"Scientists are not born, they are made" David Kaiser

Today's guest on the podcast is David Kaiser, Germeshausen Professor of the History of Science and Professor of Physics at MIT. 

In history of science, David is best known for his books on the history of modern physics including Drawing Theories Apart, Quantum Legacies, and a personal favourite, How the Hippies Saved Physics, which in part looks at how changing cultural conditions in 1970s USA, including severe cutbacks in the funding of physics and the emergence of counterculture, gave rise to an unusual group of physicists who helped rejuvenate more speculative physics.

In a fitting follow up to Rachel Ankeny’s episode last week on research repertoires, today David discusses the role of education, scientific training, and pedagogy in the production of scientific knowledge. 

Some links related to this episode can be found below:

• Profile: David I. Kaiser » MIT Physics 
• 2005 Book: Drawing Theories Apart: The Dispersion of Feynman Diagrams in Postwar Physics
• 2011 Book: How the Hippies Saved Physics
• 2020 Book: Quantum Legacies: Dispatches from an Uncertain World
• Edited Book: Pedagogy and the Practice of Science
• Paper: The Postwar Suburbanization of American Physics
• Open Course: Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman: Physics in the 20th Century
• MIT Case Studies on Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing: SERC

A transcript of this episode can be found here: www.hpsunimelb.org/post/transcript-s2-e2

Thanks for listening to The HPS Podcast with current producers, Samara Greenwood and Carmelina Contarino. You can find more about us on our blog, website, bluesky, twitter, instagram and facebook feeds. Music by ComaStudio.

This podcast would not be possible without the support of School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne.

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