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help please -- two questions.
by Dave Walden 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

Question 1: Does anyone have an idea of how to reach A. J. Critchlow (or if he is still alive)? He was with IBM San Jose when his paper Generalized Multiprocessing and Multiprogramming Systems was published in the proceedings of the AFIPS 1963 Fall Joint Computer Conference. This was in a conference session that also included a paper by Melvin Conway entitled A Multiprocessor System Design. Both papers mention the computer operating system function of Fork (in the sense of fork-and-join). In particular, the Conway paper describes the capability in a way somewhat like the later implementation for the SDS940 time-sharing system. The Conway paper also notes three operating systems he had heard had something like the fork capability. Question 2: Does anyone know of any *earlier* references in the literature to the work Fork used in this sense, or early operating system which had this capability. I am asking these questions on behalf of Linus Nyman who wrote his dissertation on forking in a difference sense -- branches of work in the software development process. [Understanding Code Forking in Open Source Software – an examination of code forking, its effect on open source software, and how it is viewed and practiced by developers”: https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/153135 ] Linus has already asked the second question of various computer historians and early operating system developers. So he doesn't need pointers to people of whom he might ask that question. However, perhaps this much larger SIGCIS group of people might include individuals who might have a clue about about Critchlow or themselves have insight to pre-Critchlow-and-Conway references to forking in the literature. Thanks, Dave

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(CFP) Extending Play 3: Temporalities of Play
by James A. Hodges 16 Feb '16

16 Feb '16

Call for Papers Extending Play 3: Temporalities of Play School of Communication & Information, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ Conference Dates: Sept. 30 & Oct. 1, 2016 Proposals Due: April 3rd “History is indeed absent from the game, absent as something finished, as a storyline in the past tense. What replaces it is a history workshop, a model of history as the intuition of algorithms and their consequences. The gamer is a designer.” --Mckenzie Wark, “Gamer Theory” Extending Play is back, and this iteration will play with the concept of time. We are looking for papers and presentations that excavate the past, interpret the present, and forecast the future of play and games. We aim to continue the mission of the previous two Extending Play conferences, to entertain all approaches to the traditions, roles, and contexts of play, extending it into far-flung and unexpected arenas. Extending Play 3 will take an inclusive and pluralistic approach to temporality and play, inviting creative applications of the concepts as they relate to all things playable - from games and moving images, to recorded sound and performance. Extending Play 3 asks important questions about the temporalities of play from emergent scholarly perspectives: Can media archaeology and game preservation revise the history of games and play? Do new methodologies, such as big data and network analysis force us to reconsider the predictability of play? Can queer temporalities of play produce new activist futures? How is gamification shaping our experiences of time? How are notions of time and play constructed by social scientists, humanists, preservationists, and policy researchers? We invite scholars, students, makers, artists, archivists, visionaries, game designers, and players to the third iteration of the Rutgers Media Studies Conference: Extending Play, to be held September 30 and October 1, 2016 on the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, NJ. Submissions are welcomed from scholars working in media studies and all related fields across the humanities and social sciences. We are excited to announce our keynote conversations: - Wendy Chun (Brown University) and Matthew Kirschenbaum (University of Maryland). - Jesper Juul (Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts), plus one more TBA. In keeping with the tripartite division of past, present, and future, Extending Play invites three types of submissions -- papers, panels, and interactive projects. The organizers invite traditional academic papers and panels of 3-4 presenters, along with any form of game, performance or display that submitters may wish to propose. In the past our conference has presented traditional research presentations alongside: - workshops, - playtests, - finished games, - technology demos, - performance art, - happenings that defy classification. For academic papers and panels, each presenter will have a maximum of 15 minutes to offer his or her ideas as a presentation or interactive conversation, and/or may adopt a more creative approach, incorporating such elements as: - material accompaniment (hand out a zine, scrapbook, postcards, etc) - performance (spoken word, song, verse, dance, recording, etc) - game (create rules and incorporate audience play) Possible topics could include, but are not limited to: Histories of Play - Historical approaches to leisure, recreation and play - History of video game consoles, arcades, cards, board games - Performance, intimacy, cosplay, and LARP - Urban play, play and city life Preserving Play - Game preservation in archives, libraries, and museums - Aesthetics of emulation, remediation, adaptation, and porting - Playable media in history: moving images and sound through time - Materialities of board games, game packaging, and control interfaces The Time of Play - Toys and play for children and adults - Playing with “lag”- network problems, hanging, buffering, glitching - Playing with narrative and storytelling - Political economies of play, (electronic) sports, and professionalizing play Playing with Time - Gamification and playing with learning, learning while playing - Activist time, queer temporalities, and time-bending play - Gamifying time, speedrunning, or playing with current events Predicting Play - Games of divination: I Ching, Tarot, Ouija, Palm reading, dice, oracles - Role of prediction in game studies methodologies (modeling behavior patterns, actions, etc.) - Prediction in game play, development of player networks - Playing with health and fitness, quantified selves and wearable technology Future of Play (Studies) - Affective potentials of technology and play - Adaptive play and dis/ability studies - What will be the role of scholars in the future of play and games? - How do cheaters change games? - What’s next for play and game studies? For additional ideas on how to play with media, play with time, or play with space during your presentation, visit our website at extendingplay.rutgers.edu. The deadline for proposals is Sunday, April 3, 2016. We invite individual proposals, full panel proposals, and proposals for games, workshops or other interactive presentations. Please use the submission form on our website at http://extendingplay.rutgers.edu/submit/ to submit an abstract of about 250 words. If you would like to submit supplementary materials, or have trouble with the form, email extendingplay(a)gmail.com. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by April 30th, 2016. --- *james a. hodges* *school of communication & information* *rutgers university* *james.hodges(a)rutgers.edu <james.hodges(a)rutgers.edu>* *@jameshodges_ <https://twitter.com/jameshodges_>* *908.461.8246*

