Working Groups

The Consortium invites scholars to join our topical working groups for challenging and collegial discussion of interesting publications in their fields and of each others’ works-in-progress.

Each group meets monthly. All interested scholars are welcome to participate via online video conferencing.

To join a working group, you must have an account on the Consortium website first.

  1. Log in, or create an account
  2. Click on a group below
  3. Click on the "Request Membership" link
Submit a discussion paper for one of the working groups.

Upcoming Meetings

Please set your timezone.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 8:00 - 9:30 am EDT

Behind the collections: a conversation with the Archivist.

In this session, speakers will share their experiences as archivists and reflect on the essential role they play in supporting historical research.

 

Elizabeth Kata (IAEA): Elizabeth Kata is the Unit Head of the Archives Unit at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. She received her Master's in Historical Research, Historical Auxiliary Sciences and Archival Studies from the Austrian Institute of Historical Research at the University of Vienna.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm EDT

Thomas Simpson, University of Warwick

"Knowing Earth through ice: frozen matter and planetary sciences before ESS"

Wednesday, October 14, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EDT

Meeting Topic:  How can we measure or identify colours, and why does terminology matter?

Nuance: TBA

A series of short talks about the science and art of color description featuring:

Kine Angelo (Department of Architecture and Technology, NTNU, Norway) on colour reference systems in architectural practice, using the NCS as an example

David Briggs (Painter, Art Educator and Researcher)  on colour attributes in painting 

Tuesday, October 20, 2026, 2:00 - 3:30 pm EDT

Pedro Afonso Cristovão dos Santos, Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, "The Sargasso Sea and the 'Discovery' of the Americas: 19th Century Transnational Debates on Nautical History and Historical Geography"

Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 8:00 - 9:30 am EDT

Challenges and possibilities of working in a Museum.

In this session, speakers will talk about the aspects and challenges of working in a Museum.

 

Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EDT

Presentation type: Chapter Workshop

Speaker: Dr. Matti Leprêtre 

Description: TBA

Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 am EDT

Cameron Daddis

(PhD Candidate - History of Science, Medicine, and TechnologyUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison)

Monday, November 2, 2026, 2:00 - 3:30 pm EST

Seminar with Rose Byfleet on the medical aspects of perfume.

Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 8:00 - 9:30 am EST

Digital humanities and AI: use and limits as methodological tools.

In this session, speakers will introduce the area of digital humanities. They will also talk about the challenges of this area for doing research.

Giovanna Di Rosario (Polimi).

Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm EST

Alina Bykova, Stanford University, Paper Title TBA

Friday, November 6, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EST

Erin McLeary and Myles Chang Matunis, Mütter Museum and Historical Medical Library

"Drawing From the Archive: Exploring the Legacy of a Queer Medical Illustrator and her Art"

Wednesday, November 11, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EST

Meeting Topic:  TBA 

Nuance: TBA

 

Meeting Organizer: Elizabeth

Tuesday, November 17, 2026, 2:00 - 3:30 pm EST

Magdalena Grüner, University of Southern California, paper title TBA

Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 am EST

North-South knowledge exchange: critical thinking and new perspectives.

This session will explore the processes, as well as the tensions, of knowledge exchange between the Global North and Global South

 

Michael Barany (Edinburgh): Michael Barany is Senior Lecturer in History of Science at the University of Edinburgh and researches and teaches the history and culture of modern science and mathematics. https://mbarany.com.

Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EST

Theriac: Beyond the Recipe (Roundtable)

Speakers: Danuta Raj, Barbara Splendore, and Katarzyna Pękacka-Falkowska

Description: TBA

 

Friday, November 27, 2026, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EST

Meeting to be rescheduled due to holiday

Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 8:00 - 9:30 am EST

Dilip K Das, "Narrating Spaces of Contagion."

Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 8:00 - 9:30 am EST

Closing ceremony and final reflections.

 

Conveners of the group.

Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm EST

Cristián Simonetti, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, paper title TBA

Friday, December 4, 2026, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EST

Kyle Olson, Washington University in St. Louis

"Curriculum Design for Collections-Based Research Training"

Image
Herbert Philipp

Herbert Philipp examining a high vacuum tube used in measuring the photoelectric emission from germanium crystals.

Past Groups and Seminars