D.C. Historian Awarded MacArthur Fellowship

A D.C. woman was one of the 21 people who received the 2014 MacArthur Fellowship for their past achievements and potential work in the future from the MacArthur Foundation.

“Together, they expand our view of what is possible, and they inspire us to apply our own talents and imagination,” Vice President of MacArthur Fellows Program Cecilia Conrad said.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recognizes top researchers in a variety of fields such as mathematics, poetry, and criminal justice.

Pamela O. Long, author and independent historian of science and technology, became a 2014 MacArthur Fellow for her research on how historic culture relates to past and modern science.

Long is the sole-author of Openness, Secrecy, Authorship: Technical Arts and the Culture of Knowledge from Antiquity to the Renaissance which explores the relationship between authorship and ownership of intellectual property. Artisan/Practitioners and the Rise of the New Sciences, 1400-1600, Long’s second book, shows how artisans, craftsmen, and engineers affected the introduction of empirical methodologies into science. She’s currently working on a third book about linking 16th century Roman texts and artifacts to engineering problems during that time.

Long has held fellowships and visiting positions at multiple institutions including the Folger Shakespeare Library in D.C.

The MacArthur Fellows will each receive a stipend of $625,000 over a five-year span. The MacArthur Foundation has recognized 897 fellows since it began in 1981.

“Those who think creativity is dying should examine the life’s work of these extraordinary innovators who work in diverse fields and in different ways to improve our lives and better our world,” Conrad said.

Read more about the MacArthur Fellowship.

Photo Credit: MacFound.org