Magnetic World: Consensus, Separation, and Re-connection in Disciplinary Transformations of Geomagnetism in the 20th Century

磁世界：20世纪地磁学学科变革中的共识、分离与重新连接

• 批准号: 0432202
• 负责人: Gregory Good
• 金额: $ 14.51万
• 依托单位: West Virginia University Research Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-10-15 至 2007-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0432202&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Magnetic; World; Consensus; Separation; Re

Geomagnetism, one of the earliest geophysical sciences to be widely practiced, saw its first successful developments in the 19th century. From 1830 to 1900, proliferation and professionalization of observational programs and data reduction characterized the field. After 1900, geomagnetic researchers increased their activity as they adopted theories by C. F. Gauss and J. C. Maxwell and developed means to bridge the gulf between these theories and masses of data of global phenomena. This project examines three main streams in 20th-century geomagnetic research: investigations of processes deep inside the Earth that produce the main geomagnetic field, examinations of crustal magnetism, and research into processes on the edge of space, where Earth's magnetic field interacts with the interplanetary environment. This investigation places these research streams in the historical context of disciplinary specialization and transformation. This process provides the historiographic interest of this study. Intellectual Merit: In the early 20th century, geomagnetic researchers thought of their domain as all of Earth's magnetic and electric phenomena. Researchers at private institutions, government bureaus, and universities variously developed mathematical tools and magnetic instruments based on new technologies, undertook magnetic field surveys or worked in magnetic observatories or physics laboratories, or traced out new physical theories. They investigated secular variation, rock magnetism, and upper atmospheric electrical currents. But by mid-century, most researchers narrowed their gaze to just one problem area. This specialization contributed to a period of dramatic developments in the latter half of the century: geodynamo theory, paleomagnetic evidence of plate tectonics, computer modeling of magnetic reversals, and discovery of the solar wind and polar (magnetic) substorms. This project, however, poses disciplinary specialization as a research question: To what extent did these research areas become independent of each other? Significant continuities in instrumentation, theory, and analytical methods persisted much longer than a simple model of specialization suggests. This project compares how scientists in each of these subfields conducted their research and how they defined their communities. Building on extensive archival research for earlier periods, this project focuses mainly on 20th-century geomagnetic researchers. Recent research is to be documented through publications, attending scientific conferences, and discussions with researchers to delineate the boundaries and interactions of research programs.Broader Impact: Outcomes include articles, but the final products are a book on the history of geomagnetic research from 1800 to 2000 and an educational web-site. This project may contribute to a re-evaluation of change in the traditionally recognized scientific disciplines, it may allow a more complex understanding of the inter-field scientific research that is becoming ever more common, and it may raise the possibility of providing historical contexts for policy development in such sciences. The project will also integrate teaching with research through the use of a research assistant. A web site will be developed to make the results available for other educational institutions.

地磁学是最早被广泛应用的地球物理科学之一，它在19世纪首次取得成功。从1830年到1900年，观测项目的激增和专业化以及数据简化是该领域的特点。1900年后，地磁研究人员增加了他们的活动，因为他们采用了C.F.Gauss和J.C.Maxwell的理论，并开发了方法来弥合这些理论与全球现象的大量数据之间的鸿沟。该项目考察了20世纪地磁研究中的三大主流：调查地球深处产生主要地磁场的过程，检查地壳磁性，以及研究空间边缘的过程，在那里地球磁场与星际环境相互作用。本研究将这些研究流派置于学科专业化和学科转型的历史语境中。这一过程为本研究提供了史学意义。智力价值：在20世纪初，地磁研究人员认为他们的领域是地球上所有的磁和电现象。私人机构、政府机构和大学的研究人员基于新技术开发了各种数学工具和磁性仪器，进行磁场测量，或在磁性天文台或物理实验室工作，或探索新的物理理论。他们研究了长期变化、岩石磁性和高层大气电流。但到了本世纪中叶，大多数研究人员将目光缩小到了一个问题领域。这种专业化促成了本世纪后半叶的一段戏剧性发展：地球发电机理论、板块构造的古地磁证据、磁逆转的计算机模拟，以及太阳风和极地(磁)亚暴的发现。然而，这个项目提出了一个研究问题：这些研究领域在多大程度上相互独立？仪器、理论和分析方法的显著连续性持续的时间比简单的专业化模型所显示的要长得多。这个项目比较了每个子领域的科学家如何进行他们的研究，以及他们如何定义他们的社区。在早期广泛的档案研究的基础上，这个项目主要关注20世纪的地磁研究人员。最近的研究将通过出版物、参加科学会议和与研究人员的讨论来记录，以划定研究计划的边界和相互作用。广泛影响：结果包括文章，但最终产品是一本关于1800-2000年地磁研究历史的书和一个教育网站。该项目可能有助于重新评估传统上公认的科学学科的变化，它可能使人们对日益普遍的跨领域科学研究有更复杂的了解，它还可能为这类科学的政策制定提供历史背景。该项目还将通过使用研究助理将教学和研究结合起来。将开发一个网站，将结果提供给其他教育机构。