Pittsburgh Events
Special Events
Opening Plenary and Reception
Our annual meeting will kick off with events at the Senator John Heinz History Center on Thursday evening.� At 7 pm, we will have an opening plenary session featuring Brian Hayes, 2006 Sally Hacker Prize winner and Senior Writer for the American Scientist (an abstract of his speech is available here).� From 8-10 pm, we will be the guests of our conference co-sponsors, Carnegie Mellon University and the Heinz History Center, at a superb reception that will include several food stations and a cash bar.� Please indicate on the registration form if you are planning to attend this free reception.
Run by the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, the Heinz History Center is a state-of-the art history museum, with major exhibits on innovation in Pittsburgh, the Lincoln bicentennial, and sports history.� For more information on this outstanding museum, please go to the Heinz History Center Web site.� You are encouraged to visit the History Center during your stay in Pittsburgh, and your SHOT conference badge will get you free admission.
In order to give people an opportunity to visit the Heinz Center before the plenary, buses will be available at the Hilton beginning at 5.30 pm on Thursday evening and shuttles will run between the Hilton and the Heinz Center throughout the evening.� The Heinz Center is located one mile away from the Hilton (about a 20-minute walk).
Please note that the Thursday afternoon tours are scheduled to have folks back at the Hilton by 5.30 pm and the plenary events will start at 7 pm at the Heinz Center.� We will provide some bottled water at the plenary for the tired and thirsty, but you may want to have a snack between 5.30 and 7 pm since we will not be eating until 8 pm.� SHOT believes in busy and action-packed meetings!
Graduate Student Breakfast
SHOT prides itself on being open and welcoming to new participants, especially graduate students.� On Friday, 16 October at 7 am, currently enrolled graduate students are cordially invited to breakfast and to meet the Society’s officers. �This continental breakfast will offer graduate students a chance to meet each other, to learn about SHOT programs (including prizes and fellowships), and to find out more about SHOT’s journal, Technology and Culture.� This breakfast is free for currently-enrolled graduate students (please do not sign up if you do not fit this category). �You must register for this event in order to attend; please indicate your attendance on the registration form.
Pretzels, Beer, and Syllabi:
Teaching the History of Technology
While many of us teach technological history, we don’t always have the opportunity at the annual meeting to talk about the ideas and techniques we use to engage students.� Consequently, we have added this informal event on Friday evening from 5.30-7 pm so that people can relax, trade stories, and exchange syllabi.� Folks are encouraged to bring 20 copies of their course syllabi, but please email Bernie Carlson before 1 October if you are bringing materials.� We encourage people to bring a variety of syllabi–from both survey courses and special seminars–as well as materials that they use to reach nontraditional audiences (K-12, museum audiences, and senior citizens).� Folks are also welcome to bring their laptops to share PowerPoint slides or other digital materials.� There will be a cash bar serving soft drinks, wine, and of course, beer.
International Scholars Breakfast
A key way that SHOT is reaching out to historians of technology around the world is through its International Scholars program.� Each incoming annual “class” of International Scholars is formally introduced at the Awards Banquet, but to welcome them more personally, SHOT holds a breakfast for them each year.� This year’s breakfast will be held on Saturday, 17 October, at 7 am.� If you are a new or former International Scholar (or a member of the Internationalization Committee), please email Harro Maat by 15 September to let him know if you will be attending this breakfast.
Asia Network Lunch
To promote scholarship on Asian topics and to encourage historians from Asia to participate in our activities, SHOT is seeking to organize a Special Interest Group (SIG) in this area.� If you would like to participate in this network and get together for lunch on Friday, 16 October, at 12.30 pm, please contact Suzanne Moon.� She will let you know the exact plans for this lunch as we get closer to the annual meeting.
Members’ Meeting
Are you interested in finding out about new SHOT initiatives?� Thinking about volunteering to serve on one of the Society’s committees?� If so, then please join us for the Members’ Meeting which will be held on Saturday, 17 October at 12.30 pm.� In addition, all members are welcome to sit in on the Executive Council session scheduled for Thursday, 16 October, 8 am-5 pm.
Awards Banquet
On Saturday, 17 October at 7 pm, SHOT invites you to attend the annual awards banquet to be held at the Hilton Pittsburgh, preceded by a cocktail reception starting at 6 pm.� This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a relaxing evening with old and new friends, show our appreciation to SHOT’s many volunteers, and honor the recipients of our prizes and fellowships.� To encourage you to attend, we will be streamlining the awards ceremony so that it both celebrates the achievements of the winners while providing the audience with ample time to socialize.� The banquet will feature a buffet, with a selection of appetizers, beef and fish entr�es, plus an impressive dessert display.� Tickets are $70 per person; please sign up for the banquet on the registration form.� Please note the space for telling us if you will be accompanied by a spouse or guest.