Documenting the History of Physicists in Industry

建议摘要SES建议0137113记录工业物理学家的历史美国物理研究所约瑟夫·安德森公司研发代表着美国科学机构的一个主要部分，我们国家的繁荣在很大程度上建立在辉煌的工业研究和创新的一个世纪。然而，工业研发的历史是美国社会中记录最少的部分之一。美国物理学会物理学史中心(AIP)建议开展一项为期三年的项目，以1)通过口述历史访谈、调查和实地访问创造新的信息来源；2)确定现有来源；3)研究如何在持续的基础上保存工业研发的历史。该项目调查了25家公司中的15家，这些公司雇佣了美国工业中超过一半的博士物理学家。在国家科学基金会科学与技术研究计划的牵头支持下，AIP在项目头两年支付项目历史学家的工资和附带福利，为其他项目活动提供资金，并得到其他资助机构的额外支持。这项工作最重要的结果是对保留工业研究历史的方法进行了新的原创性评估。美国的工业增长一直建立在知识和创新的基础上，这些过程创造了大量的记录、周年纪念和历史出版物，以及其他来源。这些材料中有许多已经消失，但也有一些幸存了下来。此外，最近的发展，特别是电子记录系统的成熟和对记录研发的更严格的合同要求，为创造新的办法以持续保存工业研究的历史提供了机会。该项目探索了过去和现在的模式以及新的发展。产品包括基于对一些最重要的以研究为中心的美国公司的记录创建模式、信息需求和现有历史记录的分析得出的结果和建议，以及对大约100名高级科学家和科学管理人员的口述历史采访的文字记录。这是第一个系统的口述历史项目，以记录工业研发。口述历史将在项目结束时提供给研究人员，以及现场访问和采访中确定的现存记录目录。该项目的直接产品1)为企业科学家和管理人员提供了保护其遗产的各种方法，2)为历史学家提供了研究工业研发历史的新来源，3)为档案保管员和其他信息专业人员提供了新的方法和新的工具来评估和保存记录。长期产品可包括：1)私营部门更加重视保护其遗产；2)将工业研究和开发纳入主流科学和技术研究。该项目基于历史中心在探索科学史上被忽视的领域并制定记录这些领域的战略方面的丰富经验。设计和方法以我们对多机构合作的成功的十年研究为蓝本，我们希望这个项目的结果和建议在记录科学史方面产生同样重要的影响。项目工作人员得到了一个咨询委员会的协助，该委员会由著名的工业科学家、领先的企业档案管理员和历史学家组成，他们就要研究的公司、要采访的科学家、要联系的管理人员和要问的问题提供意见和建议。

Proposal AbstractSES Proposal 0137113 Documenting the History of Physicists in IndustryJoseph Anderson, American Institute of PhysicsCorporate R&D represents a major segment of the American science establishment, and ournation's prosperity rests in large part on a brilliant century of industrial research and innovation.However, the history of industrial R&D is one of the least documented segments of Americansociety. The Center for History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) proposes toconduct a three-year project to 1) create new sources of information through oral historyinterviews, surveys, and site visits; 2) identify extant sources; and 3) study how to preserve thehistory of industrial R&D on a continuing basis. The project examines 15 of the 25 companies that employ more than half of the Ph.D. physicists in American industry. With lead supportfrom the Science and Technology Studies program of the National Science Foundation to coverthe salary and fringe benefits of the project historian for the first two years of the project, AIPprovides funds for other project activities, with additional support from other funding agencies.The most important result of this undertaking is a new and original evaluation of ways topreserve the history of industrial research. American industrial growth has been based onknowledge and innovation, and these processes have created vast amounts of records,anniversary and historical publications, and other sources. Many of these materials havedisappeared but some have survived. In addition, recent developments, especially maturingelectronic records systems and more stringent contractual requirements for documenting R&D,offer opportunities for creating new approaches to preserving the history of industrial research onan ongoing basis. The project explores past and present patterns and new developments. Products include findings and recommendations based on an analysis of the records-creationpatterns, information needs, and extant historical records of some of the most important research-centered U.S. corporations, as well as transcripts of the oral history interviews withapproximately 100 senior scientists and science administrators. This is the first systematic oral history program to document industrial R&D. The oral histories are to be made available to researchers at the conclusion of the project, along with catalog of extant records identified during site visits and interviews.The immediate products of the project 1) give corporate scientists and managers a variety ofapproaches to preserving their heritage, 2) make available to historians new sources for studyingthe history of industrial R&D, and 3) provide archivists and other information professionals withnew approaches and new tools to appraise and preserve records. Long-term products could include 1) an increased attention on the part of the private sector to preserving their heritage and 2) the integration of industrial research and development into mainstream science and technology studies. The project builds on the History Center's extensive experience in exploring neglected areas in the history of science and creating strategies for documenting them. The design andmethodology are modeled on our successful ten-year Study of Multi-Institutional Collaborations,and we expect the findings and recommendations of this project to have an equally important impact in documenting the history of science. The project staff is assisted by an Advisory Committee composed of distinguished industrial scientists, leading corporate archivists, and historians who provide advice and recommendations on the companies to be studied, the scientists to be interviewed, the administrators to contact, and the questions to ask.