Books by "G. Pascal Zachary"
5 books found
An authoritative, in-depth exploration of the environmental consequences of nanotechnology Nanotechnology is revolutionizing the chemical, telecom, biotech, pharmaceutical, health care, aerospace, and computer industries, among others, and many exciting new nanotech applications are envisioned for the near future. While the rapid pace of innovation has been truly inspiring, much remains to be learned about the potential environmental and health risks posed by this nascent technology and its byproducts. So important is this issue that the ultimate success or failure of nanotechnology may well depend on how effectively science and industry address these concerns in the years ahead. Written by two highly accomplished environmental professionals, Nanotechnology: Environmental Implications and Solutions brings scientists, engineers, and policymakers up to speed on the current state of knowledge in this vitally important area. Professor Theodore and Dr. Kunz provide a concise review of nano-fundamentals and explore background issues surrounding nanotechnology and its environmental impact. They then follow up with in-depth discussions of: * The control, monitoring, and reduction of nanotech byproducts and their impact on the air, water, and land * Health risks associated with nanotechnology, and methods to assess and control them * Nanotech hazard risk assessment-including emergency response planning and personnel training * Multimedia approaches that are available for the analysis of the impact of nanotechnology in the chemical, manufacturing, and waste disposal industries * The future of nanotechnology and the "Industrial Revolution II" * The legal implications of nanotechnology * Societal and ethical implications of nanotechnology-based materials and processing method Assuming only a basic knowledge of physics, chemistry, and mathematics on behalf of its readers, Nanotechnology: Environmental Implications and Solutions makes fascinating and useful reading for engineers, scientists, administrators, environmental regulatory officials, and public policy makers, as well as students in a range of science and engineering disciplines.
In The American Edge, Seth G. Jones explains how the industrial bases of the world's great military powers have risen and fallen over the past century-and what it means for America. Today, the US's military base lacks the capacity and flexibility necessary to deter China's growing military power, but the country's private sector is flourishing with companies including SpaceX, Microsoft, and Anduril exhibiting tremendous innovation. To regain its capacity to effectively deter China and retain its unmatched status, the US must deepen its partnerships with the nation's most innovative tech companies.
The Rocket Lab: Maurice Zucrow, Purdue University, and America’s Race to Space focuses on the golden era of space exploration between 1946 and 1966, specifically the life and times of Purdue University’s Dr. Maurice J. Zucrow, a pioneering teacher and researcher in aerospace engineering. Zucrow taught America’s first university course in jet and rocket propulsion, wrote the field’s first textbook, and established the country’s first educational Rocket Lab. He was part of a small circle of innovators who transformed Purdue into the country’s largest engineering university, which became a cradle of astronauts. Taking a chronological and thematic approach, The Rocket Lab weaves between the local and national, drawing in rival universities, especially Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Caltech. Also covered is Zucrow’s role in the national project system of research and development through World War II and the Cold War. At Aerojet, he was one of the country’s original project engineers, dedicated to scientific-technical expertise and the stepwise approach. He made vanguard power plant contributions to the Northrop Flying Wing, as well as the Corporal, Nike, and Atlas missiles, among others. Zucrow’s work in propulsion helped to improve the country’s arsenal of ballistic missiles and space launchers, and as a teacher, he educated the first generation of aerospace engineers. This book elevates Zucrow and the central role he played in getting the United States to space.
A prodigiously researched biography of Vannevar Bush, one of America’s most awe-inspiring polymaths and the secret force behind the biggest technological breakthroughs of the twentieth century. As the inventor and public entrepreneur who launched the Manhattan Project, helped to create the military-industrial complex, conceived a permanent system of government support for science and engineering, and anticipated both the personal computer and the Internet, Vannevar Bush is the twentieth century’s Ben Franklin. In this engaging look at one of America’s most awe-inspiring polymaths, writer G. Pascal Zachary brings to life an American original—a man of his time, ours, and beyond. Zachary details how Bush cofounded Raytheon and helped build one of the most powerful early computers in the world at MIT. During World War II, he served as Roosevelt’s adviser and chief contact on all matters of military technology, including the atomic bomb. He launched the Manhattan Project and oversaw a collection of 6,000 civilian scientists who designed scores of new weapons. After the war, his attention turned to the future. He wrote essays that anticipated the rise of the Internet and boldly equated national security with research strength, outlining a system of permanent federal funding for university research that endures to this day. However, Bush’s hopeful vision of science and technology was leavened by an understanding of the darker possibilities. While cheering after witnessing the Trinity atomic test, he warned against the perils of a nuclear arms race. He led a secret appeal to convince President Truman not to test the Hydrogen Bomb and campaigned against the Red Scare. Elegantly and expertly relayed by Zachary, Vannevar’s story is a grand tour of the digital leviathan we know as the modern American life.