From Matt Chew, Center for Biology and Society, Arizona State University, apparently intended for members of the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology, but obviously also relevant to the rest of us who are interested in the history of ecology:
"Are you ready to talk history to ecologists?
At the 2007 meeting of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) -- a week after the ISH meeting in Exeter -- historian Frank Egerton was awarded a distinguished service citation for his work in the history of ecology. To my astonishment, Dr. Egerton was unaware of ISHPSSB, a situation I have
begun to remedy.
But the time seems ripe for bringing the history of ecology to ecologists. My poster presentation at the ESA meeting, "Invasion Biology's Forgotten Forerunners" was unique among several hundred entries, very popular with attendees, and resulted in an invitation from a major university press to submit a book proposal. In addition, Dr. Egerton suggested that I organize a history session for the August 2008 ESA meeting in Milwaukee (see http://www.esa.org/milwaukee).
The ESA is a huge organization, just shy of 10,000 members. Their meetings are organized well, and well in advance. The deadline for submitting organized oral session proposals for the 2008 meeting is only a month away. Talks are expected to be 15 minutes long, with 5 minutes for questions. If we organize a "symposium" we get 20 minutes for talks, but there are a limited number available so it's more competitive.
Next year is an 'off year' for ISHPSSB. There were many talks about ecology at Exeter, any of which could be reworked or improved on for ESA in 2008. If you are interested in participating in a 'history of ecology' session at ESA in August 2008, please contact me by 1 September 2007 with at least the germ of an idea, and I will let all respondents know within a day or two of that whether it looks like we have enough interest to move forward with a proposal.
Thanks"
--
Matt Chew
Arizona State University
Center for Biology and Society
PO Box 873301
Tempe, AZ 85287-3301
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