The National Labs: Science in an American System, 1947-1974

by Peter J. Westwick

The national laboratories--Livermore, Berkeley, Los Alamos, Argonne, Oak Ridge, and Brookhaven--have occupied a central place in the landscape of American science for more than fifty years. Responsible for the development of nuclear weapons, reactors, and other technologies that shaped American policy and culture in the Cold War, scientists from these labs also pursued physical and biomedical research that fundamentally changed our understanding of nature. But all of this has come at great cost, in terms of finance, facilities, and manpower, and has forced major adjustments in the framework of American science. Deeply researched and lucidly written, The National Labs is the first book to trace the confluence of diverse interests that created and sustained this extensive enterprise. Peter J. Westwick takes us from the origins of the labs in the Manhattan Project to their role in building the hydrogen bomb, nuclear power reactors, and high-energy accelerators, to their subsequent entry into such fields as computers, meteorology, space science, molecular biology, environmental science, and alternative energy sources. By showing us that the national laboratory system developed as a reflection of American ideals of competition and decentralization in the Cold War, Westwick also demonstrates how scientific institutions reflect the values of their surrounding political system and culture.

Genres: History

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 2003

Reviews

[Yisu Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

相当好的一本书，是第一本把整个美国的国家实验室当成体系来研究的历史著作。在Westwick之前，关于单一实验室或者科学家的著作其实相当多，但他是第一个把他们作为一个系统来看待的（他还发明了一个术语，叫做systemicity）。除却历史价值之外，整个国家实验室的演变其实是很典型的生态，其中充满了专属的任务、外部和内部的听众、竞争而带来的合作与分化等等。有很多后续研究可以做，比方跨学科的问题，比方和大学、业界的动态等等。很有启发，可以多看。