Key inventions — the telescope, steam engine, automobile, telephone, transistor, digital computer, and others — have revolutionized society. Their development, their underlying physical principals, and the personalities of the creators are interesting stories in themselves, but their impact on society is even more engrossing: how they changed the ways we interact with one another, and changed our world view.
The course will consider each of these advances and also discuss important questions; are we better off . . . wiser, healthier, happier? And what does the future hold for us and for our planet? For example, Benz’ invention of the automobile revolutionized travel. The visionary Henry Ford saw that with higher pay his workers could become consumers of his product, which fundamentally changed the nature of business. At the same time, the internal combustion engine — which powered this revolution — has polluted our environment. How will the invention of the automobile be viewed one hundred years from now?
Instructor Bob Topper is retired engineer who has started his career as an aeronautical engineer with NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center in the 1960s and then moved on to work as project manager for Catalytic, President of Getinge International, and V.P. of Engineering at Frigidaire Commercial, before finishing his career as owner of MaineStay Design, a consulting business serving the refrigeration industry. Bob holds a Master’s Degree in applied physics, with major course work in fluid mechanics and heat transfer. He has had a life-long interest in technology.