Table of Contents: - President's Letter
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PSA26 Travel Grant Update
- PSA26 Registration and Hotel
- PSA26 Interest Group Lunches
- PSA26 Sponsors
AAAS/SciLine Media Training Workshop - PSA Outreach & Engagement Prize Nominations - Final Call
- PSA Office Hours - New Dates!
- Upcoming Events
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Dear Members,
Perhaps every philosopher of science thinks that their particular historical moment makes our subject especially relevant. After all, founded in 1933, the PSA began just after two major revolutions in basic physics and the origin of the Vienna Circle as a reaction to fascism and anti-Enlightenment forces. The circumstances invited many questions in philosophy of science. Today we face attacks on science in many countries, AI’s surprising ability to do science and change how we research and teach, and the manipulation of science through groups with vested interests. Again we find no shortage of urgent philosophy of science issues in our age.
Of course I’m biased, but I firmly believe that our interdisciplinary skillsets make philosophers of science indispensable in facing these new challenges. So I’m absolutely delighted to report the birth or rebirth of three philosophy of science events and associations.
On January 14-16, 2026 the Chilean Society for the Philosophy of Science (SOCHIFIC) had its First International Congress at the University of Valparaíso. Founded in 2016, SOCHIFIC had a relaunch with this large conference.
Next up, July 13-18, 2026, the first Brazilian Congress of Philosophy of Science took place at the University of São Paulo with more than 200 participants. At this event the Brazilian Society for Philosophy of Science was officially created. You can watch a video here. Their leadership kindly invites PSA members to the second Brazilian Congress of Philosophy of Science in July 2028.
A week later, July 22-24, 2026, the First Biennial Conference of the new Asian Philosophy of Science Association kicked off at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore with almost 150 participants. They are also planning a second conference for 2028. These are three huge additions to the global philosophy of science community and I congratulate all three on their respective achievement. Hopefully the PSA and many of its members will collaborate with them in the future.
Sincerely, Craig Callender |
Brazilian Congress for Philosophy of Science |
We just received word that 2026 NSF Travel Grants have been awarded to the PSA! This puts us in a great position to fund even more travel for early-career scholars and graduate students. If you are in need of funding, please fill out both applications linked below.
If you have already applied for a PSA Travel Grant, please fill out the NSF Travel Grant application as well - we are trying to get as close as possible to funding 100% of all asks.
PSA Travel Grant
NSF Travel Grant
Apologies to everyone for the delay in getting the decisions made on travel funds, but we are now in a much better position to significantly support our members than we were yesterday! All applications need to be completed by Sept 11, 2026 and decisions will be communicated by Sept 18 at the very latest. |
PSA26 Registration and Hotel |
Registration for the PSA26 San Diego meeting is open! The early bird phase of registration will end on September 1, 2026, at which point prices will increase. Please visit the event site for more details and to register for the meeting. As always, the most economical solution to registration is to be a member of the PSA so please make sure your membership is current! Our hotel block is open, we are finishing up with the $215/night block and then prices will increase to $235/night.
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PSA26 Interest Group Lunches |
There are many restaurants within a walkable distance of the hotel in San Diego. If you are interested in hosting an Interest Group Lunch at PSA26, please fill out this form and we will help advertise and facilitate registration.
Hosts of Interest Group Lunches are in charge of organization of their lunch. THE PSA IS NOT SUBSIDIZING THE MEALS, but simply helping to facilitate their organization. Each attendee at the meals will be responsible for paying for her or his own meal. |
The PSA is pleased to recognize the sponsors for the upcoming biennial meeting in San Diego: Institutional Partners:
University of California Irvine, Logic & Philosophy of Science
The Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh
Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota
Gold Sponsors:
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Chair at Michigan State University
The National Science Foundation
The Sloan Foundation
American Council of Learned Societies
Silver Sponsors: The Patrick Suppes Center, Stanford University
The Institute for Practical Ethics, University of California San Diego Department of Philosophy, University of Utah Bronze Sponsors:
Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania Arizona State University, Centre for Biology and Society
The Center for Public Engagement with Science, University of Cincinnati Cambridge University Press Department of Philosophy, UCLA
DLMPST
Our sponsors help make the PSA biennial meeting possible. Thanks to them, not only are we able to have a high quality meeting but we are also able to keep conference registration more accessible for everyone. If you are interested in becoming a PSA26 sponsor, please reach out to director@philsci.org for a list of opportunities.
