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STS Distinguished Lecture. Vulnerometry: Historical Reflections on the Quest to Measure Climate Vulnerability

Deborah Coen, Yale University
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
4:00-5:30 PM
1014 Tisch Hall Map
This presentation will track a series of discoveries of previously unknown atmospheric forces, made in Vienna between the 1770s and 1850s: animal magnetism, Aereon, and Od. I propose that these belonged to a larger category of atmospheric influences on living things whose workings were obscure yet tantalizing, including ozone, moonlight, and “atmospheric electricity” (the last a new designation to distinguish it from that generated by electrical machines).

The controversies that surrounded the discoveries of these forces need to be recognized as episodes in an overlooked history: the history of investigating the interrelations of life and the atmosphere. I show how this strain of research reflected the Habsburgs’ imperial and industrial ambitions. It is a story with telling parallels in present-day attempts to study the determinants of environmental health and to measure what experts refer to as “degrees of vulnerability” to climate change.

Co-sponsored by the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies.
Building: Tisch Hall
Event Type: Lecture / Discussion
Tags: Eisenberg Institute For Historical Studies, History, Natural Sciences, Public Policy, Science, Sustainability
Source: Happening @ Michigan from Science, Technology & Society, Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies

The Thursday Series is the core of the institute's scholarly program, hosting distinguished guests who examine methodological, analytical, and theoretical issues in the field of history. 

The Friday Series consists mostly of panel-style workshops highlighting U-M graduate students. On occasion, events may include lectures, seminars, or other programs presented by visiting scholars.

The insitute also hosts other historical programming, including lectures, film screenings, author appearances, and similar events aimed at a broader public audience.