Includes bibliographical references (pages 291-304) and index.
Contents
Introduction: Falling for science / Sherry Turkle -- PART I. MIT students and their objects (1979-2007). What makes a scientist? WHAT WE SEE. Maps (1982) / Steven Schwartz -- Prisms (1984) / Thomas P. Hermitt -- Walls (2002) / Jennifer Beaudin -- Holga camers (2004) / Andrew Sempere. WHAT WE SENSE. Sand castles (1992) / Stephen Intille -- The body (1996) / Joanna Berzowska -- Bubbles (1996) / Matthew Grenby -- Clay (1999) / Jonah Peretti -- Mud (1999) / Diane Willow. WHAT WE MODEL. Gumby (1985) / Lauren Seeley Aquirre -- Easy-bake oven (1990) / Michael Murtaugh -- Kitchen clock (1996) / Emmanuel Marcovitch -- My little pony (1999) / Christine Alvarado -- Fly rod (1999) / Cameron Marlow -- Wood stove (1999) / James Patten -- Shirts (2000) / Daniel Kornhauser -- Vacuum tubes (2003) / Mara E. Vatz -- Chocolate meringue (2006) / Selby Cull -- WHAT WE PLAY. Cords (1982) / Walter Novash -- Dice (1990) / Jonah Benton -- Egg basket (1992) / Erica Carmel -- Keys (1992) / Eric Choi -- Cardboard boxes (1992) / Janet Licini Connors -- Music box (1997) / Gil Weinberg -- Marbles (1999) / Kwan Hong Lee -- Jacks (2000) / Robbin Chapman -- Pachinko machine (2000) / Douglas Kiang. WHAT WE BUILD. Bikes (1979) / Chuck Esserman -- Erector set (1990) / Kwatsi Alibaruho -- Straws (1996) / Austina (Vainius) De Bonte -- Lasers (1998) / Timothy Bickmore -- LEGO particles (1982) / Justin Marble -- LEGO metrics (1990) / Sandie Eltringham -- LEGO people (1990) / Alan Liu -- LEGO laws (1992) / Andrew Chu -- LEGO planing (1996) / Scott Brave -- LEGO replicas (1996) / Dana Spiegel -- LEGO categories (1998) / Joseph "Jofish" Kaye. WHAT WE SORT. Wallpaper (1982) / Todd Strauss -- Toy mailbox (1989) / Britt Nesheim -- Stop signs (1992) / Joseph Calzaretta -- Cards (1996) / Brian Tivol. WHAT WE PROGRAM. BASIC manual (1989) / Fred Martin -- Apple II (1990) / David (Duis) Story -- Atari 2600 (1994) / Ji Yoo -- TRS-80 (1996) / Chris Dodge -- BASIC (1996) / Nelson Minar -- Atari 800 (1996).
Steve Niemczyk -- Apple II (1998) / Rachel Elkin Lebwohl -- Modem (1999) / Anthony Townsend -- TurboGrafx 16 (2007) / Antoinne Machal-Cajigas. PART II. Mentors and their objects. What made a scientist? What we see: microscope / Susan Hockfield -- What we sense: purple haze / Rosalind Picard -- What we model: steps / Moshe Saidie -- What we play: blocks / Sarah Kuhn -- What we build: radio / Donald Norman -- What we sort: venus paradise coloring set / Donald Ingber -- What we program: vacuums / Alan Kay -- Objects in mind: gears / Seymour Papert -- Epilogue: What inspires? / Sherry Turkle.
Summary
A love for science can start with a love for an object - be it a fishing rod or a microscope. In this collection, distinguished scientists, engineers and designers describe how objects encountered in childhood became part of the fabric of their scientific selves.