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early data backup programs
by Evan Koblentz 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

I would like to learn about the early years of data backup applications. Can anyone refer me to relevant articles?

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Re: [SIGCIS-Members] deadline extended: International Communities of Invention and Innovation (New York, May 2016; deadline 8 January 2016)
by Evan Koblentz 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

The web site isn't loading. On 01/18/2016 07:04 PM, Christopher Leslie wrote: > Dear Colleagues, > > We have extended the deadline for the spring IFIP history conference > until Feb. 12. Please let me know if you have any questions about the > two types of paper. > > Chris Leslie > > > International Communities of Invention and Innovation > IFIP Working Group 9.7 Conference > NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY > 25-29 May 2016 > > Analog and digital computers were developed by individuals aware of > an international scientific community. Likewise, although sometimes > thought of as solely national projects, the first computer networks > were built in an age of growing interconnectivity among nations. > This meeting of IFIP Working Group 9.7 in New York City gathers > historians and other professionals to reflect on histories that > foreground the international community. Participants with an > interest in this historical context for computers and computer > networks may present academic papers or join in roundtable discussions. > > In accordance with this theme, we hope to blur the dichotomy between > core and periphery and complicate simplistic notions of linear > technological progress. Far from a deterministic view that computers > and computer networks were developed in isolation and according to > their own technical imperatives, we will show the history of > pre-existing relationships and communities that led to the triumphs > (and dead ends) in the history of computing. This broad perspective > will help us to tell a more accurate story of important developments > like the Internet, to be sure, but also it will provide us with a > better understanding of how to sponsor future invention and innovation. > > At the conference, we seek to foster a conversation about > internationalism in the history of computers and computer networks > along four broad themes: > > 1. Invention: > • communities where analog computers were developed > • communication about and competition for early devices > • innovations brought in from the supposed periphery > • failed, forgotten, or thwarted efforts to develop > networks or industries > > 2. Policy: > • trade and treaties supporting computers and networks > • organizations like IFIP with a mission to promote > collaboration > • long trajectories of digital divides > • case studies revealing ethical considerations > • cross-national comparisons of gender or ethnic diversity > in industry and education > > 3. Infrastructure: > • communication and data networks before the Internet > • development and diffusion of TCP/IP > • connectivity efforts before NSFNET, NSFNET, and beyond > • resistance to and success of the WorldWideWeb > > 4. Social History: > • differences and similarities in international impacts > on general society > • antecedents (Wells's World Brain) and visions (Human-Nets's > WorldNet) > • individuals who championed connections between nations > • historiography of internationalism in computing > • representations of international computing communities > in film or literature > > It is hoped that the conference will be of interest to a broad range > of people who study computing and computer networks, including > academic scholars and graduate students, but also those who have a > professional or technical interest in computing. Accordingly, there > are two