Description
Book SynopsisUsing Nobel Prize–winning examples like the transistor, laser, and magnetic resonance imaging, Venky Narayanamurti and Tolu Odumosu explore the daily micro-practices of research and show that distinctions between the search for knowledge and creative problem solving break down when one pays attention to how pathbreaking research actually happens.
Trade ReviewThe 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 TechnologyThis 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 *
