Boustani 1

Relationships between Science and Technology

Wassim Boustani, Assignment 1

Science & Technology in Western Culture (HIS-243454; Fall 2007)

SUNY Empire State College

Professor J. Scalzo

14 October, 2007

Boustani 2

Relationships between Science and Technology

The 35W Bridge collapse in Minnesota on August 1st, 2007 was a tragic event that cost

13 lives and injured 100. Engineers found that the bridge had been weakened by heavy traffic,

cracking steel, and missing bolts. Moreover, chemists found heavy deposits of pigeon

droppings, containing ammonia and acids that turn into a concentrated salt when dry. Rainwater

combines with the salt and ammonia to form small electrochemical reactions, rusting the steel

underneath. What this event taught us was that the relationship between science and technology

is an important one that should be encouraged.

Popular thought has, for the most part, associated science and technology quite closely.

However, the two have experienced a distant relationship throughout history. Many of the

technological advancements have been achieved with little input from the scientific community

(Volti, 2006). Nevertheless, the last century has seen an increase in the knowledge sharing and

effects that science and technology have on each other. Scientific discoveries have improved or

foreseen technologies, such as flight and materials. Moreover, new technologies have assisted

science by producing new tools, methods, and discoveries that require scientific involvement;

examples include microscopes, telescopes, computers, simulators, and software.

As for developments in the past, they have shown a lack of a relationship between

science and technology. Achievements in science were usually done without technology, while

technological achievements were done without science. Greeks were best known for their

scientific achievements in astronomy, optics, and acoustics; while Romans were best known for

their technological achievements in construction, irrigation, and weaponry (Volti, 2006). These

varying paths toward science and technology raise the question of environmental factors and

evolutionary developments. As both the Greek and Roman cultures remain enclosed in their

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own environment, they experience a different evolutionary process; one technological, and the

other scientific. As barriers were removed, and globalization increased, the relationships

between science and technology formed.

The influence between science and technology that Volti calls “non-linear,” extends the

time between discovery and application, which could also extend the time before knowledge

sharing and collaboration takes place. For example, the superior steel used for sword-making in

Damascus during the European Middle Ages, were not discovered by Europe until the twentieth

century. Volti further describes science as a discovery of knowledge, whereas technology

achieves a goal by developing and employing knowledge. It is evident by this description that

the two should be closely related, but the relation is only now developing to a productive and

notable point.

In today’s high-tech world, we call the consequence of this lack of knowledge sharing a

digital divide. What we have now is a similar situation, with one culture experiencing

technological and scientific advancements, while another lacks either. Industry leaders and

governments are attempting to bridge this gap by providing developing countries access to

knowledge. One method is the One Laptop per Child program that provides a laptop computer

to children in developing countries. The goal is to provide children methods to learn, regardless

of their location and situation. High-volume distribution hopes to eventually reduce the cost of

each laptop to $100 (OLPC, 2007). The publicly and corporate funded program aims to reduce

the learning and technology gap experienced in less fortunate cultures, with very positive

possibilities for their future.

Further distinctions between science and technology are related to work conditions.

While scientists are somewhat forced to work with facts and have pure motives, engineers may

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be bound to narrow constraints defined by employers (Volti, 2006). This difference shows us the

personal and individualistic nature of science, compared to the corporate and monetary focus of

technology. Maybe this is because science is such a specialized craft that receives more respect

from employers, while technology can usually be developed and applied with little

understanding of it.

Whether science or technology is the most important craft is superficial and does not

increase the important interrelationship between them. Instead, scientific research may be

funded on its promise of spawning new technologies. Similarly, new technologies may be

funded on their promise of assisting or accelerating scientific research (Volti, 2006). The two

are closely related, probably more than some care to admit. While technology may grab the

media spotlight more often, and be integrated into popular culture, science is an active incubator

and innovator. Economically speaking, it seems then that neither science nor technology can

exist on its own, at least not to their full capacity. One of the major difficulties is to have a

translator that can communicate between the scientist and engineer, so that they may both use

each other’s knowledge productively.

The collapse of the 35W Bridge may have been prevented, had the science of bird

droppings and chemical reaction been a factor, with the technology used to build and protect the

bridge (AP, 2007). Relationships between the two vocations, knowledge sharing, and placing

appropriate weight on participation from both sides of the matter can benefit the end result.

History has shown the development of technologies without the aid of science, but there is no

doubt that they are both responsible in some way.

Works cited

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Associated Press (AP), (2007, August 22). Pigeon Dung Contributed to Minneapolis Bridge Collapse. Retrieved October 7, 2007, from Fox News Web site: http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,294153,00.html

OLPC, (2007). One Laptop per Child. Retrieved October 7, 2007, from One Laptop per Child Web site: http://laptop.org/vision/mission/

Volti, R. (2006). Society and Technological Change. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.