Past Announcements
Announcements from 2014-2015
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate the editorial team of Spontaneous Generations (SponGe), the newest inductees to IHPST’s illustrious Order of the Falling Apple. For more information about this year’s induction ceremony for the Order of the Falling Apple click here.
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology is pleased to announce that Jackie Feke, PhD grad from the Institute in 2009, has accepted a tenure-track position in the Department of Philosophy of the University of Waterloo. She is currently Harper-Schmidt Fellow and Collegiate Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago.
- Rebecca Lemov (History of Science, Harvard) will be presenting “Database of Dreams: Social Science’s Archive of How to be Human, 1942-1965” at the iSchool Colloquia Series. The talk is co-sponsored by IHPST and the Department of History and will be held at the Thursday, January 8, 2015 at the Faculty of Information, 140 St. George St Room 728 at 4pm.
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate Aaron Wright, who has successfully defended his dissertation. Congratulations Dr. Aaron Wright!
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate Chris Belanger, who has successfully defended his dissertation. Congratulations Dr. Chris Belanger!
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate Agnes Bolinska, who has successfully defended her dissertation. Congratulations Dr. Agnes Bolinska!
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate Erich Weidenhammer, who has successfully defended his dissertation. Congratulations Dr. Erich Weidenhammer!
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate Jaipreet Virdi-Dhesi, who has successfully defended her dissertation. Congratulations Dr. Jaipreet Virdi-Dhesi!
- The IHPST would like to announce and congratulate Michael Fatigati, Department of Medieval Studies, who has been awarded a 2014 IHPST Award for the Best Essay on the Theory of Scientific Change for his programmatic essay titled “A Method for Reconstructing the Medieval Arabic Scientific Mosaic”.
- Congratulations to Esther Atkinson on receiving the 2014 TATP Teaching Excellence Award at the University of Toronto!
- IHPST is pleased to announce that Mark Solovey has been hired to a tenure-stream appointment in History of Social and Psychological Science. The appointment is at the rank of Assistant Professor and will begin on July 1, 2014. Congratulations Mark!
Announcements from 2013-2014
- Re/Making the Unknown: A Symposium Exploring Humanistic Approaches in Science and Technology Research, Wednesday 18 June, 1150 Robarts (main floor) 10am-3pm
- “Shakespeare, science, and how to write a book about the Scientific Revolution that hasn’t already been written,” An informal talk by Dan Falk (MA 2014), IHPST – Vic 304, April 8, 2014 — 4:00-5:00 p.m.
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate Sylvia Nickerson, who has successfully defended her dissertation. Congratulations Dr. Nickerson! Sylvia combined this event with the birth of a healthy baby girl, her second child, on Valentine’s Day. Welcome to the world Lillian!
- IHPST is pleased to congratulate alum Dr. Janet Martin-Nielsen (PhD’09) on her recent article, ‘The Deepest and Most Rewarding Hole Ever Drilled’: Ice Cores and the Cold War in Greenland, Annals of Science, which was one of the most read articles of 2013 in the Taylor & Francis History of Science journals. (Follow the link to read the article for free!)
- Dr. Hakob Barseghyan was honoured for 2014 with entrance into the Order of the Falling Apple. This honour is in recognition of his contributions to online education and “blended” course content, as well as his other work in both undergraduate and graduate education. See pictures from the party.
- Emergence: Why self-organization is not enough, by Terrence W. Deacon, is this year’s Wiegand Memorial Foundation Lecture, which will be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 6:00 pm in the Vivian & David Campbell Conference Facility, Munk School of Global Affairs, 1 Devonshire Place. The event is free however registration is required.
- Check out the Summer Abroad Program 2014
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate Sebastian Gil-Riaño, who has successfully defended his dissertation. Congratulations Dr. Sebastian Gil-Riaño!