ways to participate: > > 1. Academic Papers > > For consideration, please submit your draft paper via the conference > website (http://wp.nyu.edu/ifip_wg97/) Enquires are welcome in > advance of your submission (wg9.7conference(a)nyu.edu > <mailto:wg9.7conference@nyu.edu>). Draft papers will be circulated > before the conference in order to encourage a meaningful discussion. > At the conference, each selected participant will be allotted time > to present an overview of his or her paper. It is our intention to > publish selected conference papers in an anthology by Springer, and > hopefully the conference feedback will be useful as presenters > complete their final drafts. > > 2. Roundtable Discussions > > In order to welcome technical professionals and others who may not > desire to prepare a full paper, the conference will also feature > roundtables of 10–15 minute, relatively informal presentations > related to the conference theme. These presentations could focus on > key figures, historical anecdotes, or observations on particular > projects. We hope that these roundtables will spark lively > conversation and, perhaps, generate research partnerships between > historians and technical professionals. For consideration, send a > 250-word summary of the topic and your interest in it via the > conference website (http://wp.nyu.edu/ifip_wg97/) Enquires are > welcome in advance of your submission (wg9.7conference(a)nyu.edu > <mailto:wg9.7conference@nyu.edu>). > > The conference will be held at New York University's Polytechnic > School of Engineering in MetroTech Center, Brooklyn, New York 11201. > About 20 minutes away by subway from NYU's Greenwich Village > location, MetroTech Center is located in the heart of Downtown > Brooklyn and within walking distance of the Brooklyn Bridge as well > as the iconic neighborhoods of DUMBO, Fort Greene, and Brooklyn > Heights. In order to help make the conference more affordable, we > will offer accommodations in the school's dormitory, adjacent to the > conference venue, at a competitive price for those who do not wish > to stay in a nearby hotel. > Further details will be made available at http://wp.nyu.edu/ifip_wg97/ > > About IFIP WG 9.7: IFIP, the International Federation for > Information Processing, was founded in 1960. It is a nongovernmental > organization dedicated to information and communication technologies > and sciences. It sponsors fourteen committees primarily of a > technical nature. Technical Committee 9, however, is dedicated to > ICT and Society. The organizer of this conference is TC9’s Working > Group 7, which focuses on the history of computing. > > Important Dates > • Deadline for consideration: January 8, 2016 ... extended to > February 12 > • Early deadline for payment of registration fee: March 1 > • Revised papers and abstracts due: April 1 > • Last day to reserve a room in the dormitory: April 10 > • Papers and abstracts made available to participants: May 1 > • Revised papers due for consideration in proceedings: July 1 > > > -- > Christopher S. Leslie, Ph.D. > Co-Director of Science and Technology Studies Program > Faculty Fellow in Residence for Othmer Hall and Clark Street > Vice Chair, IFIP Working Group 9.7 - History of Computing > > NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering > 5 MetroTech Center, LC 131 > Brooklyn, NY 11201 > (646) 997-3130 <tel:%28646%29%20997-3130> > > > > > -- > Christopher S. Leslie, Ph.D. > Co-Director and Lecturer, Science and Technology Studies > Faculty Fellow in Residence for Othmer Hall and Clark Street > Vice Chair, IFIP History of Computing Working Group 9.7 > > NYU Tandon School of Engineering > 5 MetroTech Center, LC 131 > Brooklyn, NY 11201 > (646) 997-3130 > > Office Hour Signup:http://tinyurl.com/chrisleslie > > > > _______________________________________________ > This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org >

