Issue No. 48, August 1994 (ISSN 0158 9040)

Edited by Tim Sherratt on behalf of AAHPSSS.

President's Letter

I have now returned from a period of study leave in Britain (where I was working chiefly in London and Lancaster), and am endeavouring to pick up the threads of the affairs of the AAHPSSS. I should like to express my sincere thanks to those members of the Executive Committees and others, who kept things going during my absence. Indeed, they may properly think that they have done far more work for the Association than I have during my first year as President.

But let me say a few words about how I see the development of the Association's activities. First, the Conference at Griffith University in July. As it appeared to me, this meeting was a great success, socially, intellectually, and financially. There were about 115 participants, which in my judgement is excellent. The social arrangements were varied and ran smoothly. We all enjoyed a fine Conference Dinner, an excellent barbecue, and numerous chats and close encounters of various kinds, over various cups of coffee and sandwiches. There was strong student support (which seems to be growing each year). I regard this student participation as one of the most positive features of the Association's present state of health, and, I hope, an augury of the future development of HPS/STS studies in this part of the world. All the papers I attended were most satisfactory (except perhaps my own, which was, I fear, gabbled!).

For the success of the Conference, we owe an enormous debt to John Forge, who bore almost the entire brunt of the organisation. He did so with his unfailing good humour, and I should like to express to John, on behalf of the Association, our strong appreciation of all that he did. The work behind the scenes had been going on for many months. Without him there simply would have been no Conference.

Second, I should like to thank Guy Freeland for coming forward at the last moment to give the Dyason Lecture. All who were present will agree that it was an outstanding success: a tour de force indeed. The lecture had to be given by Guy because of the most unfortunate illness of Evelleen Richards. I may say that I was myself much looking forward to hearing her lecture (on the history of ideas about sexual selection), as it had to do with a topic about which I teach. So Evelleen's absence was a disappointment to me, and I'm sure to others too. We all wish her a speedy return to health.

Third, all participants at the Conference will want to join with me in expressing warm appreciation of the lecture and the workshop presented by Professor John Brooke, as our principal invited speaker. John is this year's Gifford Lecturer, and one of the world's leading authorities on the history of the relationship(s) between science and religion, the major theme of the Conference. All those who had the good fortune to hear John speak will understand the basis of his scholarly reputation, and we also learnt something of his skills as a teacher through the workshop that he presented to research students. John's lecture tour of Australia was sponsored by the British Council, and there is no doubt in my mind that we made an excellent choice in nominating him as our keynote speaker. I hope that he and his wife will take happy memories of Australia back to Britain—and from what he said, I rather think they will!

Mention of the attendance of so many students and our distinguished visitor brings to mind the fact that the amiable Hugh Torrens, geologist and historian of geology from Keele University, was also present at the Conference, and apparently enjoyed the gruelling fourteen-hour journey from Sydney to Brisbane, and back again, in the UNSW mini-bus. He is a man of excellent wit, and told me that it was the practice at geology conferences in Britain for students to determine who gave the worst paper, and present some suitable bottle of execrable wine, or a nicely drafted certificate, to the appropriate person. Should, I ask myself, that be something that students might like to do at AAHPSSS conferences?

Looking at the future, we are glad to know that Michael Shortland will be continuing his arduous duties as editor of Metascience. The journal has been well received overseas, and institutional subscriptions are edging up slowly. Perhaps in two or three years time the publication will be fully self-sustaining. It can only keep going at the moment with the help of conference profits and small subventions from the various departments. The workload in producing the journal is very great, and I am delighted that Jo Wodak has kindly agreed to assist Michael for nominal remuneration.

Michael has, understandably, expressed some exasperation about mishaps with the journal's distribution. But I believe that everything is now working smoothly so far as mailing lists are concerned, with the helpful hand of our Treasurer, Anthony Corones, at the tiller. He, too, has done an enormous amount of work behind the scenes, for which I should like to express our strong appreciation.

The question of future conference venues was discussed at the AGM. Some members were keen to travel to New Zealand, and certainly that is an attractive proposition in the ski season, or in the summer. However, it is not feasible at the moment while we are still relying on conference budget surpluses to keep Metascience going. We do, however, have a provisional offer from Auckland to host a conference in (perhaps) 1997. So that will be something to look forward to. For 1995, the present plan is to have the Conference in the Sydney area, perhaps in the Blue Mountains if a suitable venue can be found. The meeting will, according to present thinking, be organised jointly by Sydney University and UNSW.

Finally, for the Members in remote areas, where library facilities may not be good, l express our regret that we have decided to terminate the publication of journal contents in our Newsletter. With new methods of electronic information retrieval, the need for, and the demand for, the service we offered had greatly diminished. With the elimination of the journal contents section, the workload of the Newsletter editor will be greatly reduced, and so too will the cost of mailing. We had no choice but to end the service.

Finally, I should like to thank Tim Sherratt for taking on the task of Newsletter editor. Do please send him any items that you would like to see published.

All good wishes for the coming AAHPSSS 'season'.

- David Oldroyd (President), 3 August 1994