icon.The Society for the History of Technology and the Society for Social Studies of Science will be meeting jointly at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville from 18-22 October 1995. The host of the meeting is the Division of Technology, Culture, and Communication (TCC) at the University of Virginia (UVa), with substantial assistance from the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Sociology Department and the Office of Engineering Academic Outreach.
While 4S and SHOT have previously met as part of the large four-society meetings, the Charlottesville meeting marks the first time these two societies will meet by themselves. This smaller joint meeting should provide an excellent opportunity for historians and social scientists interested in technology to learn from each other. Committees for each society have prepared extensive programs, and all sessions will be held at the Omni, thus making it easy for participants to move between SHOT and 4S panels. The meeting will include an extensive book exhibit as well as a session devoted to demonstrating new computer techniques for research and teaching. In addition, several common social events have been organized, which should help members of the two societies meet each other.
Wherever possible, the program and local arrangement committees have
strived to maintain the traditions of each society. Hence, 4S members
should note that their council and editorial meetings will be held on
Wednesday, 18 October, and the SHOT preconference meetings will occur on
Thursday, 19 October. As is customary, 4S sessions will start Thursday
morning and the SHOT panels will commence on Friday morning.
Charlottesville, a beautiful town of about 50,000 residents, is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. It is 120 miles (161 km) southwest from Washington, D.C. and 80 miles (129 km) west of Richmond. Charlottesville is the home of the University of Virginia, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 and which now has 18,000 students in liberal arts and science, engineering, medicine, law, and business.
Historic and scenic sites in Charlottesville attract tourists year-round. The public may visit several buildings designed by Jefferson--the Rotunda and Lawn of the University, his mountaintop estate, Monticello, and Ashlawn/Highland, the home of James Monroe. Also nearby is Montpelier, the residence of James Madison, and Staunton, the city where Woodrow Wilson was born. Nature lovers will enjoy driving through the mountains on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. Civil War buffs can visit many battlefields as well as Appomattox Court House National Historic Park, the site of General Lee's surrender in 1865. Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown are about two hours away. In addition, Charlottesville is the heart of Virginia's wine country, and many local vineyards give tours of their wine-making facilities.
We chose the Omni Hotel in downtown Charlottesville because it has
sufficient meeting rooms so that all 4S and SHOT sessions could be held in
one building. The Omni is located at the west end of the downtown
pedestrian mall and hence easily accessible to wide range of restaurants,
bars, cafes, and shops. The Omni is about one mile from UVa's central
grounds. While the Omni has 150 rooms, we have also reserved blocks of
rooms at several other hotels in Charlottesville, and we will be providing
regular shuttle bus service between the Omni and these hotels.
Bus Tour of Monticello Thursday, 19 October, 8-11 AM, $20
Designed by Jefferson, Monticello is regarded as one of the most significant buildings in American architectural history. To ensure that 4S/SHOT members can avoid waiting in long lines, the staff at Monticello has invited us to tour the house just as it opens for the day. After the house tour, there will be a special guided visit to Mulberry Row to view the archaeological remains of the craft and manufacturing shops that Jefferson built at Monticello. Please indicate on the registration form if you wish to take this tour.
Walking Tour of Downtown Charlottesville Thursday, 19 October, 2-4 PM (approximate times), $3
This tour will be led by Allan Gianniny (emeritus, TCC, UVa) and Howard Newlon (emeritus, Architecture, UVa) on behalf of the Albemarle County Historical Society. The tour will focus on buildings and sites in downtown Charlottesville which reveal its commercial and industrial evolution from the eighteenth century to the present. It will also include a visit to the Historical Society's building. Since the size of the group is limited, please indicate on the registration form if you wish to take this tour.
Tours of the Rotunda and Academical Village at the University of Virginia Available daily, 10 AM-4 PM, throughout the meeting, free
UVa was not only founded by Mr. Jefferson but he personally designed the original buildings of the University, which he called his "academical village." Lively tours of this portion of the grounds are provided by undergraduate students throughout the day beginning on the hour at the Rotunda. We will be providing shuttle bus service with stops at the Rotunda and the other conference hotels.
Exhibit on "Talking Pictures: The Dawn of Sound," Virginia Discovery Museum, Downtown Mall, Charlottesville Available daily, 10 AM-5 PM, throughout the meeting
Located a few blocks from the Omni Hotel, the Virginia Discovery Museum is one of the leading children's museums in the state. As part of its fall features, the museum will be displaying this exhibit which traces how AT&T developed sound movie technology in the 1920s and then convinced Hollywood to take up its system, commonly known as Vitaphone. This exhibit was developed by SHOT member Sheldon Hochheiser at the AT&T Corporate Archives.
SHOT President's Breakfast, Omni Hotel Friday, 7:30-9 AM (For junior SHOT members only)
To give graduate students and recent Ph.D's a chance to meet the officers
of SHOT, President Alex Roland will be holding an informal continental
breakfast. If you are a graduate student, under 30, or have received your
terminal degree within the last three years, please come to this
breakfast. There is no charge for this event.
