Cycles of Invention and Discovery: Rethinking the Endless Frontier

Venkatesh Narayanamurti; Toluwalogo Odumosu

Published by Harvard University Press 2016

Cycles of Invention and Discovery

Rethinking the Endless Frontier

Venkatesh Narayanamurti and Toluwalogo Odumosu

https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674974135

Overview
Contents

About this book

Cycles of Invention and Discovery offers an in-depth look at the real-world practice of science and engineering. It shows how the standard categories of “basic” and “applied” have become a hindrance to the organization of the U.S. science and technology enterprise. Tracing the history of these problematic categories, Venkatesh Narayanamurti and Toluwalogo Odumosu document how historical views of policy makers and scientists have led to the construction of science as a pure ideal on the one hand and of engineering as a practical (and inherently less prestigious) activity on the other. Even today, this erroneous but still widespread distinction forces these two endeavors into separate silos, misdirects billions of dollars, and thwarts progress in science and engineering research.

The authors contrast this outmoded perspective with the lived experiences of researchers at major research laboratories. Using such Nobel Prize–winning examples as magnetic resonance imaging, the transistor, and the laser, they explore the daily micro-practices of research, showing how distinctions between the search for knowledge and creative problem solving break down when one pays attention to the ways in which pathbreaking research actually happens. By studying key contemporary research institutions, the authors highlight the importance of integrated research practices, contrasting these with models of research in the classic but still-influential report Science the Endless Frontier. Narayanamurti and Odumosu’s new model of the research ecosystem underscores that discovery and invention are often two sides of the same coin that moves innovation forward.

Author / Editor information

Carol S. Steiker, Harvard Law School; Jordan M. Steiker, University of Texas School of Law.

Reviews

The authors make a substantial contribution to both research policy as practiced by our federal government and the operations of research laboratories in many institutions in our country. This book should be required reading for government officials who fund research and to all who lead large research efforts.
-- Thomas E. Everhart, California Institute of Technology

Anyone interested in technology and innovation will want to learn the three lessons of Cycles of Invention and Discovery. First, the distinction between basic and applied research is false. Second, there is harmony not dissonance in making the transition from new ideas to practical application. Third, the advance of knowledge has entirely blurred the distinction between science and engineering. Only an individual with Venky Narayanamurti’s unique career could explain these matters in such captivating detail.
-- John M. Deutch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In this convincingly argued book, Narayanamurti and Odumosu—one of them with decades of experience in research management and the other with a deep understanding of science and technology studies—explain why the false distinction between basic and applied science has led to profoundly wasteful policy decisions. Their insights also lead to excellent, practical suggestions for change. Cycles of Invention and Discovery is a must-read for research managers, science policymakers, and everyone concerned with the future of innovation.
-- Ruth Schwartz Cowan, author of A Social History of American Technology

This will serve as an important book for members of Congress, government agencies, research facility managers, and academic institutions that may hold influence over funding resources.
-- L. A. Hall Choice

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
1. Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Boundaries in Science and Engineering Research Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	14
3. The Basic/Applied Dichotomy: The Inadequacy of the Linear Model Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	20
4. The Origins of the “Basic” and “Applied” Descriptors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
5. The Discovery-Invention Cycle Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	48
6. Bell Labs and the Importance of Institutional Culture Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	70
7. Designing Radically Innovative Research Institutions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
8. The Need for a Radical Reformulation of S&T Policy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	130
9. Moving Forward in Science and Technology Policy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	142
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	151
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	153
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	163
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	165

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 144
Illustrations
- Other: 4 line illustrations, 2 graphs, 1 table

eBook

Published: March 6, 2017
ISBN: 9780674974135