools, and to allow for an investigation whether and where such distinctions are really based on different concepts, or whether they are due to different methodical approaches. Furthermore, I believe that sessions and discussions in the platforms provided by ISHPSSB sometimes lack an integration of methodological reasoning, for example on the foundation of science. I would support to encourage researchers interested in this topic to join ISHPSSB and to bring in their standpoints. Chris Young (History, Science, and Culture, Mount Angel Seminary, Oregon; [log in to unmask]) Statement: Although science studies tends to be interdisciplinary by their very nature, I believe organizations like ISHPSSB provide an important forum for academic and professional development along explicitly interdisciplinary lines and across disciplinary boundaries. My active participation in ISHPSSB work began in 1996, when the Society listserv (ISHPSB-L) was established at the University of Minnesota. Shortly thereafter, I took over as Newsletter Editor. In the future, I would like to see contributions to both the ISHPSB-L and the Newsletter increase in ways that represent the diverse communities the Society serves. That is, I would like to see ISHPSSB expand activities that invite conversation between and among biologists, science educators, philosophers, sociologists, and historians of science. Recognizing that within each discipline we have communities and societies where our specialized contributions can be appreciated, ISHPSSB should especially strive to provide unique opportunities for showcasing those contributions on a broader scale. • CONTINUED...