RECEPTIONS, BANQUETS, AND THE HOSPITALITY SUITE
To provide ample opportunity for 4S and SHOT members to get to know each other, we have arranged three receptions. On Thursday and Friday nights, there will be receptions in the Atrium of the Omni Hotel. If you sign up for these events, your registration packet will contain coupons for a drink each evening; additional beverages may be purchased from the cash bar. On Saturday evening, participants will travel by bus to UVa for a plenary session featuring William McDonough, the Dean of Architecture at UVa, who will speak on "Ecological Ethics and the Design Revolution". This session will be followed by a splendid reception at the University. Please indicate on the registration form which of these receptions you will attend.
On Friday evening, we have scheduled two separate banquets so that each society will have sufficient time for its awards, speeches, and ceremonies. Please indicate on the registration form whether you wish to attend the 4S or SHOT banquet as well as your choice of entree.
One of the best-loved SHOT traditions is the hospitality suite for drinks
and conversation in the late evening. Rather than herd dozens of people
into a tiny hotel suite, we have modelled this year's hospitality suite
after the highly successful event in William's Pub at the 1992 Uppsala
meeting. From Thursday to Saturday, both 4S and SHOT members are invited
to retire after 9 PM to Court Square Tavern, located 4 blocks from the
Omni. Closely resembling a traditional English pub, Court Square stocks
dozens of the world's finest beers and should provide a convivial
atmosphere for late-night discussions.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS AND BOX LUNCHES
There are 13 special interest groups (SIGs) which get together during the annual meeting. This year, 4S members are cordially invited to attend any of the SIG meetings and participate in the discussions. Because we have arranged the program schedule on Friday and Saturday to accommodate three paper sessions, the SIG meetings have been scheduled during the long lunch break on each day. The preliminary schedule for these meetings is shown on the registration form. Please indicate which SIG meetings you may attend so that we can assign appropriately-sized rooms in the hotel.
To permit people to eat while attending the SIG meetings, we will be
offering box lunches for sale. These lunches will include assorted
sandwiches, cold drinks, chips, fruit, and dessert. The cost will be
$10.00 for each lunch. Please indicate on the registration form if you
wish to order lunches for either Friday or Saturday.
The basic registration fee for this year will be $80. This fee covers the preparation and printing of the program, badges, and address list of attendees. It also covers the shuttle bus service, modest coffee breaks, and a portion of the a-v equipment rental costs. We have set the student/unemployed/retired fee as low as possible ($40) and we have established a one-day registration fee ($40).
If you are on either the 4S or SHOT program, you must register by 1 SEPTEMBER so that we can have an early accurate headcount. All other attendees must register by 18 SEPTEMBER in order to avoid the late fee of $40. As is customary, we will waive the basic registration fee for accompanying persons and exhibitors; however, we ask that they pay for any meals or receptions they choose to attend. If you are being accompanied by a spouse or companion, and they wish to have a badge, please list their name on the registration form.
Please be sure to mark at the top of the form whether you are registering as a primary member of 4S or SHOT. Even if you are proud member of both organizations, we would be grateful if you would indicate only one affiliation on the registration form!
In paying your registration, please include a check drawn on a U.S. bank in
U.S. dollars made payable to the University of Virginia 4S/SHOT95 or
provide the appropriate credit card information. Please mail your form to
the address in the upper right corner of the registration form or fax it to
(804) 924-6222. If you register after 18 September and are paying by credit
card, you should complete the registration form including credit card
information and fax it to Academic Outreach. If you register after 18
September and want to pay by check, please fax us your registration form
and bring the check with you to the meeting.
We have reserved 150 rooms in the Omni from Thursday to Saturday night, with equal blocks for 4S and SHOT. The conference rate for a single or double is $89 per night, plus tax. This block of rooms will be available only until 18 SEPTEMBER.
Because the fall foliage attracts many visitors to Charlottesville in October, we urge you to make your reservations AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. For best results, call the Omni's local number (804) 971-5500 or fax (804) 979-4456. We do not recommend using the national 800 number. In making reservations, please identify yourself as attending "the joint meeting of SHOT and 4S." You then need to tell them whether you are registering as a 4S or SHOT member. All reservations must be guaranteed by a major credit card or check payable to the Omni Charlottesville Hotel. Please note that check-in time is 3 PM.
Once all of its rooms have been reserved, the Omni promises to refer callers to several other Charlottesville hotels. As this newsletter went to press, we were unable to ascertain whether the Omni will make reservations for you at the other hotels or simply give you their telephone numbers. To avoid this hassle, we again urge you to make your reservations early at the Omni.
In order that 4S and SHOT do not incur any extra charges for the use of the Omni's conference rooms, we would encourage you to stay at the Omni. However, if you wish to stay at a more modestly-priced inn, we have reserved blocks of rooms at other Charlottesville hotels. We will provide shuttle bus service from the first seven hotels listed below to the the Omni and the University. Be sure to state that you are attending the 4S/SHOT conference to qualify for the block rooms and special rates. Cancellation policies differ with each hotel. If you are driving to Charlottesville, you may prefer to stay at one of these outlying hotels. Again, these rooms and rates are only guaranteed until 18 September, so ACT PROMPTLY!
