Mailing list archive
Message 04: 15 February 2013
Dear colleagues
I must apologise that this message is going out a few hours later than planned, but we have two major announcements today:
1. REGISTRATION FOR THE CONGRESS IS NOW OPEN.
To register, please go to http://www.ichstm2013.com/registration/ and follow the link to open the registration form.
Registration will be available at the early discounted rate until Sunday 14 April, and at a higher rate until Monday 1 July, which is the final deadline.
Registration correspondence
Please note carefully that registration will be handled by the University of Manchester’s conference support staff (the same people who deal with requests for proof of invitation). If you have a question about the registration process, please email
mcc.reg@manchester.ac.uk
and your query will be picked up as soon as possible. Please don’t reply to this message with registration queries, or send them to the local arrangements or programme organisers, as this will only slow down the response.
Personal identity numbers and the registration form
If you are involved in the Congress as a presenter, organiser, session chair or commentator, you should recently (probably last Sunday) have received a direct email containing a 5-digit personal identity number for the Congress programme, and a link to allow you to edit your details.
At the top of the Congress registration form there is a box labelled ‘Paper identity number’. Please make sure that you enter your 5-digit number in this box when you fill in your registration. Unfortunately, the registration and programme databases are separate, and we will be relying on these details to make sure the information is correctly synchronised.
If you do not already have a role in the Congress, you do not need to complete this box.
If you believe you should have received a number but did not, please contact us at submissions@ichstm2013.com and we will advise.
2. THE FULL DRAFT LISTING OF CONGRESS SYMPOSIUM PAPERS AND ABSTRACTS IS NOW AVAILABLE.
Please visit http://www.ichstm2013.com/programme/guide/ for an almost complete listing of accepted papers in pre-arranged symposia, including abstracts.
Around 1100 papers are listed. We have been working hard on ways to make this information navigable, and have developed a system of weblinks that allows you to browse the symposium listings by period, discipline, locality and theme. There are also specific listings of the symposia organised by particular IUHPS/DHST Commissions and Scientific Sections. We welcome suggestions as to how to improve the navigation, and also reports of any errors you find. These should be sent to submissions@ichstm2013.com .
Stand-alone papers are not yet listed: they are still in the process of being grouped, and will be added to the programme around the beginning of March. Timetable / scheduling information will also be added around the same time.
By popular demand, Twitter users who have registered their handles will notice the logo next to their names: mouse-over for handle, click for link.
And finally:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Here is a round-up of answers to questions about the Congress which are arising most frequently at present.
(a) On which day will my symposium / session / paper take place?
Unfortunately, we cannot tell you this yet, because scheduling is still ongoing: the process of timetabling an estimated 20 parallel tracks is extremely complex. We are currently hoping to release a full draft timetable in approximately two weeks’ time. All symposium content will be scheduled for the days between Monday 22 and Saturday 27 July: see the overview daily outline at http://www.ichstm2013.com/programme/ .
(b) Is there a published advance programme which I can show to my funder / institution as proof of involvement?
If you are in a pre-arranged symposium, you can in most cases refer to the draft listing at http://www.ichstm2013.com/programme/guide/ as described above.
If you have a stand-alone paper or your symposium listing is incomplete, you can instead apply directly for confirmation of your involvement (see below).
(c) How do I get proof of invitation / documentation of my paper for the purposes of a visa application, funding requirements, etc?
See here: http://www.ichstm2013.com/documentation/index.html
We have also provided some information on visas and other entry requirements: http://www.ichstm2013.com/travel/visas.html
(d) Owing to the difficult economic circumstances, can I apply for a waiver or discount of the Congress fee?
Although similar past meetings have offered waiver schemes, the 2013 Congress unfortunately has no national-level subsidy and we have been under pressure to keep the fee as low as possible. Therefore, the meeting has been budgeted at cost, and the Congress has no funds to cover fee waivers.
However, small grant schemes to support registration and other costs have been announced by the British Society for the History of Science (BSHS) and the Wellcome Trust. See here for further details:
http://www.ichstm2013.com/support/
Please note that these schemes are managed by the BSHS, not by the Congress local organisers. If you have any queries, please direct them to the address(es) given on the site.
(e) I updated my contact details as requested. Why doesn’t the programme show the update?
Unfortunately, the draft programme does not update in real time. The date of the current version of the programme is given at the top of the programme page. We will update it every few days for the foreseeable future, and will do our best to process any more urgent edits more quickly.
More updates will follow soon!
Best regards
James Sumner
Co-chair, Local Organising Committee