David Allen Hounshell (born 1950) is an American academic. He is the David M. Roderick Professor of Technology and Social Change in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Department of History, and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

. He is known for his work of the history of

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

and industrial research in the United States, particularly at

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

Early life

Hounshell is from

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. Hounshell studied electrical engineering at

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

, receiving a B.S. in 1972. He then changed fields and enrolled in the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

's history program earning a

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

in 1975. He continued his studies at Delaware completing his Ph.D. in 1978.

Career

Hounshell started his academic career at

Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College (HMC) is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California, focused on science and engineering. It is part of the Claremont Colleges, which share adjoining campus grounds and resources. The college enrolled 902 undergra ...

in 1977. He then taught at the

for twelve years. In 1983 he got promoted to associate professor of history. In those days he was also curator of technology at the Hagley Museum. In the year 1987/88 he was a Marvin Bower Fellow at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

. In 1991 he moved to the

, where he was appointed David M. Roderick Professor of Technology and Social Change in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Department of History, and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy. Hounshell has worked with National Research Council and the

National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...

to study the effects of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

on science and engineering research. His ''From the American System to Mass Production, 1800–1932'' was awarded 's 1987 Dexter Prize by the

Society for the History of Technology The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) is the primary professional society for historians of technology. SHOT was founded in 1958 in the United States, and it has since become an international society with members "from some thirty-five ...

."The Dexter Prize," ''Technology and Culture'' 29, no. 3 (July 1988), 641–43. In 2007 the Society for the History of Technology also awarded him its highest prize, the Leonardo da Vinci Medal.

Selected publications

;Books * * Hounshell, David A., Smith, John Kenley. ''Science and Corporate Strategy. DuPont R&D, 1902–1980'', New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988, . ;Articles * Hounshell, David A. "The evolution of industrial research in the United States." ''Engines of innovation: US industrial research at the end of an era'' 13 (1996): 51–56. * Hounshell, David.
The Cold War, RAND, and the generation of knowledge, 1946–1962
" Historical Studies in the Physical and Biological Sciences (1997): 237–67. * Holbrook, D., Cohen, W. M., Hounshell, D. A., & Klepper, S. (2000).
The nature, sources, and consequences of firm differences in the early history of the semiconductor industry
" ''Strategic Management Journal,'' 21(10-11), 1017–41. * Taylor, Margaret R., Edward S. Rubin, and David A. Hounshell.
Effect of government actions on technological innovation for SO2 control
" ''Environmental Science & Technology'' 37.20 (2003): 4527–34. * Taylor, Margaret R., Edward S. Rubin, and David A. Hounshell.
Regulation as the Mother of Innovation: The Case of SO2 Control*
." ''Law & Policy'' 27.2 (2005): 348–78.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hounshell, David A. 1950 births Living people Historians of technology Historians of the United States Southern Methodist University alumni University of Delaware alumni Harvey Mudd College faculty Harvard Business School faculty Carnegie Mellon University faculty Leonardo da Vinci Medal recipients