“Engineering is the the art of directing the great sources of power in Nature for the use and convenience of man.” — from the charter of the Institution of Civil Engineers

In September 1888, Sir Frederick Bramwell addressed the British Association for the Advancement of Science on the topic of the value of engineering to science. Bramwell introduced this topic with the definition for the art of the engineer that is quoted above. Bramwell was a well-know engineer. This was his inaugural speech as newly-elected president of the association.

The practice of engineering is often described as applied science, and…

Charles Adolphe Wurtz built a convincing case for the existence of atoms based on a century of progress in the field of chemistry. The idea of the atom as a basic building block of matter was first proposed by ancient philosophers. The word derives from the ancient Greek word atomos, which means uncuttable. However, it was the development of modern chemistry during the 19th century that showed that matter is constructed in this way.

Wurtz was one of the best-known French scientists during the last half of the 19th century. In 1881, he published The Atomic Theory, in which he…

Henri Édouard Tresca applied the tools of science to test materials and evaluate the performance of mechanical devices. Arthur Morin recruited Tresca, in 1853, to join the Conservatoire des arts et métiers in the new role of engineer on staff. Tresca’s first assignment was to convert the abandoned church of the priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs into a machine hall where visitors could see full-sized machines — steam engines, pumps, and machine tools — in operation.

The Conservatoire had its origins during the French Revolution as a repository for valuable instruments, tools, drawings, and machines acquired by the national government. The intent…

Ecohydrology research investigates the effects of hydrological processes on the distribution, structure, and function of ecosystems, and on the effects of biotic processes on elements of the water cycle. Prior to the beginning of the 21st century, the term ecohydrology had been applied to a few distinct areas of interdisciplinary study. This note traces these origins of what has since developed into a growing field of study.

In 1997, the IHP identified ecohydrology as a new paradigm for sustainable management of water resources [Zalewski et al., 1997]. …

The industrial revolution of the 19th century brought unprecedented material progress to humanity. Advances in technology resulted in a general improvement in health and comfort. Industrial activity generated new sources of wealth and power and opened opportunity for social mobility.

Engineers could rightfully claim credit for facilitating an all-encompassing transformation of human existence. The profession was imbued with a confidence reflected here in an architectural detail from the headquarters of the Association of German Engineers, built in 1897.

But, industrialization exacted social costs. People traded familiar patterns of rural existence and long-establish social structures for a new, unsettled life in…

In return for his advocacy for industry, Louis-Jacques Thénard earned immortality as an archvillain of French literature. Thénard was an accomplished chemist and a leader of the scientific community in Paris during the first half of the 19th century. Working often in collaboration with Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac, Thénard collaborated with Gay-Lussac to identify the elements boron, sodium, and potassium; he discovered hydrogen peroxide, and he studied fermentation, catalysis, and oxidation.

Thénard also contributed to the advance of industry in France. Thénard was a founding member of the Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie Nationale, and he served as its president from 1832 to…

Charles Sturm launched a distinguished career in mathematics by measuring the speed of sound in water. If you were an aspiring young scientist in the first half of the 19th century, Paris was the place to be. Sturm aspired to a career in mathematics. Although he was well-educated at the Geneva Academy, the young Sturm was barred from entering the scientific community in Paris through the customary route — two years of study at the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique.

Instead, Sturm found his way into inner circle of the Paris scientific community through social connections. He was employed as the family…

Marc Seguin, a French inventor and industrialist, made the breakthrough leading to the development of the first practical steam locomotive. Credit for the invention of railways goes to English engineers who worked during the first decades of the 19th century. The Rainhill Trials was a defining event in the history of railways. The father and son team of George and Robert Stephenson won the competition with their steam locomotive, named “The Rocket,” but they relied on an innovative new boiler design patented by Marc Seguin in the previous year.

The Rainhill Trials was held to demonstrate the feasibility of the…