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Fwd: PhD Studentship in the History and Philosophy of Computing
by Liesbeth De Mol 12 Feb '16

12 Feb '16

I assume that the following PhD position might be interesting to some of you! Thanks for distributing it amongst your colleagues and students. best wishes, Liesbeth -------- Doorgestuurd bericht -------- Onderwerp: PhD Studentship in the History and Philosophy of Computing Datum: Fri, 12 Feb 2016 09:32:27 +0000 Van: Giuseppe Primiero <g.primiero(a)mdx.ac.uk> Aan: Giuseppe Primiero <g.primiero(a)mdx.ac.uk> The Department of Computer Science at Middlesex University, together with the LEO Computers Society are looking for a PhD Candidate for a research project in the area of History and Philosophy of Computing. This will incorporate research into the objectives, design, construction and market penetration of the LEO I, II and III computers, developed by the catering firm J. Lyons and Co., and its subsidiary LEO Computers Limited – subsequently incorporated in different companies (English Electric LEO, English Electric Leo Marconi, ICL, Standard Telephones and Cables and finally Fujitsu). Further details and instructions on how to apply available at http://www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-research-degrees/research-student… -- --- Giuseppe Primiero Department of Computer Science Middlesex University /--------------------------------------------------------------------------- / /Please note that Middlesex University's preferred way of receiving all correspondence is via email in line with our Environmental Policy. All incoming post to Middlesex University is opened and scanned by our digital document handler, CDS, and then emailed to the recipient. / /If you do not want your correspondence to Middlesex University processed in this way please email the recipient directly. Parcels, couriered items and recorded delivery items will not be opened or scanned by CDS. There are items which are "exceptions" which will be opened by CDS but will not be scanned a full list of these can be obtained by contacting the University. /

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CHM Blog: Beckman, Shockley and the 60th Anniversary of the Birth of Silicon Valley
by Dag Spicer 10 Feb '16

10 Feb '16

Something special happened on Valentine’s Day about 60 years ago…! Enjoy the latest blog by CHM semiconductor curator David Laws. http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/beckman-shockley-and-the-60th-annivers… Dag -- Dag Spicer Senior Curator Computer History Museum Editorial Board, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 1401 North Shoreline Boulevard Mountain View, CA 94043-1311 Tel: +1 650 810 1035 Fax: +1 650 810 1055

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ENIAC events this month at Penn (Feb 15 & 16), Maryland (Feb 18), and UW Milwaukee (Feb 23)
by Thomas Haigh 10 Feb '16

