Showing papers on "Applied science published in 2001"

Encyclopedia of Materials Science and Engineering

Abstract: This major eight-volume reference work provides the first unified treatment of an important interdisciplinary field.

The history of industrial research laboratories as a resource for teaching about science-technology relationships

Abstract: The history of industrial research laboratories offers a good opportunity for studying the complex relationships between science and technology. A good insight of these relationships is relevant for shaping a good concept of science and technology in science education and technology education. In the article, three different interaction patterns are derived from the history of industrial research laboratories (in particular the Philips Natuurkundig Laboratorium), namely (1) science as an enabler for technology, (2) science as a forerunner of technology and (3) science as a knowledge resource for technology. In science education and technology education these insights can be used for historical projects and for a use in design-and-make projects.

Web Modules Linking Mechanics and Materials Science

Abstract: In 1996, the MIT subject 3.11 Mechanics of Materials in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering began using an experimental new textbook approach, written with a strongly increased emphasis on the materials aspects of the subject. It also included several topics such as finite element methods, fracture mechanics, and statistics that are not included in most traditional Mechanics of Materials texts. These nontraditional aspects were designed to fit the curriculum in Materials Science and Engineering, although admittedly Mechanics instructors in other departments and schools might not find all of them suitable for their own subjects. Further, a number of topics may be of interest in educational curricula and industrial practice outside traditional Mechanics subjects. One approach to increasing the flexibility and adaptability of this materials-oriented text is to make discrete and coherent portions of it available as stand-alone, web-available modules. Instructors could then pick and choose among topics, and assemble a subject offering in whatever way they choose. It would also be possible for instructors of specialty engineering subjects, for instance bridge or aircraft design, to add modules on mechanics of materials aimed at their own needs. A series of such modules are now being developed under a National Science Foundation Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) grant aimed at strengthening the links in the engineering curriculum between materials and mechanics. Each module is intended to be capable of standing alone, so that it will usually be unnecessary to work through other modules in order to use any particular one. This approach will be outlined and demonstrated, both as an approach to the specific topic of a mechanics-materials linkage, and as a possibility for more general implementation in distance learning.

Science for all

Abstract: When reflecting on the development of the scientific institution in the United States, one must consider the leading role of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This organization has been a cornerstone of science in the US since its inauguration in 1848. Here Kohlstedt, Sokal and Lewenstein provide an authoritative historical perspective of this society, from its humble beginnings in a Philadelphia library to the internationally recognized establishment of today. The authors enables the reader to appreciate how one facet of the US scientific community developed side by side with the evolution of a ‘new world’ nation. In three chapters, they chronicle successive half-century periods in the life of the association. The common thread in these chapters is the illumination of how the AAAS sought to fulfill its aim of promoting “the advancement of science and technology across all disciplines and to the public’s understanding of these matters”. At times it has been a tightrope walk for the AAAS to promote a delicate balance between pushing cuttingedge science while remaining within the realm of the general public. Occasionally, adhering to these objectives has required the AAAS to change direction to concur with changes in general society through the years. Initially, Kohlstedt details the tribulations of the fledgling society and highlights the emphasis that the association placed on the proceedings of its annual meetings as the main forum for discussing new research breakthroughs. Covering the early 1900s, Sokal describes the beginning of the close relationship between the AAAS and the periodical Science, and the manner in which the AAAS served as an umbrella organization to encourage interdisciplinary dialogue as science became an increasingly specialized pursuit. This chapter deals largely with the apparently domineering role of James McKeen Cattell, owner and editor of Science between 1895 and 1944, a subject on which Sokal has written several times. In the final chapter, Lewenstein tells how the AAAS found its niche in the post-war period and was at the forefront of dealing with contemporary issues. Furthermore, this era saw the popularization of science and the emergence of Science as a leading international journal. It is here that the reader develops an appreciation of how the AAAS was forced to grapple with the same issues that were shaping the nation as a whole — McCarthyism, racial segregation and anti-nuclear sentiment. Each of the authors highlights the influential figures that steered and reshaped the AAAS during these periods. Special emphasis is placed throughout on illustrating the democratic ideals of society. However, one does not gain a sense of the relative influence that the AAAS has had on the development of the US scientific community in relation to other organizations, such as the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council. Nevertheless, careful attention is paid to the methods used by the AAAS in crossing disciplinary boundaries and in its ‘reachout’ programs, designed to enhance communication to a broader audience including the younger generation, women and minorities. This book is both enjoyable and illuminating, and can be recommended to a wider readership than science historians alone. As the authors do not delve into the technical depths of scientific matters, it is easily accessible to students and professors alike. Furthermore, the book is of interest to readers outside the US. The AAAS has a directorate for international programs and the authors compare the standing and objectives of the AAAS with those of equivalent societies in Europe, particularly during the nascent years of the association. It should be stressed that the book is primarily a historical account. Relatively little space is devoted to detailed descriptions of landmark publications or meeting presentations and their ensuing implications for scientific research and benefits for the quality of human life. This book puts into perspective the values of an organization that is constantly pushing forward the boundaries of science, addressing topical issues and promoting public awareness; values that are evident in the weekly publication of its flagship magazine, Science. With the sequencing of the human genome and advent of the postgenomic era, this book represents a timely appreciation of the role that the AAAS has played, and will continue to play, in making science more accessible to all. Andrew Aplin is in the Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA. e-mail: aaplin@med.unc.edu ... it has been a tightrope

Considerations on the priorities of mechanical engineering science in the 10th five-year plan

Abstract: This paper presents the remarkable features of the frontiers of advanced mechanical engineering science On the one hand, mechanical engineering science is intersected with information technology, materials science, management science and life science, on the other hand, it is progressing and developing through solving creatively key scientific problems in mechanical engineering The priciples of selecting priority fields of mechanical engineering in National Natural Science Foundation of China in the coming five years are proposed