Speaking

Maximilian I—The Last Medieval Knight, Then and Now

In September I am speaking at the Biennial Meeting of the BABEL Working Group as part of a panel that explores medievalisms in scholarship and popular culture. I want to show how and why Emperor Maximilian I is considered simultaneously the last medieval knight and the first renaissance man. In particular, I will link these seemingly contradictory identities to nationalist myths and traditional historiographies. For more on this conference, see 2012 Meeting

STS in the Liberal Arts

Next April I am speaking at a workshop at Vassar College that explores pedagogical and curricular issues related to teaching science and technology studies at liberal arts colleges.

Recent Appearances

History of Museums—Wagner Free Institute of Science

On 9 May I am speaking at the Wagner Free Institute of Science to a class from Drexel University on the history of museums and collecting. The Wagner is a great place to talk about museums, collections, and display (and the gerunds: collecting and displaying). It celebrates itself as a museum of a museum. It’s main gallery is still laid out much as Joseph Leidy arranged it in the late 19th century. See Speaking at the Wagner for thoughts from the event.

“What is an Astrolabe and How is it used?” —

On 27 February 2012 I am speaking to 4th graders at Friends’ Central School on astrolabes, scientific instruments, and the history of science more broadly. See “Taking the History of Science to ‘Them’” for why I feel this outreach is so important.

“Empiricism, Prediction, and Instruments: The Creation of Expertise in 14th-Century Constantinople” —

On 19 March 2012 I will be speaking at Penn on technical expertise in Byzantine politics. This presentation examines how Nikephoros Gregoras constructed his technical expertise and how he defended it against competing claims to expert knowledge.

“Politics as Astrological Expertise in Renaissance Hungary” —

On 23 March 2012 I will speak at the Renaissance Society of America annual conference on how politics shaped scientific knowledge in Renaissance Hungary. By examining how and why the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus enlisted scientific authority, we can see how the exercise of political authority establishes scientific authority and, in turn, how scientific authority is used to legitimate political authority.

“Life, Sex, Death and Food: A Historical Look at the Science That Drives Us” —

On 26 April 2012 I will be speaking at this year’s Philadelphia Science Festival. Once again, historians of science are paired with comedians from the Philadelphia Improv Theater to explore in a humorous and serious way episodes from past science. I will be speaking about a woman who in 1569 gave birth to a cat. For more information and tickets, see here.