Help to Foster Scholarship and Public Education

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John Tresch

Warburg Institute, University of London

December, 2020

The Consortium is an incredible asset for scholars working in history of science, technology and medicine. There's nothing like it anywhere... read more

 

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Katherine Reinhart

2019-20 NEH Postdoctoral Fellow

December, 2020

I knew my time as a postdoctoral fellow at the Consortium would be fruitful for my research ... but I did not anticipate the many other benefits from my time there... read more

 

The Consortium is a community of people, inside and outside academia, who care deeply about science, technology and medicine, about how these fields are changing, and about how those changes affect us. These concerns have never been more relevant. The Consortium works hard to support research addressing these issues and to share that research with the public.
 
Our new class of fellows numbers 22 scholars, from students starting their work, to accomplished faculty completing a book. Working with our fellows and our 27 member institutions, we are finding ways to safely conduct research during the pandemic.
 
The Consortium's working groups continue to thrive. Prior to the pandemic, the Consortium was already utilizing video conferencing technology in its programs. We connect scholars across six continents for these seminars. Last year, the total number of meetings and attendance increased by nearly 50%, including participants from Johannesburg, Taipei, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Copenhagen, as well as many other locations. This year, participation is on a pace to more than double. 
 
In the past year, the University of Oklahoma, the United States Naval Observatory, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with their rich collections and accomplished scholars, joined the Consortium.
 
A growing number of people access the Consortium's online resources. A comprehensive calendar of events in the history of science, technology and medicine, held at member institutions, is more useful than ever, since virtual events are now the norm. Our public online search hub now provides a unified, simple, and easy-to-use search interface for more than 4.7 million rare books and manuscripts, as well as almost 5,000 finding aids housed in Consortium collections.
 
The Consortium has launched a new web portal, Perspectives, which comprises  a growing library of podcasts, videos and essays on the history of science, technology and medicine, along with resources for further learning and opportunities to engage in ongoing conversations. With the involvement of many scholars around the world, it offers historical perspectives on contemporary issues, and features discussions with leading scholars, interviews with recent authors, and Consortium collections' highlights. Perspectives on the Covid-19 Pandemic in particular illustrates the collaborative nature of the Consortium – including twelve historians providing international perspectives on the history of epidemics and public health crises around the world; the intersection of COVID-19 with issues of race, gender, and economic status; and the broader consequences of pandemics throughout society. 
 
The success of the Consortium testifies to how we can work together to meet our shared goals. Please join us now in our efforts. 
 
Your donation to the Annual Fund, at any level of giving, provides critical support for the Consortium’s ongoing work.