10 Feb '16

Dear SIGCIS, There are a few ENIAC-related events coming up around its 70th anniversary and the launch of our new MIT Press book ENIAC In Action: Making and Remaking the Modern Computer. (Which you can read more about on the MIT Press blog https://mitpress.mit.edu/blog/eniacs-birthday) PHILADELPHIA, PA: * 15 February 2016, University of Pennsylvania. Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall 101. 2:30-4:30. ENIAC 70th Anniversary Event, Engineering School. Book signing, talk by Thomas Haigh "Working on ENIAC: Rethinking the Myths of Innovation," and by Mark Priestley "A History of ENIAC in Three Programs." Followed by a reception and musical performance! Full program pasted below. * February 16, 2016, University of Pennsylvania. History Department Lounge, College Hall. 12:00-1:30, brown bag with the authors of ENIAC in Action on "The Many Histories of ENIAC." COLLEGE PARK. MD: * February 18, 2016, University of Maryland College Park. "Working on ENIAC: The Lost Labors of the Information Age" with Thomas Haigh & Mark Priestley. Sponsored by Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities and by Computer Science. Human-Computer Interaction Lab (2105 Hornbake, South Wing), 12:30-1:30. <http://mith.umd.edu/?post_type=mith_dialogue&p=16584> Details online. MILWAUKEE, WI: * February 23, 2016. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, Greene Hall. 2:45-4:45. Talk by Thomas Haigh and book signing, with light refreshments. RSVP if possible here. LONDON, UK * May 11, 2016. "The History of ENIAC in Three Programs," with Mark Priestley. Computer Conservation Society, London. UK. <http://www.bcs.org/content/conEvent/10076> Details online. Some events will be happening on April 6 & 7 at Weber State University in Utah. Well post details of all events at http://eniacinaction.com/148-2/ as they become available rather than repeatedly spam you. Best wishes, Tom ENIAC 70th Anniversary Celebration Monday, February 15, 2016 We have three featured events that will be accessible to guests throughout the day. Each location will be indicated with a balloon bouquet. ENIAC Suite - Moore 100 Guests are welcome to visit ENIAC at any time throughout the day. Two notable additions to the artifact's display are 1) the plaque which describes ENIAC's history and purpose and 2) the interactive kiosk designed as a guide and historical reference for guests to explore. Virtual ENIAC Walk-Through - SIG Center for Computer Graphics, Moore 103 A continuous loop will be on display throughout the day that will give guests the sense of what it was like to walk around in the room where ENIAC was created and operated here at The Moore School before relocating to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Virginia. ENIAC in 3D - Additive Lab, Towne Café Space Guests can watch a 3D model of ENIAC being built from the ground up on three state-of-the-art 3D color printers. The printing of the model from start to finish will take a few hours and completion is estimated around 3pm. Colloquium Wu and Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall 101 2:30 pm: "Working on ENIAC: Rethinking the Myths of Innovation" Thomas Haigh, Associate Professor of Information Science University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 3:30 pm: "A History of ENIAC in Three Programs" Mark Priestley, Independent Researcher 4:15 pm: Book Signing, Levine Lobby "ENIAC in Action: Making and Remaking of the Modern Computer" Thomas Haigh, Mark Priestley MIT Press 4:30 pm: Reception, Levine Lobby 5:15 pm: "The Counterparts" - A Capella group will perform songs from the WWII era

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CfP: Digital fabrications amongst hackers, makers and manufacturers: whose 'industrial revolution'?
by Adrian Smith 08 Feb '16

08 Feb '16

Track title: Digital fabrications amongst hackers, makers and manufacturers: whose 'industrial revolution'? Co-convenors: Johan Söderberg, Maxigas, Adrian Smith 4S/EASST Conference: Science and technology by other means: exploring collectives, spaces and futures, 31 August to 3rd September, 2016, Barcelona Abstract submission here: http://grassrootsinnovations.org/2015/12/14/cfpdigital-fabrications-amongst… Deadline for abstracts 21 February 2016 Our track brings critical analysis to the plurality of collectives, spaces and futures that are assembling around increasingly accessible digital design and fabrication technologies. Computer integrated tools hold particular historical ironies and contradictions: early introduction threatened skills, livelihoods and identities amongst manufacturing communities – while they are celebrated today as enabling agency, identities and communities for makers. Both processes has been promoted as ’Industrial Revolutions’. STS has much to contribute to understanding, engaging and bridging digital fabrications. Conversely, apparent historical turnarounds in digital fabrication, with tools spilling into new collectives and spaces, offers an opportunity to interrogate STS theory and methodology. Fifty years ago, social ecologist Murray Bookchin, like other commentators welcomed a future in which collectives would own tools and organise production non-hierarchically around ‘liberatory technologies’. Does grassroots appropriation of digital fabrication in hackerspaces, makerspaces and amongst user groups online, mean his future for egalitarian tool-based creativity arrived? Or do digital fabrication futures reinforce the automation, flexible specialisation, and globalised outsourcing documented by David Noble in the 1980s, and that hasbeen a driver for the technology amongst manufacturing strategists since then? How do the collectives and spaces pursuing these different futures intersect, contest, and co-exist? In analysing digital fabrications, we are particularly interested in the critical voicesposing unsettling questions: * Who controls the platforms underpinning these activities and their connections, and how doesthis influence the spaces for peer production, and the terms for private appropriation? * What senses of humanity are invigorated, and which excluded, from the political imaginaries, utopias, dystopias, and ideologies embodied in digital fabrication technologies? * How does the materiality of digital fabrications connect to the values of sustainable developments? * Where does the figure of the hacker – forever opening-up technologies - lurk in these collectives and spaces; and what has hacker culture mobilised and been appropriated by these collectives? * When and where will future industrial conflicts arise: what are the political and economic relations at stake between these collectives, spaces and futures? We welcome papers that provide critical reviews, original empirical study, and theoretical development relevant to digital fabrications. Adrian Smith<http://www.sussex.ac.uk/bmec/internal/people/spru/person/16347/research> Professor of Technology & Society SPRU (Science Policy Research Unit) University of Sussex @smithadrianpaul [cid:66180EC9-8F8A-4FD4-A697-DC82979D39D6]