Howard Johnson (near UVa, 1 mile from Omni, and about 15 minute walk ) 1309 W. Main St., (804) 296-8121 Single: $53.17; Double $64.02
Best Western Cavalier Inn (near UVa and 2 miles from Omni) 105 Emmet St., (804) 296-8111 Single: $59.68; Double $70.53
Budget Inn (near UVa and 2 miles from Omni) 140 Emmet St., (804) 293-5141 Single: $43.40; Double: $48.83 Rooms and rates guaranteed only until 15 August
Econo Lodge (2.5 miles from Omni) 400 Emmet St., (804) 296-2104 Single: $45.56; Double: $47.73
Days Hotel (3 miles from Omni) 1901 Emmet St., (804) 977-7700 Single or Double: $59.68
English Inn (3 miles from Omni) 2000 Morton Drive, (800) 786-5400 Single: $62.93; Double $68.36
Holiday Inn North (3 miles from Omni) 1600 Emmet St., (800) 493-9111 Single or Double: $70.53
Hampton Inn (4 miles from Omni and no shuttle bus service) 2035 India Rd.,
(804) 978-7888 Single: $57.51; Double $67.27
BY AIR: The Charlottesville airport is served by USAir, United (United Express), American (American Eagle), and Delta (Comair) with more than 27 non-stop flights from Baltimore, Washington (Dulles), Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Some visitors may prefer to fly into the Richmond airport which is only 1.5 hours by car from Charlottesville. Overseas visitors may find it most convenient to fly into Dulles and take a short (30 minutes) commuter flight to Charlottesville. It is also an easy and scenic 2 hour drive from the Dulles airport to Charlottesville. UVa Engineering Academic Outreach has an established relationship with Enterprise Travel (1-800-759-9437) and Enterprise should be able to provide discount travel arrangements.
The airport is located 7 miles north of downtown Charlottesville. If you take a taxi from the airport, please use Yellow Cab, which has offered a reduced rate for participants. To receive the discount, you need to present the driver with the coupon enclosed in this newsletter. If you use a different cab, expect to pay $25-30. Avis, Hertz, Budget and Sears rental cars are available at the airport, and we suggest advance reservations.
BY TRAIN: Charlottesville has daily Amtrak service from New York, Washington, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Amtrak currently provides service every other day from Chicago, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati, but this train may be discontinued in the fall due to Federal budget cuts. For reservations and information, call 1-800-872-7245.
BY AUTO: Charlottesville is easily accessible by US 29 (north-south) and
Interstate 64 (east-west). I-64 connects to Interstates 95 (Richmond) and
81 (Shenandoah Valley). It takes about 2.5 hours to drive from Washington.
For maps and detailed driving directions, see the meeting homepage
(discussed below).
The Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia usually peak with their brightest fall
foliage in mid-October. It is often sunny and dry with warm days and cool
evenings. Average daily temperature for October are a high of 69F (21C) and
a low of 49F (9C). Casual clothing is in order with a sweater or light
jacket needed for the evenings. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes
to enjoy strolls along the Downtown Mall or around the University.
If you will need audio-visual equipment for your presentation, please
contact James Brown (jmb8c@virginia.edu), the media technician in the
Division of Technology, Culture, and Communication, and inform him of the
equipment you wish to use (overhead, slide projector, VCR). Because of the
high cost of renting a-v equipment, session rooms will not be equipped with
overhead projectors unless they are requested in advance. All a-v requests
must be submitted by 18 SEPTEMBER.
As is customary for 4S meetings, we will endeavor to arrange daycare for
children ages 5 or under from 9 AM to 5 PM. Depending on demand, this
service will be provided either at a local, high-quality preschool or at
the Omni using preschool personnel. If you intend to use this service,
please contact Sandra Sullivan at the number listed below. You will need to
make an advance reservation with Sandra for this service.
You may call or email the local arrangements committee or the program chairs. If you have specific questions, please call the person whose name is listed after that category:
General local arrangements: Bernie Carlson, local arrangements chair, (804) 924-6113 or wc4p@virginia.edu; Stephan Fuchs, 4S local arrangements, (804) 924-6540 or sf4r@virginia.edu; or Bryan Pfaffenberger, SHOT local arrangements, (804) 924-6098 or bp@virginia.edu
Registration and child care: Sandra Sullivan, Conference Coordinator, (804) 924-3744 or sandra@virginia.edu
Book exhibit and program advertising: Mark Shields (804) 924-3234 or mas4n@virginia.edu
Audio-visual Equipment: James Brown, (804) 924-3425 or jmb8c@virginia.edu
SHOT program chair: Jonathan Coopersmith at (409) 845-7148 or jcfax1@tamvm1.tamu.edu
4S program chair: Mike Gorman (804) 982-2905 or meg3c@virginia.edu
Web Homepage: J. Kirby Robinson (jkrobin@virginia.edu) or Mike Gorman (meg3c@virginia.edu)
See you in Charlottesville in October!
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