- The IHPST community is invited to the book launch for “Partnership for Excellence: Medicine at the University of Toronto and Academic Hospitals,” written by Professor of the History of Medicine, Edward Shorter. The book explores Toronto’s medical history from the Faculty’s inception as a small provincial school to its present-day status as an international biomedical research, education and clinical powerhouse. 5:30pm November 4, Donnelly Centre Atrium, 160 College Street. DETAILS.
- On October 30th, the Munk School of Global Affairs will host at talk by IHPST’s Kira Lussier (PhD Candidate), entitled Testing Temperament at Work: Human Relations, Labour Relations, and Industrial Psychology in Interwar America. 4-6pm, Munk School of Global Affairs, Room 208N, 1 Devonshire Place
Announcements from 2012-2013
- IHPST is pleased to announce that the Transit of Venus event organized by the Dunlap Institute at the Varsity Stadium last year won two awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE): Silver – Public Relations and Community Relations Projects and Bronze – Individual Special Event. The University of Toronto Scientific Instruments Collection (UTSIC) at the IHPST was pleased to assist the Dunlap Institute in this event by coordinating a play based on the historic 1761/9 observation and providing posters about the history of transits of Venus. Moreover, using a Gregorian Reflecting telescope (c.1830) UTSIC was able to view the transit (with an appropriate modern filter) as it may have appeared to an 18th century observer. This proved to be one of the most popular viewing opportunities for the public.For further information about UTSIC’s involvement in this event please see the YouTube documentary.Congratulations to the Dunlap Institute for organizing this excellent event and to all helped contribute from the IHPST.
- Read this new article on Taking Toronto’s Healthcare History (PDF)
- IHPST will be hosting the Fourth Biennial Meeting of the Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice 26-29 June 2013.
- HAPSAT is pleased to present Science and its Publics, its 9th annual graduate conference, headlined by Edward Jones-Imhotep. The conference runs all day Saturday the 15th, starting at 10am.
- You are cordially invited to attend a small workshop organized by IHPST graduate students on Eugenics in North America to be held from 9:45 am to 3:30 pm on 9 May 2013 at PDR (second floor), Senior Common Room, Burwash Hall, 89 Charles street West. Coffee and cookies will be provided. Those who need something more substantial are encouraged to bring their own lunch.
- Congratulations to Mark Solovey, the newest inductee to IHPST’s illustrious Order of the Falling Apple.
- Check out our new gallery of photos from the 2012-2013 Falling Apple Party
- IHPST graduate and current postdoc at McGill, Leslie Tomory, Ph.D. 2009, has just received the prize of the Quebec Fonds de Recherche “Étudiants Chercheurs Étoiles” for his recently published book Progressive Enlightenment: The Origins of the Gaslight Industry,1780–1820, Cambridge : MIT Press, 2012. DETAILS
- IHPST is hosting the Picturing Health and Medicine workshop on April 17.
- It’s Back! The 5th annual GTA will take place on April 19.
- Evelyn Fox Keller will deliver this year’s Wiegand Lecture, entitled “Self-Organization and God” at 7pm on Wednesday 14 November at the Innis Town Hall, Innis College, 2 Sussex Avenue.
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce that Brooke Abounader, Eugene Earnshaw-Whyte, Vivien Hamilton, Sarah Kriger, Isaac Record, Anna Stoklosa, and Jonathan Turner have successfully defended their dissertations. Congratulations Dr. Abounader, Dr. Earnshaw-Whyte, Dr. Hamilton, Dr. Kriger, Dr. Record, Dr. Stoklosa, and Dr. Turner!

In the spring of 2012 the University of Toronto Scientific Instrument Collection organized a symposium, artifact exhibition and co-hosted a viewing party for the June 5th Transit of Venus in honor of the scientific and historical importance the event has held here at the University of Toronto. You can watch the documentary short on the Transit of Venus here. UTSIC is proud to develop new ways with which to communicate the importance of material culture at the University of Toronto and hopes that this project is the first of many dynamic and engaging endeavours to come.
