The Rise of the American Electrochemicals Industry, 1880-1910

The Rise of the American Electrochemicals Industry, 1880-1910 PDF Author: Martha Trescott
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN: 0313207666
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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The Rise of the American Electrochemicals Industry, 1880-1910

The Rise of the American Electrochemicals Industry, 1880-1910 PDF Author: Martha Trescott
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN: 0313207666
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description


The Rise of the American Electrochemicals Industry, 1880-1910

The Rise of the American Electrochemicals Industry, 1880-1910 PDF Author: Martha Trescott
Publisher: Praeger
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 472

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Book Description


Willis R. Whitney, General Electric and the Origins of U.S. Industrial Research

Willis R. Whitney, General Electric and the Origins of U.S. Industrial Research PDF Author: George Wise
Publisher: Plunkett Lake Press
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
Born in Jamestown, New York, Willis R. Whitney (1868-1958) was the longtime director of General Electric’s Research Laboratory and is widely considered one of the fathers of industrial research. He graduated from MIT in 1890 to become assistant professor of chemistry there. In 1896, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Leipzig under Wilhelm Ostwald. Having grown dissatisfied with purely academic work, he jumped at the opportunity, provided by Elihu Thompson in 1900, to become director of the newly created GE Research Laboratory. The laboratory was “to be devoted exclusively to original research.” “It is hoped,” a 1902 report stated, “that many profitable fields may be discovered” and so it was: when Whitney took over, GE needed more economical lamp filaments and the laboratory developed a new form of “metallized” carbon which gave 25% more light for the same wattage, the first radical improvement in Edison’s incandescent carbon filament. Millions of the new lamps were sold in a single year. The laboratory’s many other contributions include the tungsten lamp, several applications for wrought tungsten (replacing platinum targets in X-ray tubes and platinum contacts in spark coils, magnetos and relays) and the Coolidge X-ray tube in a wide range of sizes. Whitney’s broad scientific knowledge, ability as a chemist and resourcefulness as an experimenter lay the basis for all the work of the laboratory. He stepped down as director in 1932. He was a member of numerous institutions including the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, American Society of Electrochemical Engineers, National Academy of Sciences, British Institute of Metals, and National Research Council, and he received many honors, such as the Willard Gibbs Medal in 1920, the Perkin Medal in 1921, the Gold Medal of the National Institute of Social Sciences in 1928, and the AIEE Edison Medal in 1934 for “his contributions to electrical science, his pioneer inventions, and his inspiring leadership in research.” “Whitney invented modern industrial research... George Wise re-creates much of the anxiety and excitement of the decades when business discovered science and vice versa.” — David Diamond, The New York Times “Wise has not simply written biography and a story of the research laboratory at General Electric but also a great deal of General Electric history and history of technology as well... The author’s technical and scientific presentations are generally lucid and accessible to the layperson.” — Martha M. Trescott, Journal of Economic History “[A] book of many strengths. Most immediately apparent is the very high quality of the writing. As a skilled biographer, Wise succeeds in bringing the reader into the life of an interesting and important individual... Wise does not neglect the personal side of Whitney’s life, including his unhappy family situation and his personal illnesses... The primary focus, however, is on his work at GE, work the author expertly fits into broader patterns of science, industry and society in early twentieth-century America.” — James H. Madison, Journal of American History “[A] thoroughly researched and lucidly written book... Wise’s book makes important contributions to the understanding of the origins of industrial research and the development of science in the American context.” — John K. Smith, Technology and Culture “George Wise effectively develops the foundation for an interesting and in-depth view of a man who made an outstanding contribution to industrial research, while at the same time suffering personal disappointments and fighting a continuing battle with recurring mental depression... Wise’s book is warm, personal, and rich in historical background; it provides a view into the life of the individual who set the stage for industrial research in America.” — Alfred A. Bolton, Academy of Management Review “[An] important book... Wise’s portrayal of Whitney is acute and sensitive. Moreover, it demonstrates that the depiction of industrial scientists as either alienated and unhappy academics-in-exile or mindless minions of the giant corporation is overly simple... Wise has produced a first-rate study of a pioneering establishment that should be read by anyone interested in the crucial relationships between science and modern industry.” — Larry Owens, Business History Review “[A] turning point in the long-neglected history of industrial research. [N]ot merely outstanding... [a] definitive work that establish[es] critical standards for future research in this field... beautifully crafted... a sensitive and insightful biography of Willis R. Whitney.” — Edwin T. Lawton, Jr., Isis “Wise has accomplished perhaps the most difficult task before any biographer — successfully connecting his subject’s historical significance with the deeper elements of his humanity. This humanity is described with a biographer’s sympathy and a historian’s sophistication... Wise writes with sympathy and often charm, drawing not only from substantial archival records but also from dozens of interviews carried out with Whitney’s associates and workers... This biography will not only be the standard study of Whitney, but it will also provide a useful model and guide for all students of the key institutions of modern science.” — Robert Friedel, British Journal for the History of Science

