In Italy, Students get a History Lesson in Science
September 1, 2015
The history of science, to say the least, is a comprehensive subject. So one group of Northeastern students on a Dialogue of Civilizations program in Italy this summer focused on the two most significant revolutions of scientific thought: the Scientific Revolution and the Computational Revolution.
Waleed Meleis, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, launched the Italy and the Scientific Revolutions Dialogue this summer as an opportunity for students to trace the evolution of scientific thought over hundreds of years in fields such as chemistry, alchemy, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine.
“The program was about comparing two periods: the Scientific Revolution and Computational Revolution,” Meleis explained. “During the Scientific Revolution there was a big burst of innovation and new techniques and new ways of understanding the world, and then the complete opposite followed.”