- Craig Fraser will speak on “Mathematics on the Eve of the Great War: Background to the Career of John Charles Fields” at 3:30pm on 11 October at the Fields Institute, 222 College Street, Room 230.
- The IHPST is pleased to announce that Hakob Barseghyan has joined the faculty of the Institute in a one-year appointment as assistant professor in the philosophy of science.
Announcements from 2011-2012
- Congratulations to the recipients of the IHPST’s 2011-12 Order of the Falling Apple: Ari Gross, Erich Weidenhammer and Paul Greenham, IHPST Doctoral Students and Coordinators of the IHPST’s UTSIC project.
- Congratulations to Dr. Sarah Kriger and Dr. Eugene Earnshaw-Whyte, who have successfully defended their dissertations.
- Congratulations to Melissa Charenko and Adam Richter, winners of the Hadden Prize for the best graduate papers at the CSHPS conference.
- 2 JunHAPSAT Conference – The Wise Scientist: Historical and Philosophical Reflections on the Place of Wisdom in Science8th Annual HAPSAT Conference, University of Toronto
- 28 AprTransit of Venus symposium» 10am-5pm, St. Michael’s College, Alumni Hall 400. PROGRAM
- 23 MarThought Experiments: Four Blind Spots – An International Workshop» Toronto School of Theology, Conference Room 2. (47 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Toronto)
- 8 MarSimplifying Complexity: Recent Developments in the History of Science and Religion an Informal Seminar with Ronald Numbers» 1-3pm at the Toronto School of Theology (47 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Toronto)
- 29 FebCFP: The Wise Scientist: Historical and Philosophical Reflections on the Place of Wisdom in Science8th Annual HAPSAT Conference, to be held 2 June 2012 at the University of Toronto
- 24 FebContributions to Spontaneous Generations: A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science 6:1 (2012) Visual Representation and Science DUE.
- 27 Jan“Pepper’s Ghost: A Dramatic Experiment”» Sarah Kriger, IHPST, University of Toronto. Studio Theatre (4 Glen Morris Ave.), 2-4pm.
- 25 JanEthical Issues in Agriculture: Organic, Locavore and Genetic Modification» Paul Thompson, 7:00PM AST, streamed online
- Congratulations to Jacob Stegenga, winner of a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Congratulations to Nikolai Krementsov on the publication of his book, A Martian Stranded on Earth: Alexander Bogdanov, Blood Transfusions, and Proletarian Science.
- The President of the University of Toronto has granted tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor to Marga Vicedo, in the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, effective 1 July 2011. Congratulations, Marga!
- Spontaneous Generations: A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science 5:1 (2011) is now available online. We invite you to visit our web site to review articles and a Focused Discussion on Science and Public Controversy.
- 10 OctWiegand Lecture: Islam, Science & The Importance of History» Robert Morrison (Bowdoin College). Isabel Bader Theatre, 6pm
- 12 SepJoint Colloquium – Toronto Collection of Psychological Instruments: Plans, Prospects, and Current status» Held Jointly with the Department of Psychology, UofT; History and Theory of Psychology Program, York University; Institute for History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, UofT; and the
University of Toronto Scientific Instrument Collection. Room 4043 Sidney Smith Hall, University of Toronto, 4:10 P.M.
- 6 SepIHPST Orientation» Victoria College, 11am
- 6 Sep“Underdetermination of Evidence by Theory”» Jacob Stegenga, IHPST, University of Toronto. Victoria College Room 323, 4-6pm.
Announcements from 2010-2011
- Meric S. Gertler, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, has announced that Professor Craig Fraser will serve as Acting Director of the IHPST during 2011-12 while Professor Anjan Chakravartty is on leave.
- Professor Paul Thompson will be the IHPST’s Director of Graduate Studies beginning September 1, 2011.