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REMINDER: 2016 SIGCIS Workshop - Singapore June 26/27
by Jason Gallo 08 Feb '16

08 Feb '16

This is a reminder to submit individual papers and panel submission for the 2016 SIGCIS Workshop, which will be held on on June 26th and 27th, immediately following the Society for the History of Technology annual meeting in Singapore. The deadline for submission has been *extended to February 26th*. Please see the full call at *http://www.sigcis.org/workshop16* <http://www.sigcis.org/workshop16> for further details about the workshop and travel support information. Best, Jason >>>>>> *Workshop Theme: Convergence and Divergence* The terms “convergence” and “divergence” are opposite to one another, but they can both be used, sometimes simultaneously, to study information and computing technologies in their social, cultural, and political contexts. For instance, an individual computer may serve as a site of convergence for raw materials sourced around the world. At the same time, the journey of each of those materials from their extraction sites to the manufacturers’ factories may itself be a story of divergence—that is, of how resources and ideas scatter away from their point of origin. Convergence and divergence also occur beyond the material cultures of computing and information. The technical standards, social conventions, and legal frameworks that shape how people can engage with information technologies can vary wildly across the globe, or even from one local context to the next. People working in different national or local contexts may develop similar frameworks by following entirely different paths and, conversely, ways of conceptualizing, using, and regulating computing and information in a local setting may gain global appeal. The theme for this year’s SIGCIS meeting is “Convergence and Divergence,” broadly conceived. Possible lines of inquiry include: - Comparative or international studies of governance and regulation - Local and regional cultures of computing - Changes in computing technologies and market structures (such as digital convergence) - Global systems of resource extraction and equipment manufacturing - The movement of information technology within and across national borders - The convergence and/or divergence of disciplinary perspectives in the history of computing and information As always, we welcome submissions even if they do not align with the workshop theme. Our membership is international and interdisciplinary, and our members examine the history of information technologies and their place within society from a variety of scholarly perspectives including the history of technology, business history, labor history, social history, the history of science, science studies, communications, gender and sexuality studies, computing, and museum studies. - Proposals for individual papers should be made at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop16a - Proposals for complete sessions can be made at http://www.sigcis.org/workshop16b

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Submissions for Computer History Museum Prize due 18-Feb
by Joy Lisi Rankin 08 Feb '16

08 Feb '16

2016 Call for Submission Books published in 2013-2015 are eligible for the 2016 award. Books in translation are eligible for three years following the date of their publication in English. Publishers, authors, and other interested members of the computer history community are invited to nominate books. Please note that books nominated in previous years may be nominated again, provided they have been published in the timeframes specified above. Send one copy of the nominated title to each of the committee members listed below. To be considered, book submissions must be postmarked by February 18, 2016. For more information, please contact Dr. Joy Rankin, the 2016 prize committee chair. Current information about the prize, including the most recent call and a list of previous winners, always may be found at http://www.sigcis.org/chmprize. 2016 Prize Committee Members • Joseph A. November Associate Professor and McCausland Fellow Department of History University of South Carolina 817 Henderson Street Gambrell Hall, Room 245 Columbia, SC 29208 USA • Joy Rankin (2016 Chair) Visiting Scholar, American Academy of Arts and Sciences 136 Irving Street Cambridge, MA 02138 USA • Christophe Lécuyer LIP6 Université Pierre et Marie Curie 4 place Jussieu 75005 Paris France

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