"Interdisciplinary Laboratories: Institutional Origins of Materials Science in the United States"

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Place: 6th Floor Conference Room, Chemical Heritage Foundation

Information: 215-873-8289 or bbl@chemheritage.org

The “interdisciplinary laboratories” (IDL) program, which began in 1960 with funds provided to top universities through the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), constituted a watershed moment in the history of materials research in the U.S. By 1962 twelve IDLs were established around the country, which included most major research universities. This talk will trace the institutional origins of materials science by examining the relationships among industrial and university laboratories, as well as government agencies, during the 1950s and 1960s.

Hyungsub Choi is manager of innovation studies at CHF's Center for Contemporary History and Policy. Choi earned a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in the history of science and technology. He earned an M.S. in history of technology at Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. in engineering from Seoul National University. Choi took over the center’s electronic materials program in November 2006. He has published extensively on such subjects as the history of electronic manufacturing in post–World War II Japan, RCA’s transistor production, and solid-state innovations.