Seven Societies Travel Grants for Students, Independent Scholars and Recent PhDs

该奖项将资助7个STS学会在2011-2013年期间为研究生、独立学者和初级学者提供旅费，以参加这些学会的专业会议。这七个学会分别是科学史学会（HSS）、技术史学会（SHOT）、科学哲学协会（PSA）、国际科学哲学史学会（HOPOS）、美国环境史学会（ASEH）、国际科学技术心理学学会（ISPST）和国际生物学历史、哲学和社会研究学会（ISHPSSB）。自20世纪90年代中期以来，美国国家科学基金（NSF）为研究生和独立学者提供旅行资助，以参加HSS、SHOT、PSA和科学社会研究学会（4S）的会议。通过调查每个学会过去的会议，并注意到学生、独立学者以及在过去5年中新近获得博士学位的高参与率，这些资助的智力价值可以很容易地衡量出来。因此，由于这些学者的参与，学会会议变得更加丰富和多样化。反过来，这些学者的研究和职业生涯（正如他们所证明的那样）也因这种参与而得到了促进。这种专业化在几个方面至关重要：年轻的学者将在主要的研究型大学、文理学院和社区学院任教；策划博物馆展览；在研究机构工作；监督图书馆馆藏；为政府项目提供帮助，而对独立学者的资助将使这些学者能够与他们的专业团体保持联系，在他们继续在博物馆、研究机构、图书馆和政府机构工作的同时，创造智力和实践上的刺激。最后，在预算削减或取消部门旅行基金的情况下，最近的博士们将有机会保持他们的职业轨迹。潜在的更广泛的影响目前的提案还将对STS学科产生更广泛的影响，包括相关的一般领域，如ASEH，这些领域正在快速增长，并欢迎专门的子领域，如ISHPSSB， HOPOS和ISPST，这些领域的数量和影响力也同样在增加。后一类群体的加入尤其重要，因为它们代表了代表科学子领域的社会的快速增长。赠款所要求的合作将确保我们在这些不同领域保持关系。美国国家科学基金会的旅行资助一直是促进国际交流的主要力量，使美国学者能够到海外旅行，分享他们的研究成果。这种交流提高了会议的智力质量，同时促进了对科学的不同观点和解释。随着美国大学在校生在世界上所占份额的减少，这七个学会及其主要由美国人组成的会员就科学及其对社会的影响分享观点和问题就显得尤为重要。

Project summaryThis award will enable seven STS societies to provide travel grants to graduate students, independent scholars, and junior scholars to attend professional meetings of these societies from 2011-2013. The seven societies are the History of Science Society (HSS), the Society for the History of Technology (SHOT), the Philosophy of Science Association (PSA), the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science (HOPOS), the American Society for Environmental History (ASEH), the International Society for the Psychology of Science and Technology (ISPST), and the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB).Intellectual MeritSince the mid 1990s, NSF has provided travel grants to the HSS so that graduate students and independent scholars could attend the conferences of HSS, SHOT, PSA, and the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S). The intellectual merits of these grants can be easily measured by surveying the past conferences of each society and noting the high rate of participation by students, independent scholars, and, in the past 5 years, recent PhDs. As a result, society conferences have been richer and more diverse due to the participation of these scholars. In turn, the research and careers of these scholars (as they have testified) have been boosted by this participation. Such professionalization is crucial on several fronts: younger scholars will be teaching at major research universities, liberal arts colleges, and community colleges; curating museum exhibits; working at research institutes; overseeing library collections; and helping with government programs, whereas grants to independent scholars will allow these scholars to maintain contact with their professional societies, creating intellectual and practical stimulation as they continue to work in museums, research institutes, libraries, and government agencies. Finally, recent PhDs, in the midst of budgets that have cut or eliminated departmental travel funds, will have the opportunity to maintain their career trajectory.Potential Broader ImpactsThe current proposal will also lead to broader impacts for STS disciplines by including related general fields, such as ASEH, that are experiencing rapid growth, and by welcoming specialized subfields, such as ISHPSSB, HOPOS, and ISPST, that are likewise gaining in numbers and influence. The inclusion of the latter groups is particularly important since they represent the rapid growth in societies representing scientific sub fields. The cooperation that the grant will require will insure that we maintain relationships in these divergent fields. NSF travel grants have been a major force in facilitating international exchange, allowing US scholars to travel overseas to share the results of their research. This exchange enhances the intellectual quality of the meetings, while fostering diverse viewpoints and interpretations of science. As the US sees its share of college enrollees in the world dwindle, it is all the more important that these seven societies and their largely US membership share ideas and questions about science and its influence on society.