New Library Service

I thought you all might want to know about this new library service starting next week. Let me know if you have questions:

Starting March 3, 2008, requesting a book from a Twin Cities campus library will be a one-stop process for University of Minnesota faculty, staff and students. The “Get It” link in the availability page of the MNCat library catalog consolidates book requesting services currently found in 4 places:

* Recall –changing the due date of a book that has already been checked out for earlier pickup at any convenient campus library
* Point-to-Point - for delivery of books not checked out, to be picked up at a more convenient campus library than the owning library
* Libraries to U – for delivery of books to on-campus faculty/staff offices
* MLAC Paging - for MLAC deliveries

An additional service is now being offered with the “Get It” link:

* Paging – pulling books from the shelves of a library to be held for users at the Circulation Desk of that same library


Get It will also provide an additional route for users to request In Process and On Order items. These requests will be directed to Technical Services for processing.

Users will no longer have to fill out web forms, but will have user and book information pre-populated when they initiate a request after logging into their account. All the user will have to do is make a menu choice indicating where they would like the book to be sent for pickup! This will include an on-campus office for UM faculty and staff. Once a book is either returned or found on the shelf, shipping will take place within 48 hours on weekdays; most requests shipped within 24 hours.

Broomball Photos

G'day folks. I'd imagine you'd like nothing better to see pictures of us floundering about on the ice. Fortunately the IM sports department exists solely to make your wishes a reality. I was going to caption all of these with inanely flip comments, but it really mucks with the formatting and makes for about a thousand-yard post, so instead I'll let them speak for themselves (clicking on the photo will enlarge the photo, and decrease our dignity in equal proportion):

Congratulations to Sally Gregory Kohlstedt who will become director of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine Department on July 1, 2008. Many thanks to Alan Shapiro for his many years of service and dedication.

Minnesota Grad wins Nathan Reingold Prize

Congratulations to Hyung Wook Park, who was awarded the 2007 Nathan Reingold Prize for "'The Thin Rats Bury the Fat Rats': Animal Husbandry, Caloric Restriction, and the Making of a Cross-Disciplinary Research Project."  He is featured in the current issue of the History of Science Society newsletter.  The Nathan Reingold Prize (formerly known as the Ida & Henry Schuman Prize) is awarded each year to the best graduate student essay on the history of science and its cultural influences.  Park is the first graduate student from Minnesota to be awarded this prize in the over 50 years of the competition's existence.  Let's hope that he is starting a trend!  

A closer look at Evolutionary Psychology - A B.I.G. event

Last semester after John Jackson presented his work involving Evolutionary Psychology (EP), many of you expressed interest in understanding why EP has caused such a ruckus in both the scientific and philosophical communities. Well, never fear, B.I.G has volunteered to devote the next few meetings to the subject. Below is the B.I.G. schedule for the next few weeks (it's also posted online at the Minnesota Philosophy of Science website)

Topic 2: Evolutionary Psychology

February 1: Leda Cosmides & John Tooby, "Evolutionary Psychology: A Primer" online publication, http://www.psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/primer.html

February 8: John Dupré, "The Evolutionary Psychology of Sex and Gender", chapter 4 of Human Nature and the Limits of Science, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001, pp. 44 - 69.

February 15: John Dupré, "The Charms and Consequences of Evolutionary Psychology", chapter 4 of Human Nature and the Limits of Science, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001, pp. 70 - 92

Since many of you expressed interest in attending such a discussion, I hope you will be able to find some time over the next three weeks to attend. As usual, B.I.G. meets at 10:45-12pm in Heller Hall rm 737. It's an informal group, so feel free to come late or leave early. I look forward to seeing you there!

Congrats Bart!

From all the HSTM graduate students, I would just like to say congrats to Bart Moffatt on his new job as Philosopher of Biology at Mississippi State University. He will be joining what is becoming a vibrant community of historians and philosophers of science, one of which is our own Susan Rensing. As Susan is fond of saying, "The South is the new Midwest." Being from the east coast, I really don't know exactly what that means, but I figure it's a good thing.

Bart, you've been in the philosophy department for 8 years now, but it's like we hardly knew ya. Good luck!

Broomball

The HSTM broomball team for Spring 2008 is rapidly taking shape. If I have not already contacted you about playing, and you would like a spot on the team, please email me (UMN email ID: mart1901) as soon as possible with your ID number.

Games will take place at Ridder arena. Times are to be determined, but if there are any nights of the week you absolutely cannot play, let me know and I will try to accommodate as many people as possible.

The rules PDF is available from the IM sports website. The team registration fee will be $90, so it shouldn't be more than $10 per person, and likely less if we can get some numbers. To that end, if you know anyone else who might like to play, please have them send me their info.

No prior experience or equipment is required.

As a final order of business, I am also taking suggestions for a team name.