After the Breakthrough: The Emergence of High-Temperature Superconductivity as a Research Field - Hardcover

Nowotny, Helga; Felt, Ulrike

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521561248 ISBN 13: 9780521561242

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1997

Synopsis

The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity was hailed as a major scientific breakthrough, inducing an unprecedented wave of excitement and expectation among the scientific community and in the international press. This book sets this research breakthrough in context, and reconstructs the history of the discovery. The authors analyze the emergence of this new research field and the way its development was shaped by scientists and science policy makers. They also examine the various institutional and national settings in which the research was undertaken as well as considering the scientific backgrounds and motivations of researchers who entered the field following the original discovery.

About this title

Book Description:

This book analyzes the remarkable discovery of high-temperature superconductivity and its aftermath. It focuses on the perspectives of working scientists, science policy makers, industry and the media in obtaining research funds and setting up national programs. The authors provide detailed analysis of the strategies scientists use to shape their research environment, including the promises made about potential applications. Particular attention is given to the new role played by the media. High-temperature superconductivity is interpreted as a case history, in which the present rapid changes that the culture of science undergoes are brought together in a unique way.

Review:

"This book is a case study that will be of long-term value to scientists, science policy makers and those interested in understanding hoe their interactions with the media and public have changed." Simon Foner, Physics Today

"Perils of a Restless Planet is exciting reading. It would be superb for a lower-division course emphasizing the methodologies of science and engineering, the importance of humility in the face of natural powers and the value of good design." Paul P. Craig, Physics Today

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0521561248
• ISBN 13: 9780521561242
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 220