2024 IBHA Conference
2024-06-28 - 2024-06-30 | NCED Hotel & Conference Center, 2801 East State Highway 9, Norman, Oklahoma, 73071
We look forward to seeing you in person at our 2024 conference from June 28 to 30, where we can discuss all of our latest work on the cosmos, Earth, life, humanity – as well as exoplanets, astrobiology, the multitude of life forms, culture, and the potential of a multiverse – throughout all of the known past as well as in what we might reasonably expect in the future.
We have in the past met in an entirely on-line conference (2023), a hybrid on-line / in-person conference in India (2021), and in-person conferences in Pennsylvania (US, 2018), the Netherlands (2016), California (US, 2014), and Michigan (US 2012).
The center of North America is another great place to discuss big history. The geology of Oklahoma is formed by Carboniferous rocks in the east, Permian rocks in the center and towards the west, and a cover of Tertiary deposits in the panhandle to the west. The panhandle of Oklahoma is also noted for its Jurassic rocks as well. Cretaceous sediments are found in the south east. There are also some areas with older outcrops dating back to Cambrian, and even one area of Precambrian igneous rocks. The Great Salt Plains are the remains of an ancient inland sea. The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is a world class, state-of-the-art natural history museum with wings about flora and fauna, the evolution of life, and the peoples of Oklahoma from precolumbian times to the present. The First Americans Museum presents the many nations of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City Science Museum, Museum of Art, Zoo, and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, add more opportunities. And have fun at the Hurricane Harbor Water Park!
The conference will take place at the beautiful and well equipped NCED Conference Center & Hotel, which is just 3 miles from the heart of the University of Oklahoma campus. It has a 60,000 square foot fitness center with unique amenities including 4,000 square foot weight and cardio room and heated pool. Rooms are reasonably priced at $114 per night, which includes breakfast. The conference fee will be $325, which includes a Friday welcome reception, as well as lunches on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Most importantly, we will all have the opportunity to present, discuss, and listen to each other’s work on the fascinating field of big history, reconnect with old friends and meet new ones!
A call for papers and registration information are forthcoming, but be sure now to put this on your calendar!

Free Webinar: August 21, 2024. Big History Systems Evolution
2024-08-21 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Abstract: Evolutionary mechanisms enabled humans to irreversibly transform Earth systems, culminating in the present-day, globally connected, system of Anthropocene systems. Because Anthropocene systems are highly interdependent and dynamically evolving, often with accelerating rates of cultural and technological evolution, the ensuing family of societal challenges (e.g., climate change and impacts, renewable energy, adaptive infrastructure, disasters, pandemics, food insecurity, biodiversity loss, sustainability, resilience and equity) must be framed and addressed in an integrated manner. To catalyze the required societal transformations, an evolutionary, system-of-systems (evoSoS) convergence paradigm is needed to coordinate strategic interventions across multiple systems and scales. The new paradigm requires a major transformation in our approach to science and engineering and includes an evoSoS computational framework, evoSoS decision-support system and evoSoS pedagogy. A new generation of Anthropocene systems integrators is needed to create a meta-discipline that spans all the disciplines associated with societal challenges of the Anthropocene.
Bio: John Little received a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cape Town and an MS and PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently the Charles E. Via, Jr. Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. His earlier research focused on process dynamics in environmental systems but has now broadened to Anthropocene systems. John has been a visiting professor at University of Sydney, Australia, Swiss Federal Institute for Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), Switzerland, Tsinghua University, China, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, University of Granada, Spain, Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment, France, and University of La Rochelle, France.

Webinar: Jan 20, noon ET: Exploring Energy Rate Density
2026-01-18 08:00 - 17:00
Please join us!
Webinar: Tuesday, Jan 20, Noon ET
Exploring Energy Rate Density as a
Quantitative Complexity Metric
Martin van Duin
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89923901081?pwd=[REDACTED]

Teaching a Big History of Iron: Building and Running a Cross Disciplinary Course
2026-02-01 15:00 - 17:00 | Zoom, Russian Federation
Iron is at the heart of so much big history. Massive stars fuse hydrogen and helium into heavier elements, until they begin to form iron, at which point a supernova explodes. Along with all the other elements, iron is burst out into space, where, in our case, it was added to the accretions that formed Earth. Much of it sunk deep into the Earth, providing a magnetic shield that protects us from solar winds. Some of it rusted into beautiful bands of rock that can be enjoyed in many geological sites like the US Painted Desert. It is crucial in how our blood transmits oxygen throughout the body. It has been central to the building of skyscrapers, bridges, and much more.This webinar will discuss our experience designing and teaching a Big History of Iron course listed across four disciplines: History, Biology, Anthropology, and Geology, and taught in four coordinated sections at Jacksonville State University, in Alabama, USA. We will begin by outlining the administrative and institutional groundwork required to create and approve a genuinely cross disciplinary course, including coordination across departments and course listing within the university. We will then turn to the practical execution of the course itself, discussing course structure, shared themes, coordination among instructors, relevant local sites we visited as a class, and what worked, as well as what we learned, in teaching Big History collaboratively across the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.Presented by:Dr. Helen Kaibara-HistoryDr. Jimmy Triplett-BiologyDr. Kathryn Catlin-AnthropologyDr. Ross Martin-GeologyZoom link forthcomingThe image is of a Toluca iron meteorite (coarse octahedrite, class IA). Toluca is a group of iron meteorites found in Jiquipilco, Mexico near Toluca. The meteorites probably crashed into Earth more than 10,000 years ago. For centuries, Mexican people living near the meteorites used them as a source of metal for various tools. They were first described by conquistadores in about 1776. The total known mass is about 3 tons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluca_(meteorite)
