AAAS Sections

History and Philosophy of Science (L)

Minutes of the 2010 Section L Business Meeting

Section L Business Meeting,
AAAS Annual Meeting
February 20, 2010
Rancho Las Palmas
San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina
9 a.m. to noon

1. Introductions.

2. Approval of minutes.

3. Announcements

   1. Sarton Memorial Lecture
      Jed Z. Buchwald,
      California Institute of Technology
      “Knowledge in the Early Modern Era: The Origins of Experimental Error “
      Saturday, 20 February, 12:30 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
      San Diego Convention Center, Room 6F

   2. Session of interest
      Can Geoengineering Save Us from Global Warming?
      8:30 am Room 6F, San Diego Convention Center
      James R. Fleming, Colby College
      Fifty Years of Geoengineering Ideas

   3. Section webpage: http://www.aaas.org/aboutaaas/organization/sections/history/

   4. Graduate student sponsorship
      Frazier Benya, University of Minnesota
      Cera Lawrence, University of Arizona
      Katherine Liu, University of Arizona
      Alexis de la Cruz Otero, University of La Laguna, Tenerife

4. Election results

   1. Incoming officers
      Chair Elect:
      Member-at-Large of the Section Committee:
      Electorate Nominating Committee:
      Section L representative to the Council:

   2. New Fellows
      Garland Allen, Washington University in St. Louis
      Daniel Dennett, Tufts University
      Maura Flannery, St. John’s University
      Anita Guerrini, Oregon State University
      Manfred Laubichler, Arizona State University

5. Financial report (Jonathan Coopersmith)

6. Announcements from officers’ meeting

7. Discussion issues

8. 2011 annual meeting in Washington, DC.

   1. Sarton lecturer

   2. Possible sessions on the theme of “Science Without Borders”

9. Stem cells from the perspective of sociology and biology as well as history

10. Philosophy of "scientific truths". But it comes to the heart of what all academics must do in terms of determining what is operative as hypothesis and what data is persuasive and could be a very good session.

11. The "science" of learning: combine historians looking at the role of textbooks historically contemporary textbook writers or publishers.

12. Escaping the gravity well: Increasing access to space exploration and exploitation

    Over half a century after the first satellite, the high cost of reaching orbit and moving within the solar system continue to hinder the exploration and exploitation of space. Why does space travel, especially reaching orbit, still cost so much?

    Jonathan Coopersmith and Roger Launius

13. Miscellaneous.

    1. AAAS Archives update (Jonathan Coopersmith for Amy Crumpton)

    2. The 2011 Fellows nomination process will begin in late February. The deadline to send applications to the Section Secretary is March 23.

    3. Jim Fleming’s new book is based on his AAAS Fellow experience
       “Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control”