Category: Miscellaneous Announcements

KTH PhD Student in History of Science, Technology and Environment

KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm is seeking one PhD student for the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, School of Architecture and the Built Environment. 

The PhD student position is a part of the Mistra financed program “New Governance for Sustainable Development in the European Arctic”. This program is led by Umeå University with KTH ‘s Division of history as the principal partner together with SEI, SIPRI and the European University at St. Petersburg. The program will develop a nuanced understanding of local and subnational governance challenges in the European Arctic, with the aim to increase the capacity of local and regional decision makers to make informed decisions related to sustainable development.

Those interested should refer to the full announcement, found here: KTH PhD Studentship

 

 

 

Call for Papers: Histories of Transport, Mobility, and Environment

Journal of Transport History, Special Issue

In 1844 William Wordsworth wrote passionately about a railway that was desecrating the tranquility of the English Lake District, if not setting fire to woodland and dividing ancient fields and ecologies. Across the Atlantic in the same century, Henry Thoreau expressed gratitude that people could not yet fly “and lay waste the sky as well as the earth”.

‘Conquest’, defilement and intrusion have been labels since pinned on many transport investments and mass traveling. Deforestation, air pollution, oil spills, noise, landscape leveling, water table lowering, and habitat change have all been associated with environmentally blind infrastructure expansion and mobility in the past. Conversely, there have been transport projects linked with landscape beautification, and mobility may be said to have increased appreciation of the sanctity and fragility of wilderness. Some environmental activism has been directed at transport projects. Historians of transport and mobility as well as environmental historians have dealt with these issues, but more research is needed.

We invite scholarly contributions that examine the historical relationship between transport and mobility and the natural environment for a proposed Special Issue of the Journal of Transport History scheduled for December 2014 (vol 35 [2]). Contributions may be substantial library and archive-based research essays of 8,000 words (including endnotes and Abstract), or shorter pieces (1,500 words) for the Journal’s ‘Surveys & Speculations’ and its ‘Exhibitions & Museum Reviews’ sections.

In existence for over 50 years, The Journal of Transport History publishes scholarly research and commentary on the history of transport, travel, tourism and mobility, including their relationship with planning and policy.

The Special Issue will be guest edited Thomas Zeller, author of Driving Germany: the Landscape of the German Autobahn, 1930-1970 (2007). Together with JTH editor Gordon Pirie, he will select papers based on their originality and scholarly rigour, but will also strive for broad coverage of periods, themes, continents and transport modes. Papers will be subject to a double-blind review process. Conceptually progressive research is especially encouraged. A second call will be made in June 2013. Prospective authors should contact Thomas Zeller (tzeller@umd.edu) and Gordon Pirie (jth.editorial@gmail.com).

Final submissions for the JTH Special Environmental Issue should be lodged by 5 August 2013. More detail about the JTH, and back issues, are online at http://manchester.metapress.com/content/122747.

Research Fellowships in Innovation for Sustainability

The Center for Contemporary History and Policy at the Chemical Heritage Foundation invites applications for one-year research fellowships at the post-doctoral or advanced graduate student level to create and cultivate projects in the area of innovation for sustainability. We anticipate hiring 2-3 individuals for these positions.

Drawing on core competencies and programmatic areas in environmental history and policy and studies of materials innovation, CCHP is developing projects that sit at the intersection of sustainability and innovation, both broadly construed. We especially encourage project proposals that cut across institutional sectors and research objects. The following are examples of topics that might be explored:

  • Materials Innovation
  • Energy (policy, regulation)
  • Role of government regulation
  • Green manufacturing
  • Life-Cycle assessments
  • Alternatives development
  • Green Chemistry

Projects conducted by fellows in residence will contribute to the programmatic and outreach initiatives of CCHP. These materials are intended to reach audiences outside of academe, and in the past have included: white papers, online exhibits, public symposia, and contributions to our oral history collection.

