Fastlane

Managing Science in the Internet World
Erscheinungsjahr 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4214-1868-1
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press

Buch, Englisch, 224 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 431 g

Reihe: Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology

The unique history and development of FastLane, the central nervous system of the National Science Foundation.

Since 2000, the National Science Foundation has depended upon its pioneering FastLane e-government system to manage grant applications, peer reviews, and reporting. In this behind-the-scenes account Thomas J. Misa and Jeffrey R. Yost examine how powerful forces of science and computing came together to create this influential grant-management system, assessing its impact on cutting-edge scientific research.

Why did the NSF create FastLane, and how did it anticipate the development of web-based e-commerce? What technical challenges did the glitch-prone early system present? Did the switch to electronic grant proposals disadvantage universities with fewer resources? And how did the scientific community help shape FastLane?

Foregrounding the experience of computer users, the book draws on hundreds of interviews with scientific researchers, sponsored project administrators, NSF staff, and software designers, developers, and managers.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Misa, Thomas J

Yost, Jeffrey R

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Wissenschafts- und Universitätsgeschichte
• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Technikgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Amerikanische Geschichte
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Medien-, Informations und Kommunikationswirtschaft Informationstechnik, IT-Industrie
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften, Formalen Wissenschaften & Technik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
1. Managing Science
2. Origins of E-Government
3. Developing a New System
4. Principal Investigators as Lead Users
5. Research Administrators as Lead Users
6. NSF Staff as Legacy Users
7. Legacies, Lessons, and Prospects
Appendix A. University Site Visits
Appendix B. Interview Summary Statistics
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Yost, Jeffrey R
Jeffrey R. Yost is the director of the Charles Babbage Institute for Computing, Information, and Culture and a research professor of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Program at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of Making IT Work: A History of the Computer Services Industry.

Misa, Thomas J
Thomas J. Misa (LOPEZ ISLAND, WA) is the author or coauthor of many books, including A Nation of Steel: The Making of Modern America, 1865–1925 and FastLane: Managing Science in the Internet World.

Thomas J. Misa is the director of the Charles Babbage Institute at the University of Minnesota, where he holds the Engineering Research Associates Land-Grant Chair in the history of technology. He is the author of Leonardo to the Internet: Technology and Culture from the Renaissance to the Present. Jeffrey R. Yost is the associate director of the Charles Babbage Institute and a faculty member in the history of science, technology, and medicine department at the University of Minnesota. He is the coauthor of Computer: A History of the Information Machine.