"Science and hi-tech

the International Summer School for History of Science in Berkeley, 2000

The International Summer School for History of Science has been in operation since 1988. It convenes every other year at a different site, rotating among the four universities that organize its activities: Bologna, Uppsala, Paris, and Berkeley. The intended audience of the School are graduate students or recent Ph.D.’s.

From June 11 through June 18, 2000, the seventh School will be held on the UC Berkeley campus at the Townsend Center for the Humanities. The chosen topic is "Science and Hi-Tech in the 20th century. The principal lecturers will be: David Hounshell (Carnegie-Mellon), David Mackenzie (Edinburgh), Daniel Kevles (Cal Tech), and Alfonso Gambardella (Urbino). The topic was chosen with California in mind, i.e. an active center of both biotechnology and the computer industry, two of the leading science-based technologies developed since World War II. The lecturers will want to explain the evolution of high-tech going back to earlier developments in the century, and not necessarily those centered on California. The choice of lecturers was made to parry the natural tendency towards parochialism that stems from local commercial success and the pride of local scientists.

Additional information from the principal investigator:

Professor Roger Hahn, Office for History of Science and Technology (OHST), University of California, Berkeley, 543 Stephens Hall # 2350, Berkeley, Ca 94720-2350, USA, tel: 510 642-4581; fax: 510 643-5321.