- 13-15 MayMetaphysics and the Philosophy of Science» The University of Toronto. Contact.
- Congratulations to the following fellowship winners: Aaron Wright Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship; Cory Lewis SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship; Michael Cournoyea, SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship reversion; and OGS winners Agnes Bolinska, Melissa Charenko, Michael Cournoyea, Aleksandar Djedovic, Alexander Koo, Eleanor Louson, Menolly Lysne, Andrew Munro, Sarah-Jane Patterson, Katherine Watson, and Michael Stuart (reversion). In addition, the following students who will be entering the graduate program in the fall have been awarded fellowships: Chris Conway, Joseph-Armand Bombardier CGS Doctoral Scholarship; Kristen Schranz, Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s Scholarship; and Adam Richter, Avie Bennett Award.
- Congratulations to Bert Hall on achieving the rank of Emeritus Professor in Victoria University.
- 3 May4th Annual GTA Symposium on History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science, Technology, and Medicine» The University of Guelph. Please contact Tara Abraham or Sofie Lachapelle for more information
- 13 AprLet Newton Be!» A play by the Menagerie Theatre Company. 7pm, Isabel Bader Theatre, University of Toronto.
- 18 MarHAPSAT Conference – The Regimen of Bodily Health: Nutrition and Natural Knowledge»9am-6pm, Northrop Frye Hall (003).
- 14 MarAccess Denied: Medicine, Trust, and Experimental Treatments»7:00-8:30 p.m., Northrop Frye Hall (Room 003), followed by a reception in Alumni Hall, ground floor of Old Vic, Victoria College.
- Congratulations to Leslie Tomory, who has just accepted a Mellon Postdoc at
McGill University starting this fall.
- Congratulations to Delia Gavrus on receiving a SSHRC Postdoctoral
Fellowship, which she will take up next academic year at McGill.
- Congratulations to Vivien Hamilton on receiving a tenure track Assistant
Professorship in the Department of Humanities and Social Science at Harvey Mudd College, in California.
- Congratulations to Janet Martin-Nielsen on receiving a Postdoctoral
Fellowship in the Department of Science Studies at the University of Aarhus in Denmark.
- Congratulations to Boaz Miller on receiving an Azrieli Postdoctoral
Fellowship in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Haifa.
- Congratulations to Mark Solovey on receiving the Charles Warren Fellowship
at Harvard University.
- The IHPST is pleased to welcome Dr. Jacob Stegenga who will be arriving on May 1, 2011 as a Post-Doctoral Fellow (PhD, Philosophy, University of California – San Diego, 2011). His specialization is the philosophy of science, philosophy of biology and the philosophy of medicine. Jacob will be at the IHPST until May 2013.
- Congratulations to Denis Walsh, winner of this year’s Falling Apple Award.
- Congratulations to the winners of the 2010 Kiran van Rijn Essay Competition, Paul Greenham for his essay, “The Lutheran Body and Textual Rhetoric: Philip Melanchthon’s Understanding of the Body as Rhetorical Text,” and Jenna Healey for her essay, “Knowing the non-parent: studies of the voluntarily childless in social scientific literature, 1970-1980.”
- 10 DecWORKSHOP: Visual Representation in Science» Victoria College 304. Contact Aaron Wright for details.
- 3 DecScientific Material Culture at the University of Toronto» 3rd Floor Victoria College, Presented by IHPST and the University of Toronto Scientific Instrument Collection, 3-5pm
- 22 OctWORKSHOP: The Role of Mathematics in Science» Private Dining Room, Burwash Hall, Victoria College, Presented by IHPST and the Logic and Philosophy of Science Group
- 10 OctWORKSHOP: The History of Science and Medicine in Cold War Latin America» 208N Munk Centre, To be held in conjuction with the annual conference of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA)
- 25 SepWORKSHOP: Philosophy of BiologyVictoria College 323 from 9am to 6pm. Contact Denis Walsh for details.
