The Lone Star History of Science Group

The Lone Star History of Science Group is pretty much what it sounds like—a loose-knit and very informal organization of historians of science, technology, and medicine from around the state of Texas. It was founded in Austin in March 1988 and each year since then, around bluebonnet time in March or April, the group has gathered in one or another Texas city (usually Austin, Houston, or College Station) to hear a talk, enjoy dinner together, and get to know each other a little better. The longevity of the Lone Star Group probably owes a lot to its simplicity: on its founding, its members agreed that the "organization" would have no by-laws, officers, or dues, and it still gets along very well without them.

Our most recent meeting was held on 7 April 2017 at Texas A&M in College Station, where John Tracy of the Texas Water Resources Institute spoke on "How Lead Gets Into Our Water and Why We Don't Want It There." He delved into some very interesting issues concerning the history and chemistry of lead contamination, including the recent troubles in Flint, Michigan. His talk was followed by lively discussion, and then the group went off to Paolo's restaurant for a very enjoyable Italian dinner. We all thanked Tony Stranges for organizing the meeting. Next spring we will meet either in Austin or San Marcos; we'll post the details once they are settled.

For a list of past meetings, with the date, city, site, speaker, topic, and where we went to dinner, click on the "Past Meetings" tab above. Most of the dates also include a link to the account of the meeting published in the History of Science Society Newsletter, often with a photo of the assembled group. We're also gradually adding other photos, which you can find by clicking the "Photographs" tab above. 

Anyone interested in being added to the e-mail list for the Lone Star Group (and that's all it takes to be considered a member in good standing) should contact Bruce Hunt at the University of Texas: bjhunt@austin.utexas.edu.