WWI and the NAS-NRC

World War I and the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council
A Research Competition

On the occasion of the centennial of World War I, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted an open competition for scholars under the age of 30 to research and write a scholarly paper on a major aspect of how scientists and engineers in the United States were engaged in the World War I effort. The focus, drawing on the creation of the National Research Council (NRC) associated with World War I, was on institutional changes (e.g., the charter of the NRC) and the research enterprise in America. In effect, scholars were to look at how the war experience shaped long-term relationships among scientists and engineers and U.S. policymakers regarding national security and public welfare.

Read a brief account of the NAS/NRC in the context of World War I.

On October 26, 2018, four finalists selected by an ad hoc review committee established by the National Academies presented their papers at a public meeting at the National Academy of Sciences Building in Washington, DC.

View Agenda

On November 9, 2018, the review committee awarded prizes to three of the finalists. The awardees and their papers are:

Ellen Abrams, Cornell University, “My Dear Sir” and “My Dear George:” The Relevance and Rhetoric of American Mathematics During and After World War I
Vyta Baselice, The George Washington University, Engineering the Permanent Material: Research and Applications of Concrete During World War I
John Lisle, University of Texas at Austin, The Origins, Work, and Legacy of the World War I Science Attachés

Funding for this competition has been provided by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation.

The deadline for applications for the competition was February 28, 2018. The official request for proposals is available here.

Correspondence and requests for additional information about the competition may be directed to ww1@nas.edu.