Book Review a Companion to American Technology,

Title of the book, A Companion to American Technology, explains very briefly three points which I am to explain a little more elaborately. First of all, this book is a companion book, therefore we can’t expect many details about the issue, thus this book is a compact, all-inclusive and comprehensive one.

Second, this book has a chronological view to American technology, as it is one of the books of a series which are published by Blackwell about American history such as 19 th century America and, 20th century America. Thus in order to do this important job as well as it is possible , the editor Carroll Pursell, who is chair of history department at Case Western Reserve University ,gathers a group of historians of different fields to write about history of technology in America from the eighteenth century up until the present day .

Hence as the writers are experts in different fields ,this book is the interaction spot of technology with many aspects of American society including environment, science engineering ,government, gender, labor, culture ,art and so on . Therefore articles which are gathered in 435 pages in five parts, including twenty

two chapters ,don’t explain details but they review briefly and comprehensively history of technology and its impact on society ,art ,culture and conversely,

Third and finally as the title concentrates content, this book is about technology, but what the definition of technology in this book is. According to different contributors of this book, technology has different definitions, from airplane and nuclear technology to photography and music. In each section, every contributing author highlights his or her analysis about technology with dates and examples as well as references to a range of different sources.

In particular, different contributors approach technology from a variety of perspectives and emphasize on an array of themes. They explain how necessity of society or creativity of innovator causes innovation ,consequently how technologies shape culture ,and as new technologies don’t have the same effect everywhere, how they have impact on America, what the predominant role that technology has played within the American social context is and finally and simultaneously how culture shapes events even more than technologies .

For instance ,Henry Adams, professor of American art, contributor of chapter twenty one; art and technology, explains about the role of the engineer and how society views technology through art and how technology can actually be considered an art form.

Jeffrey R.Yost who is professor of scientific computing history, explains the role of systems in anything from the development of nuclear technology to the internet; and finally, look beyond scientific discovery to explain technology’s role in creating large systems.

David E .Nye author of many books on technology and American culture explains that how new machines emerge from political and social contexts and can be used for hegemonic ends.

Rebecca Herzig who teaches courses on the history and sociology of science and technology in woman and gender studies, explains that how public toilets

represent an attempt to follow “norms of gender” ,in fact writer examine the results of the intersection of technology and gender .

Nevertheless, this book with an interdisciplinary character is a very useful tool in bringing technology into the process of understanding the history of USA and simultaneously grasp of technology itself.

In better word, Pursell manages to influence readers ‘approach about technology and understand technological progress and development with the examination of past as well as current technological practices,

Consequently ,this well-organized book help readers to realize the material in-depth and encourage them to compare sources and follow twenty two chapters in order to understand different approaches about technology as well as its history in the US.

Thus ,as this book is a professional reference and companion book , is suitable and helpful for American History American Studies and cultural studies students as well as professors in the same area of research , also it can be used as a good textbook. However as it is clearly-written one, it can be useful for others.

Yissum Takes Technology Transfer Services by Storm

Founded in 1964 as a way to encourage the “inventiveness” of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s staff, Yissum Research and Development Company seeks to support and encourage research, development and education in their efforts to turn science into commercial products for society. Yissum is charged with the not insignificant task of protecting HU’s inventions, products and technologies. Serving as the Technology Transfer Services for the university, Yissum focuses on the ongoing assessment, protection and commercial optimization of the university’s intellectual property.

In their 40-plus year history, Yissum has perhaps surpassed expectations, with reported annual revenues in excess of million, mostly from royalties, and properties ranging from long-shelf-life tomatoes to treatments for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, placing the Hebrew University in the world’s top 15 academic institutions as measured by revenues from intellectual property sales.

Protect, Partner, Perform

As the Technology Transfer University for HU, Yissum serves not only to protect the university’s intellectual properties, but also to partner with researchers and worldwide businesses to develop commercial markets, and through licensing, establishing companies, joint ventures and collaborative research, enhance the market value and performance of HU’s discoveries, increasing their availability to a global marketplace.

The arrangement has a track record of success. Hebrew University generates approximately billion in annual sales from products in its IP base and Yissum represents over 250 licensed technologies and 60 spin-off companies. The numbers keep adding up with over 3,000 ongoing research projects, 1,200 researchers, 1,400 registered patents and 5 Nobel laureates, all representing 40% of Israel’s civilian scientific research. The range of intellectual properties includes a diverse mix of industrial and therapeutic areas, including biotechnology, nanotechnology, medical research and technologies, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and nutrition, water and environmental technologies, computer science and software development, homeland security and more.

The seemingly endless supply of promising research projects come from the university’s research base; supported by an annual budget of over million, allowing Yissum to take advantage of Technology Transfer Opportunities by identifying appropriate commercial partners, negotiating license agreements, creating spin-off companies and working closely with local and global commercial partners.

