A Companion to the History of American Science

A Companion to the History of American Science presents an authoritative overview of the most recent scholarship on the history of American science from the intellectual curiosity of the Founding Fathers to the country s cutting–edge technological achievements in the 21st century. Featuring contributions from a wide range of established and emerging scholars in related scientific fields, essays explore specific sciences, the intersections of modern science and American society, and techno–science issues in American science historiography. Essays are written with an eye toward accessibility for students, scholars, and non–specialists alike, and cover topics ranging from astronomy, agriculture, biology, chemistry, ecology, and eugenics to relativity, military technology, Big Science, and many more. A key theme is the fundamental question of how the United States with so few scientific resources and lagging far behind its European counterparts at the beginning of the 19 th century so rapidly developed into an influential and productive scientific community. A Companion to the History of American Science offers illuminating insights into the histories of various disciplines and important topics in the two–and–a half century narrative of scientific minds, policies, and events that transpired in the United States.

Notes on Contributors

Introduction
Georgina M. Montgomery and Mark A. Largent, The History of American Science

Part I:  Disciplines

Chapter 1: Agricultural Sciences
Samantha Noll

Chapter 2: Anthropology
Adrian Young

Chapter 3: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Peter J. Susalla

Chapter 4: Chemistry
Ann E. Robinson

Chapter 5: Computer Science
Stephanie Dick

Chapter 6: Conservation Biology
Christian C. Young

Chapter 7: Economics
Ross B. Emmett

Chapter 8: Experimental Psychology
Jim Wynter Porter

Chapter 9: Genetics
Melinda Gormley

Chapter 10: Geophysics
Matthew Shindell

Chapter 11: Marine Biology
Samantha Muka

Chapter 12: Medical Genetics
Andrew J. Hogan

Chapter 13: Metrology and Atmospheric Science
James Bergman

Chapter 14: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Lijing Jiang

Chapter 15: Nuclear, High Energy, and Solid State Physics
Joseph D. Martin

Chapter 16: Nutrition
Jessica Mudry

Chapter 17: Paleoanthropology
Matthew R. Goodrum

Chapter 18: Paleontology
Paul D. Brinkman

Chapter 19: Ecology
Gina Rumore

Chapter 20: Sociobiology and Evolutionary Psychology
Abraham H. Gibson and Michael Ruse

Chapter 21: Sociology
Sebastián Gil–Riaño

Chapter 22: Space and Planetary Sciences
Erik M. Conway

Part II:  Topics

Chapter 23: Biotechnology
Nathan Crowe

Chapter 24: Darwinism
Adam M. Goldstein

Chapter 25: Science Education
Adam R. Shapiro

Chapter 26: Environmental Science
Daniel Zizzamia

Chapter 27: The American Eugenics Movement
Christine Neejer

Chapter 28: Evolution and Creation Debates
Arthur Ward

Chapter 29: Field and Laboratory
Jeremy Vetter

Chapter 30: Gender and Science
Donald L. Opitz

Chapter 31: The Germ Theory
Jacob Steere–Williams

Chapter 32: Instruments
Sara J. Schechner

Chapter 33: Science and Literature
Stephan Rachman

Chapter 34: Museums
Amy Kohout

Chapter 35: Natural History
Pamela M. Henson

Chapter 36: Nature Study
Sally Gregory Kohlstedt

Chapter 37: Science and Policy
Kevin C. Elliot

Chapter 38: Popularizing Science
Constance Areson Clark

Chapter 39: Science and Postcolonialism
Banu Subramanian

Chapter 40: Racial Science
Robert Bernasconi

Chapter 41: Relativity in America
Daniel Kennefick

Chapter 42: Science and Religion
Mark A. Waddell

Chapter 43: Sex and Science
Miriam G. Ruemann

Chapter 44: Zoos and Aquariums
Christian C. Young

Bibliography

Index

Georgina M. Montgomery is Assistant Professor of Science History at Michigan State University. She is co–editor of Making Animal Meaning (2011).

Mark A. Largent is Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Science History and Medicine at Michigan State University. He is the author of Vaccine: The Debate in Modern America (2012) and Breeding Contempt: The History of Coerced Sterilization in the United States (2007).