British Society for the History of Science Annual Conference 2014
3 – 6 July 2014, University of St Andrews

The BSHS Annual Conference will take place from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 July 2014 at the University of St Andrews. 
 
The Programme Committee now invites proposals for individual papers and for sessions from historians of science, technology and medicine, and from their colleagues in the wider scholarly community, on any theme, topic or period. Proposals are welcomed from researchers of all nationalities at all stages of their careers. Participation is in no way limited to members of the Society, although members will receive a discount on the registration fee. Offers of papers and sessions should be directed to [log in to unmask], which is the address for all enquiries about the programme (see below for enquiries about local arrangements).
 
Proposals for individual papers should include an abstract of no more than 250 words, be comprehensible to a non-specialist audience, and avoid footnotes. Sessions, of either ninety minutes or two hours, should normally consist of three or four papers; they may also have a commentator. Proposals for alternative types of session, such as ‘round-tables’, are strongly encouraged. Please discuss your ideas for such alternative sessions well in advance of the submission deadline. 
 
The deadline for proposals is 10 February 2014. 
 
Further details on how to submit individual abstracts and session proposals will shortly be available on the BSHS website at http://www.bshs.org.uk/conferences/annual-conference/2014-StAndrews. 
 
Venue and accommodation
 
In St Andrews, you can enjoy five miles of award-winning beaches, the world-famous golf courses and a town that is rich in history. The conference will start on the evening of 3 July with a plenary lecture delivered by Professor Sally Shuttleworth (University of Oxford) and a reception in the Museum of the University of St Andrews. The majority of the conference will take place in the University’s Gateway Building, opposite the Old Course. Our conference dinner will be held in the historic quadrangle of the United College of St Leonard and St Salvator, and there will – of course – be a ceilidh! The programme will include parallel themed sessions, plenary lectures, education and outreach activities, and an opportunity to explore the library, archival and museum resources available in St Andrews for historians of science, technology and medicine. An inclusive conference package will be available, with en-suite accommodation provided in the modern Blackadder Hall near to the Gateway Building (that’s Agnes Forbes Blackadder, incidentally). Standard accommodation will also be available, and twin/double rooms can be requested. All enquiries relating to the local arrangements should be directed to [log in to unmask]
 
About the area
 
St Andrews has celebrated its 600th anniversary in 2013. It is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world. Its large School of History, which recently topped the Guardian University Guide league table for History (jointly with Cambridge), includes an Institute for Environmental History, and has a growing number of colleagues in intellectual history (including several with interests in history of science). It also hosts the AHRC-funded project ‘Publishing the Philosophical Transactions’, a history of the world’s oldest scientific journal. Nineteenth-century science aficionados will be able to retrace the footsteps of David Brewster (Principal of the United College), Robert Chambers (town resident while writing Vestiges and again in retirement), and early photographers John and Robert Adamson.
 
St Andrews is located on the picturesque east coast of Scotland and has excellent transport links to the major Scottish cities and international airports. Its local railway station is Leuchars, which is on the mainline between London King’s Cross and Aberdeen. The station is about six miles from the university; buses run every ten minutes and take ten minutes. St Andrews is also served by a wide selection of intercity coach services, often via Edinburgh. The nearest major airport is Edinburgh which is about two hours away by public transport or an hour by car. Other international destinations can be reached via Glasgow airport. The attractions of St Andrews include the ruined castle and cathedral, the British Golf Museum, the Bell-Pettigrew Museum of natural history, a lovely botanic garden, an aquarium with penguins and meerkats (!), and the beaches (including the West Sands where Chariots of Fire was filmed). St Andrews can easily be your stepping stone to a holiday in the Scottish highlands or a city-break in Edinburgh. Further information on transport links is available at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/visiting/gettingtostandrews/. General tourist information for this part of Scotland is available at http://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/kingdom-fife/. Specific information for St Andrews can be found at http://www.visitstandrews.com/.