Finding Aid to the Records of the American Institute of Physics, Center for History of Physics, Study of Multi-Institutional Collaborations, 1987-2001Publisher:American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Encoding Information:Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD 2002 by Katherine A. Hayes and Jennifer S. Sullivan in 2003. Finding aid written in English. Description of the CollectionLocation of collection:American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Title and dates of collection:Records of the American Institute of Physics, Center for History of Physics, Study of Multi-Institutional Collaborations, 1987-2001 Papers/Records created by:American Institute of Physics, Center for History of Physics Size of collection:46 linear feet Short description of collection:The Study of Multi-Institutional Collaborations was a three-phase documentation research project to study the complex issues facing the historical documentation of multi-institutional collaborations in physics and allied sciences. Phase I focused on high-energy physics; Phase II concentrated on space science and geophysics; and Phase III focused on the four disciplinary areas of ground-based astronomy, materials science, heavy-ion physics, and medical physics, and a fifth category designated computer-mediated collaborations. The records include both the project files and hundreds of interviews done for each of the three phases. Language(s) of material:English. Selected Search TermsThese papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms. Historical NoteSince World War II, the organizational framework for scientific research is increasingly the multi-institutional collaboration. However, this form of research has received slight attention from archivists, historians, sociologists, and other scholars. Without a dedicated effort to understand these collaborations and to track and preserve the records of their work, much will be lost to historians and future generations as they becomes scattered or destroyed. The Center for History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics (AIP), in keeping with its mission to preserve and make known the record of modern physics and allied sciences, sought to redress this situation with this multi-stage investigation into areas of physics and allied sciences where large collaborations were prominent. The goals were to identify patterns of collaborations, define the scope of the documentation problems, field-test possible solutions, and recommend future actions. The study began by trying to get some idea of the processes of collaborative research and how the records are generated and used. Hence a broad preliminary survey, the first of its kind, was conducted into the functioning of recent research collaborations that include three or more institutions. The study was designed to identify patterns of collaborations since the mid 1970s and define the scope of the resources for scholarly use. The findings were then used to recommend future actions and promote systems to document significant collaborative research. The long-term study began in 1989. Phase I focused on high-energy physics and was completed in 1992. Phase II addressing collaborative research in space science and geophysics, was completed in 1995. Phase III's study of five new disciplinary areas (ground-based astronomy observatory builders, ground-based astronomy observatory users, materials science, heavy-ion physics, medical physics), and a category they named computer-mediated collaborations was completed in 2000. The project director was Joan Warnow-Blewett. Other staff included: Dr. Spencer R. Weart, Associate Project Director; Dr. Joel Genuth, Project Historian; Lynn Maloney and Anthony Capitos, Project Archivists. Consultants included sociologists Wesley Shrum and Ivan Chompalov who assisted in designing Phase III's methodology and research instruments. In addition, working groups of distinguished scientists, science administrators, and archivists joined in reviewing findings and recommendations. Phase I: High-Energy PhysicsThe two-year study of high-energy physics research focused on experiments approved between 1973 and 1984 at five of the world's major accelerator laboratories: the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) facility at Cornell University's Newman Laboratory, the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Project members obtained a broad-scale picture of changes in the structure of collaborations by using databases on high-energy physics experiments and publications at SLAC, with the assistance of SLAC staff. At a more detailed level, the project conducted close to 200 interviews with scientists and administrators involved in 24 selected experimental collaborations, using a structured question set covering all stages of the collaborative process. Still more detailed "probes" of three highly significant collaborations featured historical research as well as many additional interviews (a total of about 100) and ground work to insure that important records are preserved. Specifically, Peter Galison studied the discovery of the psi particle at SLAC; Frederik Nebeker studied the discovery of the upsilon particle at FNAL, and Joel Genuth studied the CLEO collaborations at Cornell. Meanwhile project staff surveyed the records-keeping practices of key physicists and made numerous site visits to accelerator facilities and university archives to discuss archival issues and records policies. The study of high-energy physics was made possible through support for the project's domestic work from the Department of Energy, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and the National Science Foundation; additional funding was received from the Mellon Foundation to extend the study to international collaborations. Support was also provided by the American Institute of Physics. Phase II: Space Science and GeophysicsThis second phase of the study addressed space science (understood as the study of regions outside the Earth's atmosphere by scientific instruments launched on spacecraft) and geophysics (including oceanography).The study focused on 14 projects that originated between the late 1960s and early 1980s. Almost all involved American institutions, but few involved only American institutions. Some 200 interviews were conducted, indexed, and analyzed to identify patterns of collaborative research and patterns of records creation, retention, and location. Project staff surveyed the records-keeping practices of scientists and engineers and made numerous site visits to critical institutions to discuss archival issues and records policies. Six multi-institutional collaborations were selected for the study of space science. All involved the construction of scientific instruments for launch on a spacecraft between 1975 and 1985. They included: Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Experiment (AMPTE), Einstein Observatory, GIOTTO, International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE), International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE), and Voyager. Eight multi-institutional collaborations were selected for the study of geophysics and oceanography. They included: Consortium for Continental Reflection Profiling (COCORP), Deep Sea Drilling Project/Ocean Drilling Program (DSDP/ODP), Greenland Ice Sheet Project (GISP/GISP2), Incorporated Research Institutes for Seismology (IRIS), International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP), Parkfield Earthquake Prediction Experiment, Warm Core Rings (WCR), and World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE). In addition to personal interviews, the interview subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their record-keeping practices. Ninety-one were returned and analyzed. The methodology emphasized site visits of which project staff made 63 to university archives, government laboratories, space flight centers, government-contract laboratories, corporate laboratories, and six visits to the National Archives to discuss archival issues and records policies. The strategy was to learn a little about a lot in the belief that broad exposure was essential to producing sound recommendations for archivists and policy makers. Support for this phase of the project was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and the National Science Foundation. Additional support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided for international travel and made it possible for the AIP project staff to conduct the parallel study of the European Space Agency. Phase III: Ground-based Astronomy, Materials Science, Heavy-Ion and Nuclear Physics, Medical Physics, and Computer-Mediated CollaborationsWhereas earlier phases of the study focused on one or two disciplinary areas, the third and last phase examined more briefly five areas in which multi-institutional collaborations were well-established (or, in one area, just emerging) as vehicles for research. The five areas studied included: ground-based astronomy (divided into observatory builders and observatory users), materials science, heavy ion and nuclear physics, medical physics, plus the emerging area named computer-mediated collaborations. Twenty-one collaborations were selected to serve as case studies; an additional three collaborations were selected for computer-mediated category. Studies included:
The goals in choosing the above projects were aimed to round out the coverage of physics and allied fields, to investigate the feasibility of reaching reliable conclusions with less intensive collection of data, and to look toward the future. (What direction will multi-institutional collaborations take? What new documentation problems might they present a decade from now?) The last objective resulted in two decisions: to include more recent projects among our case studies (e.g., projects that were not yet completed), and to include a category named computer-mediated collaborations, a group of collaborations that made use of brand-new and dynamic-computer techniques that were becoming widespread. In this phase of the study, considerable time and research on the part of project staff and consulting sociologists was devoted to the design and construction of a question set that would make sense to interview subjects and, at the same time, meet project needs for historical, sociological, and archival data. A total of 78 interviews were conducted with selected collaboration scientists who could serve as reliable informants. Site visits made by project staff focused on Federal science funding agencies and the National Archives, where archival issues and records policies were reviewed. The analysis of interviews by the project historian and consulting sociologists provided discrete images of the institutional structures and functions that had the greatest impact on the project formation, organization and management, data analysis, and dissemination of projects. These findings, combined with the project's archival analysis, site visits, and previous knowledge of archival institutions, provides the most reliable available guide to identifying areas of documentation problems and potential solutions. Support for this phase of the project was provided by the American Institute of Physics, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and the National Science Foundation. The AIP Study of Multi-Institutional Collaborations concluded with the publication of a final report covering all phases of the study including highlights of the historical-sociological and archival findings, recommendations, and, as far as possible, recent trends. Scope and Contents of CollectionThis collection covers all three phases of the 10-year project to study the patterns and scope of multi-institutional collaborations in physics and its allied sciences and make recommendations for preserving and documenting their history as well as that of future projects. It covers the period 1987-2001 and includes both the project files and the hundreds of oral history interviews conducted for each of the three phases. There are transcripts, audio tapes, and electronic files for most of the interviews. The project files include funding proposals, reports, correspondence, working group files, case study files, site visit reports, historical, sociological and archival analysis, and relevant readings. Also included is a final report and related correspondence and documents. The report covers all three phases and features project highlights and recommendations. Organization of CollectionThe collection is organized in the following seven series: Series I - Phase I: High Energy Physics Project Files; Series II - Phase I: High Energy Physics Interviews; Series III - Phase II: Space Science and Geophysics Project Files; Series IV - Phase II: Space Science and Geophysics Interviews; Series V - Phase III: Ground-Based Astronomy, Materials Science, Heavy-Ion and Nuclear Physics, Medical Physics, and Computer-Mediated Collaborations Project Files; Series VI - Phase III: Ground-Based Astronomy. . . Interviews; and Series VII - Final Report. Series I, III, and V, the Project Files for each of the three phases, are further arranged into sub-series that include Proposals, Reports to Funding Agencies, Working Groups, Correspondence, Experiments, Site Visits, Question Sets, Field Trips, Database Reports, Census, Historical Analysis, Sociological Analysis, Final Reports, Miscellaneous Files, and a Readings File. Arrangement of MaterialsSeries I, III, and V: the Project Files for each of the three phases are arranged by subject. Series II, IV, and VI: the Oral History Interviews collected for each of the three phases are arranged first alphabetically by project and then alphabetically by interviewee. Access to CollectionThe collection is open to researchers with an approved access application on file. Restrictions on Use of CollectionUse of primary source material in the Niels Bohr Library requires prior approval through an Application for Access, which includes a statement of research purpose and the names and addresses of two scholars as references. Access applications can be obtained by contacting the Library (telephone 301-209-3177; or e-mail nbl@aip.org). The application can also be printed from our website. The scholar pledges not to quote from, cite, or reproduce by any means this material except with the written permission of the Institute. General quotes from oral history interviews without attributing the source by name or other clear identifiers may be made without permission of the interview subject. Attributed quotes require the permission of the interviewee during the interviewee's lifetime. Attribution means citing the name, title, affiliation, or other clear identification of the interview subject. Provenance and Acquisition InformationPhase I files were transferred to the Niels Bohr Library Archives in 1996; the Phase II files were transferred in 1998; and the Phase III files in 2001. Processing InformationThe processing of the collection was completed in 2002 by Sandra Johnson. Preferred Citation of CollectionCite as: "Item and date," Folder __, Box __, American Institute of Physics, Center for History of Physics, Study of Multi-Institutional Collaborations, 1987-2001. Niels Bohr Library, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD. Container List
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