CfP: Workshop on The Gravitational Constant, from the Local to the Universal, St Andrews, UK, 20-21 April 2023

CfP: Workshop on The Gravitational Constant, from the Local to the Universal, St Andrews, UK, 20-21 April 2023. The idea of this 2-day workshop, is to bring together perspectives from transnational history, philosophy, mathematics and physics to explore the wider context of interpretational moves, experimental practices in local, institutional and transnational contexts, networks and (dis)connections between scientists, congresses, and epistemic communities at the turn of the 19th to 20th century – increasing our understanding of the context within which the idea of G as a universal constant of nature emerged. The aim of the workshop is to explore this wider context, and foster collaborations around the emerging research questions. So we welcome proposals on other areas, topics, case studies and periods that address the workshop’s remit and transnational perspectives, while addressing one of these themes from a historical or philosophical standpoint: • measurement • circulation practices • ideas about the role of laws • translation and transnational connections Each theme will start with an invited speaker who sets the scene; followed by contributed papers; concluding with a discussion led by one of the project team. Invited speakers are: • Daniel Mitchell (Measurement)(IEEE History Center, Piscataway, NJ) • Richard Staley (Circulation Practices)(Cambridge and Copenhagen) • Jenny Beckman (Translation/parallel publishing)(Uppsala) • Bryan Roberts (Role of Laws)(London School of Economics) • Michael Gordin (Translation)(Princeton) We now invite contributed papers of 20 minutes on the three themes of measurement, circulation practices, translation and transnational connections. Proposals should include an abstract (c.250 words), state which theme they are addressing, and give a brief biography of the speaker. The workshop is part of The Gravitational Constant, from the Local to the Universal, an interdisciplinary collaborative project between St Andrews and the Lichtenberg Group for History and Philosophy of Physics, University of Bonn (https://www.gravconstant.net/ ). Proposals should be submitted to Isobel Falconer (ijf3@st-andrews.ac.uk) by 15 February 2023. Decisions will be notified at the end of February 2023. We have funds to provide some support for early career scholars. https://www.gravconstant.net/