Redefining Applied Science in 1960s America: NSF, Computer Science, and Social Utility

Time: 4:00 pm

Location: Director’s Conference Room at the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

Speaker: Janet Abbate, Department of Science and Technology in Society, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Abstract:

In 1967 the National Science Foundation created its first funding unit for computing, an important milestone for computer scientists seeking to associate themselves with research rather than machinery. Yet even as computer scientists celebrated their entry into the “establishment,” NSF found itself at the intersection of two movements that challenged the privileged position of pure science. The first, fueled by contemporary demands for social justice, argued that science should be applied to solving social problems. The second, driven by engineers, social scientists, and their political allies, sought to increase NSF funding for engineering and social science. These two movements came together in a 1968 law that substantially altered the structure and mandate of NSF. This talk explores the significance of “applied science” both as an object of US policy and as a discourse that shaped the fortunes of emerging scientific disciplines. It argues that in the 1960s cultural context, “applied science” became a shorthand for social utility, and thus provided a new legitimacy for computer science as an applied field.

For further information, please contact: Tom Lassman at 202-633-2419; lassmant@si.edu.

NON-SMITHSONIAN VISITORS MUST RSVP NO LATER THAN 48 HOURS BEFORE THE SEMINAR. On the day of the seminar, please report to the South Security Desk at the Museum’s Independence Avenue entrance. Those holding SI ID badges may proceed directly to the Director’s Conference Room on the 3rd floor.

Next Seminar, January 21, 2016: Matthew Shindell, National Air and Space Museum: “A Man of Peace in Times of War: Harold C. Urey, Pacifism, and National Service in the Two World Wars.”