The United States came to lead the world economy by the early 20th century. As symbolized by Henry Ford’s automobile production, it was the world’s most mechanized country. Among the factors accounting for the ascendance of this once-backward colony, the rapid diffusion of technological knowledge was particularly important. Supported by effective government policies and civil organization, networks of highly mobile machinists spread knowledge widely and generated broad ranges of new techniques, forming a distinctive American technology in the process. Professor Thomson will discuss how several prominent Vermonters played pivotal roles in this development.
The College of Arts and Sciences Full Professor Lecture Series was designed to give newly promoted faculty an opportunity to share with the university community a single piece of research or overview of research trajectory meant to capture the spark of intellectual excitement that has resulted in their achieving full professor rank.