Dear BSHS member,

This has been an exceptionally busy few months for BSHS.

In July we held a major global digital festival on the theme of ‘Intersections’, and in September we co-sponsored another digital event on future trends in collaboration with the Division of History of Science and Technology of the Union for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. Together the two meetings provide a remarkable snapshot of the current state of the discipline from around the world.

Thanks to the outstanding work of Alexander Stöger, talks from both meetings are available online at the BSHS’s YouTube channel, which is well worth checking out!

The YouTube channel also features a fascinating lecture by Keith Wailoo, author of Pushing Cool: Big Tobacco, Racial Marketing, and the Untold Story of the Menthol Cigarette (Chicago, 2021) winner of this year’s Hughes Prize for the best book in our field for a general audience. The lecture is available here.

Our next two meetings will be in person. So mark your calendar now for 10-13 July 2024 in Aberystwyth; and 8-10 July 2025 in Cambridge. In 2026 we are planning an international digital festival, as we coordinate in-person meetings in alternate years with the European History of Science Society. Many thanks to Sam Robinson, Sarah Qidwai, and the entire team that make these events possible.

The summer and early autumn also saw some key posts in the Society change hands. Jen Farquharson, who has done such a marvellous job with our newsletter, Viewpoint, is stepping down, to be replaced by Joe Holloway. Joe has a doctorate in disability studies and extensive experience in publishing. As postgraduate representative the wonderful Zoe Screti is being replaced by Kelly Swaby, who has lots of exciting ideas for encouraging student involvement in the BSHS. In the important post of secretary, Alice White will be replacing Chiara Ambrosio, who has served in this position so well for many years. In turn, Chiara has been elected vice president, and from September 2024 will be our new president. This is all excellent news.

I continue to be amazed by the dedication and effort that all the officers put into their work: and I particularly want to thank Jen, Zoe, Chiara for all their work over many years. I also want to thank Mary Brazelton, Matthew Cobb, Ray Macauley and Emma Spary for serving on Council and taking on many other duties. We are fortunate to have Katalin Straner, Brigitte Stenhouse, Jon Topham, and Nathan Bossoh to replace them.

The other major news is about the British Journal for the History of Science, brilliantly edited by Mandy Rees, with the reviews overseen by Joe Martin and Coreen McGuire. Over the summer we learned that Cambridge University Press is planning to make all future research articles in the journal available on an open access basis. Crucially, the Press has agreed that all future authors in the journal, even those not covered by specific agreements, will be able to publish without any charge: so no ‘pay to say’. Access to non-research material, and to articles published non-open access before 2025, will continue to be behind a paywall.

Overall this will greatly expand readership of the journal, making our scholarship available to a wide audience across the world. Because so much of the Society’s income comes from CUP, however, this shift has major implications for our finances. Council has approved the change, and we’ll be considering how to prepare for the transition in the coming months.

A key issue will be growing our membership. As I did last year at this time, I’m including an appeal for new members, particularly students, for whom the entry-level subscription is now only £10. Among other benefits, membership offers the possibility of applying for grants and giving papers at our meetings. Please do encourage anyone you know who might be interested to join, and distribute news about BSHS membership on your local listservs.

All best wishes,

Jim Secord (BSHS President)

Are you a Masters or PhD student whose work touches on the history of science, technology or medicine? If so, we invite you to find your academic home in the British Society for the History of Science.

Student membership of the BSHS is just £10 for the first year, and for this small sum you can expect …

• Access to research and engagement grants
• Access to funding to organise your own mini-conference or workshop
• Opportunity to publish in our colourful magazine Viewpoint
• Full participation in our friendly and supportive annual conference/online festival
• An additional annual conference just for postgraduates
• Workshops and events on academic skills and careers (within and beyond academia)
• A supportive community of colleagues at all career stages to help you build your professional network
• A network of like-minded postgraduates
• Access to our world-leading journal BJHS