H-Sci-Med-Tech: New posted content
Decolonizing Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation Research in the Missouri River Basin [Announcement]
PA
United States
The first 2025-2026 Indigenous Learning Forum will take place September 11, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. ET on Zoom. This talk will be given in English with Spanish translation.
This event is open to all but registration is required.
Azmal Hossan is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Colorado State University. His research interests are decolonization of research, Indigenous climate change adaptation, and environmental justice.
Decolonizing Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation Research in the Missouri River Basin
Indigenous Nations in the Missouri River Basin (MRB) are on the frontline of climate change impacts. Revitalization of their self-determination capacity, rooted in the practice of traditional ecological knowledge, is considered an effective climate change adaptation strategy for them. Partnering with the Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance, the study is being conducted as community-engaged participatory action research to examine how the revitalization of traditional ecological knowledge can help Indigenous Peoples adapt to climate change in the MRB.
Thomas Johns (tjo...@amphilsoc.org)
NYU Space Talks: History, Politics, Astroculture | Fall 2025 program [Announcement]
NY
United States
A roundtable in honor of the late historian and museum curator Martin Collins, cosmic imaginaries in China, adaptation strategies in post-Soviet Russia and multiplanetarity in contemporary US astroculture – the NYU Space Talks lecture series goes into its tenth season. The fall 2025 program starts on 16 September 2025.
NYU Space Talks: History, Politics, Astroculture is a lecture series convened by Alexander C.T. Geppert at NYU's Center for European and Mediterranean Studies and NYU Shanghai with the Department of History in New York City. Once a month, established and upcoming scholars present the latest research on the history and politics of outer space, extraterrestrial life and astroculture, both in Europe and around the planet.
All NYU Space Talks are held on Zoom. They are live conversations in a colloquium-like setting; recordings will not be made available. Everybody is welcome but advance registration is required. For further details and to register, please consult www.space-talks.com.
1. History, Communication and the Global Imagination: A Roundtable in Honor of Martin J. Collins
John Krige (Georgia Institute of Technology), Teasel Muir-Harmony (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum), James Schwoch (Northwestern University), James Merle Thomas (Helen Frankenthaler Foundation) and Adelheid Voskuhl (University of Pennsylvania)
Chair: Alexander Geppert (New York University/NYU Shanghai)
Tuesday, 16 September 2025, 10–11:30 EDT
Martin J. Collins (1951–2025) was a pioneering historian of Cold War science, global communications, and the cultural politics of space exploration. As a longtime curator at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and editor of History and Technology, Collins championed scholarship that crossed disciplinary and geographic boundaries. His work brought critical attention to infrastructure, systems thinking, and the transnational flows of information, capital, and power that defined the late twentieth century. This roundtable brings together colleagues and collaborators to reflect on the wide-ranging impact of Collins' research – from work on extensive oral history projects, to curatorial practice, to studies of globalization, satellites, and surveillance – and to explore how his legacy continues to shape contemporary approaches to history, science and technology in both scholarly and public contexts.
2. Territory beyond Earth: Expansionist Cosmic Imaginaries and the China Dream
Paloma Puente Lozano (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid)
Tuesday, 21 October 2025, 10–11:30 EDT
Outer space is often portrayed as a new or ultimate ‘frontier’ for exploration, exploitation, or conquest. Given that territorial imaginaries have historically been embedded within broader systems of colonization, it is crucial to examine the extent to which contemporary space imaginaries – rooted in geocentric and territorial narratives – continue to reproduce these dynamics. Building on emerging scholarship on new space-faring actors, this talk explores rhetorical and visual mechanisms that are being used by official bodies in the People's Republic of China (PRC) to shape the imaginary about outer space. All aim to advance the projection, both nationally and internationally, of a certain image of the PRC as a ‘natural’ space actor and, at the same time, disseminating an imaginary of outer space with specifically ‘Chinese characteristics.’
3. The Post-Soviet Space Deal: Survival, Adaptation, Commercialization
Olga Dubrovina (Università degli Studi di Milano)
Tuesday, 18 November 2025, 10–11:30 EST
The collapse of the Soviet Union brought radical changes to Russian political economic and social life. One of the most deeply affected sectors was spaceflight. Once a symbol of national pride and a core element of Soviet identity and heritage, the space industry underwent dramatic transformation in the 1990s. Under pressure from global capitalism and emerging international partnerships, it was forced to restructure. A long-awaited opportunity to establish commercial contacts emerged, allowing Russian space hardware and services to enter the international market. This talk examines how the transition from a heroic past to a predominantly materialistic present has shaped collective self-identification. It explores how the transformation of the myth of space into a commercial commodity has fostered a sense of nostalgia among older generations, sometimes verging on, or even evolving into, resentment.
4. 'New Planet, Dad. Please!' Multiplanetarity and Terralectics in Contemporary North American Astroculture
Jens Temmen (Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt)
Tuesday, 2 December 2025, 10–11:30 EST
In Richard Powers’ 2021 novel Bewilderment – quoted in the title – the protagonist, traumatized by our planetary polycrisis, immerses himself in imaginaries of life on other planets. His escapism is a reflection of how contemporary advocacy for space colonization as a quick technological fix for the polycrisis – promoted by technoliberals entrepreneurs like Elon Musk – seeks to replace the ecocritical framework of 'planetarity' with a vision of human 'multiplanetarity'. This talk discusses the literary negotiation of this deeply unethical proposal to sever ties with the 'multitude of our planet' (Elias and Moraru) and replace them with a 'multitude of planets.’ Accounting for the limitations of planetarity in face of the materiality of outer space (Heise), I argue for a 'terralectical' framework for relating to outer space.