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AAAS/SciLine Media Training Workshop - final call |
On Wednesday, November 18, 2026 from 1pm - 5pm the PSA Outreach & Engagement Committee will host a pre-conference AAAS | SciLine Media Training Half-day Workshop ahead of the 30th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association in San Diego, CA. We still have a couple seats for this event remaining! If you would like to participate, please email Melissa Jacquart (melissa.jacquart@uc.edu). With the deadline for applying already passed, these seats will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.
Sharing Science with the Media Workshop
You know the scholarship, but conveying it effectively to the public takes skill, preparation, and practice. Many academics want to serve as a source for journalists, but at the same time, feel intimidated, lack confidence, or are concerned about facing hostile interviewers or publics. Through presentations, discussions, and hands-on activities, this workshop will guide participants through the most important things to know about the media ecosystem and how to interact with it effectively as a source. We’ll cover language choices that will make your work more accessible to lay audiences, developing messages and working them into responses to interview questions, what you need to know about the media landscape, and how to navigate and survive uncomfortable interview questions and situations.
This workshop is presented by SciLine, a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) with a mission of enhancing the amount and quality of scientific evidence in news stories.
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PSA Outreach & Engagement Prize Nominations - Final Call |
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The Philosophy of Science Association is pleased to invite submissions for the PSA Outreach and Engagement Award. The Outreach and Engagement Award is a biennial award of the Philosophy of Science Association, which recognizes a scholar or team of scholars who have led outstanding efforts to engage members of the general public in philosophy of science topics. The scope of outreach and engagement that may be recognized by this award is wide, but its purpose is to highlight, promote, and elevate professional efforts to engage members of the general public about philosophy of science.
Outreach and Engagement Efforts May Include: (1) public-facing philosophy of science communication such as op-eds, videos/films, public-facing events, and public-facing writing; (2) K-12 formal educational efforts such as engaging with K-12 students and/or K-12 educators; (3) informal science education, such as philosophy of science encounters in museums, zoos, libraries, senior centers, and prisons; (4) engagement work with communities with a strong philosophy of science component, such as public participation, citizen science, and community- based participation in research; (5) science policy, such as working with policy makers and/or work to develop science policy informed by philosophy of science. More details about nomination materials can be found here.
Deadline: September 1, 2026 by 11:59 pm (anywhere on Earth)
Award Details: Recipient will receive a $500 cash prize, this year sponsored by the University of Cincinnati’s Center for Public Engagement with Science. Recipient will be given the opportunity to have their work showcased by the PSA. The award recipient will be announced publicly at the biennial PSA meeting taking place November 19-22, 2026 in San Diego, CA. Award recipient will be notified in early September so that if the award recipient would like to accept the award in person travel preparations can be made.
Eligibility: Awardees may be an individual or group and must be members of the PSA. Nominators and nominees must be members of the PSA. (If you or your group are not members, click here to join the PSA). Self-nominations are allowed and encouraged. Questions? Please contact Melissa Jacquart, Chair of the Outreach and Engagement Committee, melissa.jacquart@uc.edu |
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PSA Office Hours - New Dates! |
There is a new series of PSA Office Hours scheduled for the fall, including:
October - Philosophy of Physics with James Read
November - Philosophy of Biology with Elliott Sober
December - Philosophy of Geosciences with Alisa Bokulich
Please visit the PSA Office Hours page for more information and to sign up - space is limited! |
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