Fellows will work with CCHP staff while in residence to determine the most appropriate project outcomes as part of our efforts to mentor and train junior scholars to reach new and diverse audiences.

In addition to research related to the proposed project, approximately a third of the fellow’s time will be in support of ongoing activities and projects in CCHP.

Salary for post-doctoral researchers will be $45,000; graduate students will receive $25,000.

Applications from women, minorities, and those with disabilities are particularly welcomed and encouraged.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. For full consideration, applications should be received by June 1, 2011. Application materials should include a cover letter, statement of research interests and proposed project (not to exceed two pages), curriculum vitae, and the names, addresses and phone numbers of three references. Materials can be sent as e-mail attachments (pdf-preferred) to Jody Roberts, Associate Director, Center for Contemporary History and Policy at: cchpfellowships2011@chemheritage.org.

 

4-year doctoral position in the History of Science, Technology, and Environment, Umeå University, Sweden

Umeå Studies in Science, Technology and Environment (USSTE) – a research group specializing in humanistic and social science research on science, technology and environment, and on the historical relationships between these fields and the rest of society – welcomes applications for a four-year doctoral position at Umeå University, Sweden. Continue reading →

Postdoc in history of science, technology, and environment, Umeå University, Sweden

The Faculty of Humanities at Umeå University has announced four two-year postdoctoral positions, to be assigned to the faculty’s strong research areas. Umeå Studies in Science, Technology, and Environment is one of these areas, and we would like to encourage potential candidates with a background in history of science, technology, and/or environment to apply for these positions.

The full announcement can be found here (in Swedish): http://www8.umu.se/umu/aktuellt/arkiv/lediga_tjanster/315-127-11.html

I have also made an English translation of the key points that can be found here: http://finnarne.net/2011/02/24/postdoc-in-history-of-science-technology-andor-environment/

If you don’t understand Swedish, but still would like to apply, do not hesitate to contact Finn Arne Jørgensen at fa@jorgensenweb.net. We welcome international applicants!

Job at University of Western Ontario

The Department of Geography

The University of Western Ontario

Physical Geographer ‐ Environmental Change

The Department of Geography at The University of Western Ontario is seeking applications for a probationary (tenure‐track) position for a Physical Geographer with expertise in environmental change at the rank of Assistant Professor commencing July 1 2011. We seek an outstanding individual with demonstrated commitment to excellence in research and teaching. The candidate must have a PhD and a strong record of scholarly activity. Applicants are sought in support of a strategic focus on populated landscapes and human modification of landscapes and processes. The perspective may be temporal or spatial at local to global scales combined with expertise in field, lab or computer techniques.

Continue reading →

New exhibit – Edward Burtynsky: Oil

Rebecca Pinkus sent the following message:

Canadian industrial landscape photographer Edward Burtynsky’s newest project, “Oil” has recently opened at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, along with several related gallery shows in Amsterdam, New York, and Toronto. The Corcoran exhibit is on through mid-December, after which it will travel through 2011.

I was privileged to work as a Research Associate on this project for the past three years, and attended the exhibit opening in early October: the exhibit is fantastically curated and is a must-see for all envirotechies. It should be required viewing for just about everyone everywhere. The book (tome) that accompanies the exhibit is also worth examining if you can get hold of it. Dr. William Rees (University of British Columbia, and coiner of the term “ecological footprint”) has presented a thought-provoking essay on our relationship with oil, and Michael Mitchell (Canadian author and filmmaker) has supplied some great essays on the historical and social elements of the various “chapters” in Burtynsky’s project.

For those of you unable to make the trek to see the exhibit, you can find many of the images on Burtynsky’s site under “Galleries” or by checking the second Corcoran link listed below.

http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/

http://www.corcoran.org/burtynsky/index.php – this link will give you the exhibit images: http://www.corcoran.org/exhibitions/press%5Fburtynsky/

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2009/10/03/burtynsky-oil-corcoran.html