Alexander C.T. Geppert
New York University & NYU Shanghai
Richardson Seminar Announcement, Laura Hirshbein, M.D., Ph.D., on The Many Faces of American Social Psychiatry, 1946-1982 [Announcement]
Please join the DeWitt Wallace Institute of Psychiatry: History, Policy, & the Arts on Wednesday, September 3rd, 1:15-2:45pm ET, for the next Richardson Seminar on the History of Psychiatry. We will be joined by Laura Hirshbein, M.D., Ph.D., the George E. Wantz, M.D. Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, for a presentation titled “The Many Faces of American Social Psychiatry, 1946-1982.”
Research Fellowships from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center (apps due 15 Oct 2025) [Announcement]
DC
United States
Through its fellowship programs, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation supports research projects that present creative approaches to the study of invention and innovation in American society. Projects may include (but are not limited to) historical research and documentation projects resulting in publications, exhibitions, educational initiatives, documentary films, or other multimedia products.
Collections: Our programs provide access to the expertise of the Institution's research staff and the vast invention and technology collections of the National Museum of American History (NMAH). The NMAH Archives Center holds the archival papers of several inventors including Earl Tupper (Tupperware), Joseph Friedman (flexible straw), Robert Kearns (intermittent windshield wiper), Leo Baekeland (Bakelite synthetic plastic), Marion O’Brien Donovan (household inventions), Jacob Rabinow (optical character recognition), Grace Murray Hopper (software), Ralph Baer (video games), Patricia Bath (cataracts treatments), InBae Yoon (laparoscopic surgery), and Van Phillips (prosthetic limbs). The museum also holds the technical artifacts and business records of several corporations and small entrepreneurial firms, including the Western Union Telegraph Company (telecommunications), the Mergenthaler Linotype Company (printing), Jogbra, Inc. (sports apparel), and Small Beginnings (neonatal care). In addition, the NMAH Library offers long runs of historical technology serials like Scientific American and American Machinist, and the American Trade Literature collection, which includes 300,000 catalogs, technical manuals, and advertising brochures for some 30,000 firms, primarily from 1880-1945. For a comprehensive catalog of objects, manuscripts, images, and research materials available at the NMAH (and other Smithsonian units), see http://www.collections.si.edu/.
Topics: The Lemelson Center invites all applications covering the broad spectrum of research topics in the history of technology, invention, and innovation. However, the Center especially encourages proposals that align with one (or more) of its strategic research and programmatic areas, including 1) projects that illuminate inventors from diverse backgrounds or any inventions and technologies associated with under-represented groups, such as women, minorities, LGBTQ, and the disabled; (2) projects exploring innovation in sports and sports technology; or (3) projects that explore the broader ecosystem of individuals and institutions that support inventors, including inventors' professional organizations; angel investors, venture capitalists, and financiers; incubators and entrepreneurial coaches; patent agents and IP attorneys; product designers, manufacturers, and marketers; and bankruptcy-liquidation specialists.
The Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellowship supports the work of an experienced author or senior scholar (associate/full/emeritus professor level or equivalent) from the history of technology, science and technology studies, business history, museum studies, STEAM education, or an allied field. Smithsonian staff are not eligible. The specific arrangement is flexible: the Molella Fellow may use the funds as a sabbatical supplement; for several short-duration visits; for a virtual appointment focused on research and writing; or for a series of lectures leading to a major publication. The stipend is $35,000. Funds may be used flexibly to support teaching buyouts, travel for several short-term visits, living expenses for longer residences up to seven months, and related research expenses. Dates are flexible. Applications are due 15 October 2025. Appointed fellows may begin their residencies on/after 1 June 2026 through 31 May 2027. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/arthur-molella-distinguished-fellowship.
The Lemelson Center Fellowship Program annually awards 2 to 3 fellowships to pre-doctoral graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and other professionals who have completed some advanced training (usually an MA or JD, but please inquire if you have questions). Undergraduates and Smithsonian staff should not apply. Fellows are expected to reside temporarily in the Washington, D.C. area and participate in the Center's activities. Fellowship tenure is based upon the applicants’ stated needs (and available funding) up to a maximum of ten weeks. Stipends will be $850/week for pre-doctoral fellows and $1,100/week for post-doctoral and professional fellows. Applications are due 15 October 2025. Appointed fellows may begin their residencies on/after 1 June 2026 through 31 May 2027. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellowship-program.
Program Alumni: Click the links to see project descriptions for past and current fellows.
Contact: Applicants may wish to consult with the fellowship coordinator before submitting an application; contact archivist Alison Oswald at osw...@si.edu.
Crossing Borders, Containing Disease: Networks of Health Knowledge in Early Modern Europe [Announcement]
Portugal
Until September 30 is open the Call For Papers to the panel "Crossing Borders, Containing Disease: Networks of Health Knowledge in Early Modern Europe" (P21). This panel is part of the VII CHAM Conference – On the Move: Diasporas, Mobilities and Transcultural Practices in a Changing World, which will take place in Lisbon (Nova FCSH), 15–17 April 2026.
Find out more about this panel here: https://cham.fcsh.unl.pt/actividades-periodicas.php?p=5555 and submit a proposal in this link: https://shorturl.at/eK6xy.
We would be grateful if you could help us spread the word about this call.
Apply today for 
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