The 43rd National Congress of the Italian Society for the History of Physics and Astronomy will take place in Padua on 5-8 September 2023.

The main venue will be at the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Padua and at the INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padua.

The Congress

The Meeting is one of a well-established series that SISFA has been organizing on a yearly basis since its foundation. It aims at promoting the research activities in the history of physics and astronomy in Italy, carried out not only by academic historians but also by independent scholars and school teachers willing to explore the role of the history of physics and astronomy in the present-day teaching of the disciplines. At the same time, the Meeting provides an opportunity to strengthen the collaborations and establish new links among the members of SISFA and the members of other scholarly societies, as well as researchers working in the same and in related fields.

Historians of physics and astronomy are then invited to participate and the invitation is extended to all the scholars and researchers sharing the same kind of interests.

The Meeting will host both invited talks and oral communications. The official languages will be both Italian and English.

The Premio di Laurea SISFA 2023 for the Best Graduate Thesis in History of Physics and/or History of Astronomy will be awarded during the Congress.

Topics

Proposals for oral communications should mainly address the history of physics and astronomy, also in connection with the related areas of mathematics, chemistry, and the history of science and culture. Studies focusing on historical instruments and documentary sources regarding the mentioned fields are also relevant to the purposes of the Congress, as well as the applications of the history of physics and astronomy in science education and in museum displays.

Special events

Giuliano Romano: 100 anni dalla nascita e 10 anni dalla morte / Giuliano Romano: One Hundred Years After his Birth and Ten Years After his Death       
Free lecturer in Astrophysics, Giuliano Romano (1923-2013) was professor of Cosmology and History of Astronomy at the University of Padua, as well as one of the most important Italian archaeoastronomers in the XX century.

Topical sessions

Storia della Fisica e dell’Astronomia tra Padova e il mondo: da Giovanni Poleni a Bruno Rossi e oltre / History of Physics and Astronomy Between Padua and the World: From Giovanni Poleni to Bruno Rossi, and Beyond       
Dedicated to two scientists who worked both on physics and astronomy, this session will present papers related to the history of physics and astronomy from the XVIII to the XX century.

Copernico e il nuovo Cosmo / Copernicus’ Changeover From the Old to the New Cosmos     
This session will celebrate the 550th anniversary of Nicolaus Copernicus’ birth and intends to focus on the events that led to the birth of modern astronomy.

1623-2023: Il Saggiatore e la nascita del metodo scientifico / 1623-2023: The Assayer and the Birth of the Scientific Method       
This session will celebrate 400 years since the publication of the main pioneering work of the scientific method. It will host discussions on its author, and the development of scientific methodology in the XVII and XVIII centuries.

Musei, Archivi e collezioni scientifiche di fisica e astronomia in Italia e nel mondo / Museums, Archives, and scientific collections of Physics and Astronomy in Italy and abroad       
The historical collections of instruments and documents testify to scientific progress, and they are still resources for teaching and research. This session will give space to Italian and foreign historical collections.

Dialogo tra storia, didattica e divulgazione in fisica e astronomia / Dialogue between History, Teaching and Dissemination in Physics and Astronomy        
This session will focus on the connections between science education, public engagement, and the history of physics and astronomy.

Registration and abstract submission

The conference is open to both members and non-members, but non-members who have never attended a SISFA conference should also submit their CV to Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

To attend the conference it is necessary to be registered. Registration will be open after the acceptance of abstracts. Non-invited speakers have to finalize the registration after paying the conference fee. The conference fee will include lunches and coffee breaks and will be used to partially cover the cost of the publication of the proceedings of the conference that will be published online and open access by Pisa University Press.

Titles and abstracts of oral communications should be submitted in English. The length of the abstract should be between 100 and 250 words and include no bibliography. All abstracts will be peer-reviewed on behalf of the SISFA scientific committee.

Important Note

To submit an abstract, use your INDICO or IDEM account. If you do not have one, request it by writing: For the SISFA Congress. It will be quickly activated.

Per sottomettere un abstract, usa il tuo account INDICO o IDEM. Se ne fossi sprovvisto, richiedilo scrivendo: Per il congresso SISFA. Ti sarà attivato rapidamente.

For more info, see the First Bulletin SISFA and the website.