As a city of science and industry, Manchester is iconic. Its contributions to the physical sciences stretch from John Dalton and James Joule, through Ernest Rutherford, Lawrence Bragg and Patrick Blackett, to the recent Nobel Prize for graphene. Its engineers range from Richard Roberts, William Fairbairn, James Nasmyth and Joseph Whitworth to Osborne Reynolds, Horace Lamb and the creators of the Manchester computer in 1948. Its wider stories encompass such figures as WS Jevons, Alan Turing and Michael Polanyi; a century and more of notable organic chemists; contributions to medical ethics, public health issues and prostheses; suffrage and birth control; and classic debates about industrialisation, energy and science policy.

In this pair of sessions, we will examine the Manchester legacy, its uses, and the wider context of urban/civic cultures of science, technology and medicine.

Session A will begin with brief presentations on how local researchers are using Manchester’s heritage to engage with both public and policy audiences. We will address cases including Rutherford’s laboratory; the Computer Laboratory where Turing worked; the Schunck Building, once the laboratory and library of a noted industrial chemist; current work on the recent history of the University Medical School; and an outline of the emerging University of Manchester Heritage Programme. Afterwards, there will be time for general discussion on how historians of science, technology and medicine can best use their local heritage resources. This session should appeal to historians of Manchester, and of universities, and to all who are interested in public history.

Session B consists of a roundtable discussion on the history of science, technology and medicine in Manchester and similar cities. We aim to bring together Congress attendees with serious interests in Manchester STM and in wider topics such as industrialisation, city cultures, urban renewal and civic universities. We will also invite historians of Manchester and its region who would not normally attend the Congress, but whose knowledge and perspectives may be useful.

The sessions offer an opportunity to make contacts, discuss research projects, compare notes and plan joint ventures: tehre is no fixed agenda, except to make connections and stimulate dicussions. If you wish to make suggestions before the Congress, you are welcome to contact the convenor, John Pickstone: john.pickstone@manchester.ac.uk .

Please note also the tours of the historic campus, running daily at lunchtimes and late afternoons in conjunction with this session. All will last around 45 minutes, with plenty of time for discussion. For more details, see the walks and tours page or ask at the Congress Events Desk.