A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Nineteenth Century

A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Nineteenth Century PDF Author: Peter J. Ramberg
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350251550
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
A Cultural History of Chemistry in the Nineteenth Century covers the period from 1815 to 1914 and the birth of modern chemistry. The elaboration of atomic theory - and new ideas of periodicity, structure, bonding, and equilibrium - emerged in tandem with new instruments and practices. The chemical industry expanded exponentially, fuelled by an increasing demand for steel, aluminium, dyestuffs, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods. And the chemical laboratory became established in its two distinct modern settings of the university and industry. At the turn of the century, the discovery of radioactivity took hold of the public imagination, drawing chemistry closer to physics, even as it threatened to undermine the whole concept of atomism. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume are theory and concepts; practice and experiment; laboratories and technology; culture and science; society and environment; trade and industry; learning and institutions; art and representation. Peter J. Ramberg is Professor of the History of Science at Truman State University, USA. Volume 5 in the Cultural History of Chemistry set. General Editors: Peter J. T. Morris, University College London, UK, and Alan Rocke, Case Western Reserve University, USA.

The Making of American Industrial Research

The Making of American Industrial Research PDF Author: Leonard S. Reich
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521522373
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
This book draws important lessons from the early days of industrial research in America.

The Rise of the Gunbelt

The Rise of the Gunbelt PDF Author: Ann R. Markusen
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0195066480
Category : Defense contracts
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
Index and bibliographical references included.

Science in the Provinces

Science in the Provinces PDF Author: Mary Jo Nye
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520312627
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1986.

Fixing Niagara Falls

Fixing Niagara Falls PDF Author: Daniel Macfarlane
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 0774864257
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 333

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Book Description
Since the late nineteenth century, Niagara Falls has been heavily engineered to generate energy behind a flowing façade designed to appeal to tourists. Fixing Niagara Falls reveals the technological feats and cross-border politics that facilitated the transformation of one of the most important natural sites in North America. Daniel Macfarlane shows how this natural wonder is essentially a tap: huge tunnels around the reconfigured Falls channel the waters of the Niagara River, which ebb and flow according to the tourism calendar. This book offers a unique interdisciplinary and transborder perspective on how the Niagara landscape embodies the power of technology and nature.

Paths of Innovation

Paths of Innovation PDF Author: David C. Mowery
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521646536
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
In 1903 the Wright brothers' airplane travelled a couple of hundred yards. Today fleets of streamlined jets transport millions of people each day to cities worldwide. Between discovery and application, between invention and widespread use, there is a world of innovation, of tinkering, improvement and adaptation. This is the world David Mowery and Nathan Rosenberg map out in Paths of Innovation, a tour of the intersecting routes of technological change. Throughout their book, Mowery and Rosenberg demonstrate that the simultaneous emergence of new engineering and applied science disciplines in the universities, in tandem with growth in the Research and Development industry and scientific research, has been a primary factor in the rapid rate of technological change. Innovation and incentives to develop new, viable processes have led to the creation of new economic resources - which will determine the future of technological innovation and economic growth.

History of Science in United States

History of Science in United States PDF Author: Marc Rothenberg
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135583188
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 637

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Book Description
This Encyclopedia examines all aspects of the history of science in the United States, with a special emphasis placed on the historiography of science in America. It can be used by students, general readers, scientists, or anyone interested in the facts relating to the development of science in the United States. Special emphasis is placed in the history of medicine and technology and on the relationship between science and technology and science and medicine.