News & Events
History & Science Evolves!
History of Science faculty are very excited to announce an innovation for the History and Science Concentration.
Beginning in 2008-09, the Concentration will assume a two-track structure: History of Science, and Science and Society.
Both concentration tracks will have non-honors and an honors options. Under the new Science and Society track, students considering a career in medicine, health sciences, health policy, or who otherwise have a pronounced interest in the medical sciences may choose the Medicine and Society honors option. The Mind, Brain and Behavior Sciences honors option will focus on the sociocultural, philosophical and historical questions raised by the brain sciences.
Look for further details about requirements for the new History and Science Concentration, coming soon to the Undergraduate Program of Study page.
The Horblit Colloquia Series Capstone Lecture
featuring
Emeritus Professor of the History, UC San Diego Affiliated Research Scholar, Department of History & Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University
"4004B.C. and All That: The Historicizing of Nature in the Science of Geology "
Tuesday, May 13, 4:00pm.
NOTE: This lecture will be held in Science Center E; reception to follow immediately afterward.
Introducing the new Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments online database!
For the first time, online visitors to the Department of History of Science can explore this remarkable resource almost as if they were browsing through the shelves of the Collection itself.
Waywiser features newly revised descriptions of hundreds of objects accompanied by high quality photos which can be manipulated for an even closer look. Customizable search capabilities will greatly aid scholarly researchers, while students and more casual web travelers will enjoy the many fascinating elements of these often one-of-a-kind scientific artifacts. New records will be added on a regular basis, so return visits are a must.
Introducing a New Course,
Spring 2008
History of Science 146v
Measuring Humankind
(Sarah W. Tracy, Visiting Professor, University of Oklahoma)
Since the time of Hippocrates, physicians and philosophers have tried to classify the human organism based on people’s physical and mental characteristics. Students in this course will investigate the history of human classification, focusing primarily on the 20th and 21st centuries. We will explore the mixed lineage of and motivations for classifying humankind, from the ancient physician Hippocrates to the modern genocidal fascist Hitler.
Catalog Number: 4938
Half course. Th., 2–4:00pm. EXAM GROUP: 16, 17
Department Calendar
News
March 14, 2008
Allan Brandt, Professor of the History of Science; Amalie Moses Kass Professor of the History of Medicine, and newly appointed Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, has been named one of the recipients of the 2008 Bancroft Prize in recognition of his recently published book, The Cigarette Century. The Bancroft Prize is awarded annually by Columbia University in recogition to books of exceptional merit in the field of American history.
The Cigarette Century has also garnered several other awards for Allan: on January 4, 2008, the Albert J. Beveridge Award from the American Historical Association; and on November 6, 2007, The Arthur J. Viseltear Prize for Outstanding Contributions in the History of Public Health from the American Public Health Association in Washington, D.C. During the National Conference on Tobacco or Health, October 25, 2007, the American Legacy Foundation awarded him its Sybil Jacobs Award for Outstanding Use of Tobacco Industry Documents.
March 4, 2008
Evelynn M. Hammonds, the University's Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity, and the Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and of African and African American Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, has agreed to become the next Dean of Harvard College, effective June 1, 2008.
November 3, 2007
Katharine Park, Samuel Zemurray, Jr. and Doris Zemurray Stone Radcliffe Professor of the History of Science, has been awarded The Margaret Rossiter Prize for the History of Women in Science, for her new book Secrets of Women: Gender, Generation, and the Origins of Human Dissection.
October 3, 2007
Gerald Holton, Mallinckrodt Research Professor of Physics and Research Professor in the History of Science, has been awarded the Abraham Pais Prize by the American Physical Society for "his pioneering work in the history of physics, especially on Einstein and relativity."
A well-deserved honor, and a great recognition of his career and many
accomplishments. The Prize, which includes $10,000, will be presented at the APS April 2008 Meeting in St. Louis, Missouri.