- Congratulations to Delia Gavrus, winner of the International
Society for the History of the Neurosciences Award for Outstanding Student Essay, for her paper “Men of Dreams and Men of Action: Neurologists,
Neurosurgeons and the Performance of Professional Identity, 1920-1950.”
- The IHPST is pleased to announce that it will be hosting two post-doctoral fellows over the next 2 years. They are:
Dr. Angela Byrne (Ph.D., History, National University of Ireland) who will be at the IHPST from October 1, 2010 to October 31, 2012. She has been awarded a Government of Ireland CARA Postdoctoral Mobility Fellowship in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Dr. Byrne’s research area is scientific and cultural researches in the sub-Arctic: a comparative study of exploratory travels in Scandinavia and Canada, 1800-1830.
Dr. Josipa Petrunic (Ph.D., University of Edinburgh) who will be at the IHPST from September 1, 2010 to August 31, 2012. She has been awarded a SSHRCC Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Dr. Petrunic’s research area is history and sociology of scientific knowledge.
Announcements from 2009-2010
- Congratulations to Delia Gavrus, this year’s winner of the Harold N. Segall
Prize for the best student paper presented at the annual meeting of the
Canadian Society for the History of Medicine.
- Congratulations to the following individuals who were successful in the major grant competitions:
Curtis Forbes and Jenna Healey have won SSHRC doctoral fellowships. They were also successful in the OGS competition. Michael Cournoyea, Gwyndaf Garbutt, Cory Lewis, and Sarah-Jane Patterson have won OGS awards. Eugene Earnshaw-Whyte is on the reversion list.
- Congratulations to Denis Walsh on his promotion to the rank of Full Professor, effective 1 July 2010!
- Congratulations to Anjan Chakravartty, Nikolai Krementsov, and Chen-Pang Yeang for being awarded SSHRC Standard Research Grants this year.
- 7-9 May MS4» Models and Simulations Conference
- 4 May 3rd Annual GTA Symposium» Ryerson University [poster]
- 25 Apr 6th Annual HAPSAT Conference – Instruments: Mental and Material» Keynote: Jacalyn Duffin (Queen’s University): “Stethoscope: Technology and the Meaning of Life”
- 14 Apr Spring Council Meeting» 304 Victoria College, 11am-1pm, Light refreshments to follow in Common Room
- 1 Apr Textbooks in Science»Victoria College 107
- 19-21 Mar Challenges to Evolutionary Theory »Victoria College
- Congratulations to Sylvia Nickerson, whose son, Colin Joseph Patrick Neary, was born 28 January at 4:16pm. Baby, mother, and father are all doing well!
- The Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology would like to announce and congratulate Janet Nielsen, who has successfully defended her dissertation. Congratulations Dr. Janet Nielsen!
- 19 Mar Proposals Due: HAPSAT Conference – Instruments: Mental and Material» Conference to take place 25 April
- 10 MarChaos Workshop» 9am-3pm, Victoria College Private Dining Room
- 6 Mar Order of the Falling Apple Party» 7-10pm, Masa Sushi, 15 Charles St. E.
- 4 Mar Peter Galison» 4-6pm, VC 213. This is a Joint Colloquium for the IHPST and Science and Culture Group (SciCult)
- 2 Mar Trust in the New Sciences – Colin Milburn» 7:30pm, Isabel Bader Theatre,
- 2 Mar IHPST Reception» 6:00pm, Common Room
- 26 FebSubmissions Due: Spontaneous Generations – Scientific Instruments: Knowledge, Practice, and Culture» A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science
- 9 FebHow Much Does Religion Tolerate Science?» Toronto School of Theology, BoardRoom 1, 47 Queen’s Park Crescent W, 10am-5pm
- 8 OctYork History and Theory & IHPST present Denis Fox» Room 206 Victoria College, 7pm
- Nov 2009Origin of Species at 150 » a celebratory conference