L. C. Dunn (1893-1974) spent most of his scientific career conducting research in
developmental genetics as a member of the Zoology Department at Columbia
University in the City of New York. He had an accomplished scientific career
researching mutations in mice, which earned him respect from other geneticists and
scientists....
The education (particularly graduate education) of Americans
who were active in astronomical research between 1876 and 1941
is assessed for its effectiveness in preparing the astronomers for
careers in research. This period contains three dynamic changes:
the growth of American astronomy in becoming the world's leading
community of astronomers, the...
Beginning in the late-nineteenth century, several dialogues emerged concerning life on Mars. Some supported the notion of an inhabited Mars, citing recent observations of the planet, while others, pointing to a lack of concrete evidence, denied the validity of such a bold hypothesis. The dialogues within and between different...
The public controversy over possible health hazards from radioactive fallout from atomic bomb testing began in 1954, shortly after a thermonuclear test by the United States spread fallout world wide. In the dissertation, I address two of the fundamental questions of the fallout controversy: Was there a threshold of radiation...
While historiography and interest in Tudor England at both the popular and specialist levels presents few signs of diminishing, there may nonetheless exist a sense that we have little left to learn about this period and its culture. A notable gap in our knowledge, however, remains regarding the mysterious disease...
The use of honey bees to pollinate apple orchards seems natural, even inevitable. This dissertation examines the relationship of beekeeping and apple growing in Hood River, Oregon in the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries, as a case study in the development of commercial pollination service. Within this time period the...
Following World War II, the United States enjoyed unprecedented power and prestige. The wartime alliance with the Soviet Union quickly collapsed amid mutual suspicion and fear, however, resulting in the Cold War. Science was a significant political component in that ideological conflict. In the United States, inspired by Franklin D....
This dissertation has two objectives. The first objective is to determine where best to situate the study of mentoring (i.e. the 'making of scientists') on the landscape of the history of science and science studies. This task is accomplished by establishing mentoring studies as a link between the robust body...
The Second Pandemic had a profound impact on the people of Europe. In the few years between 1347 and 1350, a new epidemic disease spread across the entirety of Europe and killed between one third and two thirds of the population. While this initial wave was important, the real significance...
Understanding the impact of humans on the environment has long been a topic of scholarly interest and debate. As environmental problems mount, accounts of historic ecological conditions and the factors of change become increasingly useful. This study considers competing schools of interpretation about human impacts on ecological landscapes and develops...