Monthly Archives: March 2023

Armel Cornu wins the 2023 Partington Prize

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The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry is delighted to announce that the winner of the 2023 Partington Prize is Dr Armel Cornu of the Science History Institute for her entry “Senses and utility in the New Chemistry.”

Armel Cornu is a postdoctoral researcher at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia. She majored in chemistry and history before graduating with a masters degree in the history of science at Université Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris. She obtained her doctorate at the University of Uppsala in 2022 with a dissertation centring on the market, regulation, and science of mineral waters in eighteenth-century France. Her research is characterised by a social and economic approach to the development of chemistry throughout the Enlightenment. She currently works on the uses of sensorial impressions in the practice and perception of eighteenth-century chemistry.

The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry established the Partington Prize in memory of Professor James Riddick Partington, the Society’s first Chairman. It is awarded every three years for an original and unpublished essay on any aspect of the history of alchemy or chemistry. The prize-winning article will appear in the Society’s journal, Ambix, in due course.

REMINDER – SHAC AWARD SCHEME 2023

Applications are now open for the SHAC Award Scheme 2023, with a closing date of 31 May 2023.

SHAC offers two types of award up to a maximum value of £1000: support for research into the history of chemistry or history of alchemy by both new and independent scholars and support for Subject Development of either history of chemistry or history of alchemy. It is expected that applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application by 31 July 2023. The Awards are most suitable for activities planned to be undertaken during the academic year October 2023–September 2024. To apply please request a form from grants@ambix.org . Applicants must be members of the Society in good standing at the time of making an application, and, if successful, throughout the period of an award.

For further details see: https://www.ambix.org/grants/

With best wishes,

Chris Campbell

Honorary Secretary

SHAC

Next online seminar: British 2nd WW Nerve Agent Research

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The next on-line seminar of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry will be given by Dr Alison McManus (Johns Hopkins University) who will present  

“A Compound of Considerable Interest”: British Nerve Agent Research during the Second World War   


This will be live on Thursday, 23 March 2023, beginning at 5.00pm GMT (6.00pm CET, 1pm ET, 10.00am PT). The format will be a talk of 20-30 minutes, followed by a moderated discussion of half an hour.  

As with recent seminars the Zoom link can be freely accessed by anyone, member of SHAC or not, by booking through the following Eventbrite link: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/shac-on-line-seminar-dr-alison-mcmanus-tickets-570573399397

Alternatively, the seminar can be accessed live on YouTube at https://youtube.com/live/aexu17ziSVA.

Most previous on-line seminars can be found on the SHAC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/SocietyforHistoryofAlchemyandChemistry

“A Compound of Considerable Interest”: British Nerve Agent Research during the Second World War   

Alison McManus  

During the Second World War, British chemists nearly developed organophosphate nerve agents to rival the rumoured German superweapons that we now know as tabun, sarin, and soman. They did so under the aegis of the Chemical Defence Experimental Station (CDES) at Porton Down, which issued research contracts to the Chemistry and Physiological Laboratories at the University of Cambridge. In this talk, I reconstruct the chemical screening programs that took place within these laboratories, highlighting acts of intelligence gathering, the interpretation of evidence, and iterative experimentation (some of which drew from parallel work across the Atlantic). As a result of these extensive surveys, chemists and physiologists identified compounds with striking structural similarities to the German nerve agents but which never approached their degree of toxicity. In conclusion, I offer institutional, economic, and epistemological explanations for this infamous “near miss” in military history. 

Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry Award Scheme 2023

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Opening date: 1 March 2023

Closing date for applications: 31 May 2023

The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry invites applications for its Award Scheme for 2023. SHAC offers two types of award: support for research into the history of chemistry or history of alchemy by both new and independent scholars and support for Subject Development of either history of chemistry or history of alchemy. It is expected that applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application by 31 July 2023. The Awards are most suitable for activities planned to be undertaken during the academic year October 2023–September 2024. However, there will be a two-year window for completion due to ongoing uncertainty over plans for future research projects, conferences, workshops etc.

Research Awards are open to post-graduate students (both masters and doctoral students), those who have obtained a PhD since 1 January 2013 and also to independent scholars. Given that the circumstances of independent scholars differ we are letting members ‘self-define’ and if there are any unclear cases it will be left to the discretion of the Awards Panel.

Awards of up to £1000 will be made to cover research expenses, including travel, accommodation, subsistence (at the discretion of the award panel), the reproduction of documents, and library fees. Applications may also include the costs of reproducing images for publication. The Scheme does not fund the purchase of equipment or course fees. It does not cover the costs of Open Access publication.

In addition, those who have obtained a PhD since 1 January 2013 and independent scholars may apply for the costs of travel to conferences and accommodation, but only in order to give a paper. The Scheme does not pay conference registration fees.

Subject Development Awards of up to £1000 may be made to support activities such as seminars, workshops, colloquia, lecture series, conference sessions, conferences, exhibitions and outreach activities that support either the history of chemistry or history of alchemy as academic subjects. The Awards do not cover the costs of refreshments or catering for these events. The Scheme does not cover the costs of Open Access publication.

Please note that activities covered by the Awards do not have to occur in the UK, and that the Awards are open to members of the Society resident both in the UK and elsewhere. Members who have applied to the Scheme in previous years, whether successfully or not, are entitled to make an application in 2023. Members are only permitted to make one application to each annual Award Scheme (not including the SHAC Special ICHC13 Award Scheme which closed on 28.02.2023).

Applicants must be members of the Society in good standing at the time of making an application, and, if successful, throughout the period of an award. For more information and application forms, please contact grants@ambix.org. Membership enquiries should be made to newjoiner@ambix.org.

An activity report must be submitted at the end of the Award. This will usually be published in SHAC’s Chemical Intelligence newsletter.