Tuesday, March 4, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. in the H.J.E. Reid Auditorium.
This forum on the History of Flight will be moderatored by James G. Batterson of Langley's Dynamics and Control Branch.
The history of aeronautical technology concerns much more than just the nuts and bolts of airplanes; it tells us a lot about our existence as a thinking, dreaming, scheming, aspiring, and playful people. The airplane, one of the most ingenious and phenomenal inventions in all history, has changed society greatly. The panel will discuss major social and culture effects resulting from flight technology over the past 100 years, and speculate about what the future might bring, perhaps a future that makes even today's boldest and most optimistic prognosticator seem tame.
Dr. Tom Crouch has served both the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) and the National Museum of American History (NMAH) in a variety of curatorial and administrative posts since 1974. Prior to coming to the Smithsonian he was employed by the Ohio Historical Society as director of education (1969-1973) and as Director, Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Commission. (1973-1974).
He holds a BA (1962) from Ohio University, an MA (1968) from Miami University and a Ph.D. (1976) from the Ohio State University. All of his degrees are in history. Dr. Crouch is the author or editor of a number of books and many articles for both popular magazines and scholarly journals, most of which has been on aspects of the history of flight technology.
In the fall of 2000, President Clinton appointed Dr. Crouch to the Chairmanship of the First Flight Centennial Federal Advisory Board, an organization created to advise the Centennial of Flight Commission on activities planned to commemorate the 100th anniversary of powered flight. His photo was provided by Carolyn Russo/NASM.
Dr. James R. Hansen specializes in the history of science and technology and the impact of science and technology on society. He currently has seven books in press, including a six-volume series on the history of aerodynamics and a monograph devoted to an analysis of the technological design of the airplane in America.
Dr. Hansen is Professor of History in the Department of History at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. From 1992 to 1996 he served as chairman of the history and teaches courses on the history of flight, the history of science, space history, the history of technological failure. Hansen earned a B.A. degree, with High Honors from Indiana University (1974) and an M.A. (1976) and Ph.D. (1981) from The Ohio State University. He served as historian for NASA Langley Research in Hampton, Virginia, from 1981 to 1993.
James Schultz is the author of four books, and has also written analyses and reports, television and theatrical scripts, feature articles for magazines and newspapers, newspaper columns, newsletters, brochures, press releases and speeches.
Mr. Schultz has recently completed Crafting Flight, a revised, updated version of Winds of Change, a 75-year anniversary history of NASA's Langley Research Center that he wrote in 1992. Mr. Schultz is also the author of "Innovation's Quickening Pace," a report included in a larger study released in early 2002 of the future of science and technology, sponsored by the National Research Council for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
For six years, Mr. Schultz was the editor of Quest, a research magazine founded in 1997 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. Mr. Schultz is a former science and technology reporter for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper and a current member of the National Association of Science Writers.
Last Updated: February 2, 2003 10:00 PM EDT.
http://shemesh.larc.nasa.gov/Lectures/colloq/c-030304.htm