CONTACT INFORMATION:
Assistant professor
Program in Science, Technology, & Society
Penn State University
203 Old Botany
University Park, PA 16802 USA
| Office Telephone: | (814) 863-9526 |
| Office Fax: | (814) 865-3047 |
| Active email: | saw23@psu.edu |
| Relevant Webpage: | http://www.personal.psu.edu/saw23 |
| Relevant Webpage: | http://scholar.chem.nyu.edu/tekpages/Technology.html |
| Relevant Webpage: | http://www.deremilitari.org/ |
SCHOLARLY INTERESTS:
Current area(s) of research:
Medieval and Early-Modern history of military technology
Premodern technology in general
Heritage technologies and technology transfer
Selected publications, recent and forthcoming:
“The Bishopsgate Artillery Garden and the First English Gunnery School,” forthcoming in The Journal of the Ordnance Society, 2004.
“The Classification of Arms: Henry Percy’s Ramist ideas of weaponry,” forthcoming in the Journal of the Arms and Armour Society, March 2004.
“Medieval Science, Technology and Health,” contribution for World Eras, vol. 5: Medieval Europe (814-1350), ed. Jeremiah Hackett (BCL-Manley, 2002) [with Bert S. Hall]
“Theophrastus on Lyngurium – Medieval and Renaissance Lore from the Classical Lapidary Tradition,” Annals of Science 58.4 (2001): 357-79.
In process:
“C.T. Currelly and the Origins of the Arms & Armour Collections at the Royal Ontario Museum,” in preparation for the Journal of the History of Collections.
“Al-Kindi on Swords” translation and commentary in preparation [with Leila Nashed and Muna Salloum] for submission to Arabic Sciences and Philosophy.
The Scientific Military Gentleman: New Military Technology, Knowledge, and Society in Early Modern England – book concept under construction.
“Torpedoes, Science, Bureaucracy, and the Navy; Walter Nickerson Hill and the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station, 1869-1881”, ongoing research
"'The Patroon [sic] of Industry': Gouverneur Kemble, The Navy, and the West Point Foundry, 1816-1840", ongoing research
WUN-IDENTIFIED RESEARCH COLLABORATION THEMES:
Multilingualism in the Middle Ages:
Relatively little here, except in discussing the transmission of technical knowledge from one culture to another (e.g. the translation of scientific works from the Arabic in the 12thC). But I am not a linguist and do not study the multilingualism itself.
History of the Medieval Book:
Here, in studying the history of technology, my work is likely a bit more applicable. I teach on the rise of printing and of scientific and technical information in literature in the early modern period and am always looking for opportunities to extent my work back into the middle ages.
Medieval Chronicle Studies:
Never done any myself. But would love to study where the history of the built environment or military history appear in various chronicles.
Ph.D.s UNDER SUPERVISION:
STAFF EXCHANGES/ONLINE RESOURCE CREATION/VIDEOCONFERENCING:
Always happy to help in supervision of PhD students. I am interested in staff exchanges with WUN partner institutions, and in possibly conducting/participating in a videoconferencing seminar or course.
MEDIEVAL COURSES TAUGHT:
MEDIEVAL COURSES WOULD LIKE TO SEE DEVELOPED:
Medieval and early modern science and technology Medieval material culture
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