Recent news items focus on the medical arena, with HU’s concept of using cellular technology to send X-rays and other medical diagnostics. The new technology would allow for the use of a smaller, less expensive and easier to use Data Acquisition Device (DAD) at remote patient sites, which would be connected via cell technology with advanced image reconstruction at a central site. The implications are far-reaching and could serve to bring advanced medical technology into areas that otherwise could not afford to have it at their disposal; bringing MRIs, X-Rays and other medical diagnostics into rural and third-world areas.

Technologies Supported

Reading through Yissum’s list of products and companies is like reading a Who’s Who directory of the medical and technological worlds. The lists are full of recognized names, successful products and companies that make headlines on a regular basis.

Products from Yissum include Alzheimer and dementia treatment Exelon, dry-eye treatments Cationorm and LO2A (Lacrycon, Dropyal), ovarian cancer treatment Doxil (Caeylx), UV-protection product UV-Pearls-already adopted by major companies for sunscreens and cosmetics, and a variety of other pharmaceutical products. Oh, remember those long-shelf-life tomatoes? That would thanks to BonTom Vegetable Breeding and Research Group, from HU, of course. Another agricultural product from Yissum and Hazera Genetics is the Ram Onion. On the software side, there is Making Better Career Decisions, an interactive, Internet based career-guidance and information system.

Looking over a partial list of companies shows even more diversity, touching on pharmaceuticals, biotech, agriculture and irrigation, water treatment, software development, safety, nanotechnology, and medical technologies, research, development and devices.

Water treatment technologies like En Gibton Ltd and Treatec 21 Industries Ltd; agricultural endeavors Leafsen Irrigation Systems Ltd, Kovax Ltd-vaccines for the aqua culture world, Avian Tech Ltd, and Ravgalai Ltd-detection of antibiotic residues in milk, meat and food products are just the start of the list. Technology and software development come into play with Ex Libris Ltd-high-performance applications for libraries, Mobileeye Vision Technologies Ltd-with automated, on-board driver assist systems and MusicGenome Inc-a system of identifying musical taste based on artificial intelligence.

Perhaps the heaviest area of development is in the medical and pharmaceutical arenas with a long list of companies researching and developing treatments for cancer-including Algen Pharmaceuticals Inc-basically “tricking” cancer cells into “committing suicide.” Other treatment technologies focus on infectious and autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and improving the efficacy of vaccines; even delving into the “nutraceutical” field with carriers for nutraceuticals to be incorporated in food systems and cosmetic formulations.

Technology Transfer Services

Yissum serves the Hebrew University, protecting its intellectual properties and moving forward with innovations and technologies into commercial endeavors, ultimately, serving the world community as well as the university through applied chemistry, physics, life science and biotechnologies, water technologies, nanotechnologies, and even veterinary medicine and agricultural technologies. It’s easy to see why Yissum is so highly regarded in the scientific and academic communities and ranks among the top Technology Transfer Services in the world.

What has happened to the world. Why cant we appreciate technology!

Earning a Technology Degree Online Will Accelerate Your Career

Technology degrees online are the need of the day, study for them while you work. You will not only gain a valuable degree but enhance your career prospects too.

With technology gaining importance in all processes right from acquiring raw materials, manufacturing to selling etc… you need to equip yourself with a technology degree and move ahead in your career. You may be working too and the idea of joining a full time course is not appealing so.. you should check out the technology degrees online offered by many accredited online colleges.

You can opt for technology degrees online depending upon your field and interest. The popular ones being in information technology, communication technology and system engineering. At the same time you could opt for an associate degree, bachelor’s, masters or even doctorates in technology too.

When being taught for technology degrees online, you will be on par with the latest in technology platforms, with constant interactions with distinguished faculties and have to be involved in degree program. As they have flexible schedules and are quite accommodating to your working hours too.

While thinking on those lines, it would be an ideal option if you arm yourself with an Technology MBA program which covers and educates you in important programs such as enterprise strategy, team building, project management which is what is needed at these times for gaining a good job. The technology degrees will be of great value in your resume, accelerate your career and at the same time prove to be very useful in delivering the best out of you.

The University of Phoenix offers a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Program, Master of Business Administration/Technology Management, Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership/Educational Technology, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology/Software Engineering which could be suitable to opt for in case you are from a business background, education background or an Information Technology background respectively.

Similarly the Westwood college Online, offers a host of technology degrees online especially related to Information Technology such as a Bachelor’s in game art and design, bachelor’s in web design and multimedia, a bachelor’s in computer network management.

So, study your options carefully and opt for a technology degree online as soon as possible from an accredited college to move swiftly ahead in your career and earn good money as well.

Related Technology Articles