Arthur Norberg, Professor Emeritus in the Program in History of Science and Technology died September 9, 2021 at age 83.
Arthur earned bachelors and masters degrees in physics and taught undergraduate physics for nearly a decade. During this period he also spent a year working for Westinghouse in the nuclear reactors program. He received his doctorate in history of science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974. In 1973, he joined The Bancroft Library of the University of California-Berkeley to direct a new project in the history of science and technology, with a focus on the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory and associated activities on campus and on the development of the electronics industry in the Silicon Valley Area around Stanford University. Here he began a long career conducting oral histories with major figures in these topical areas, an activity he continued and further developed at the Babbage Institute. After leaving Berkeley, he served two years as a program manager at NSF, directing the Program on Ethics and Values in Science and Technology.
In 1981 Arthur joined the University of Minnesota’s program in History of Science and Technology with a joint appointment in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and became the first director of the Charles Babbage Institute for the History of Information Technology. He served as CBI director from 1981 to 1993 and from 1999 to 2006. Arthur was the first holder of the Engineering Research Associates Land-Grant Chair in History of Technology. He published major studies on the early computer industry in the United States and (with J. E. O’Neill) on the computing research program of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Through his founding directorship at CBI and his publications he played a crucial role in the development of the history of computing. Arthur also published a number of papers on 19th and 20th century American science and technology.
He devoted his teaching to the history of technology of the 19th and 20th centuries and computing in the 20th century. At various times he served the Program as Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director of Graduate Studies, and Acting Director of the Program. He retired from his academic positions in 2005.
Alan Shapiro is an emeritus professor and former director of the Program in History of Science and Technology.
Arthur Norberg inside the offices of the Charles Babbage Institute
February 11: Dominique Tobbell's Medicine and Technology class featured in Continuum
Dr. Dominique Tobbell's course, Technology and Medicine in Modern America, has been featured in the University Libraries outreach publication, Continuum. To read the first part in the three-part series, check out Continuum's webpage.
Historian of Science and History
The Program was profiled for the Winter 2020 edition of Inventing Tomorrow, the College of Science and Engineering's alumni magazine. To read the feature yourself, visit the Inventing Tomorrow archive or download the PDF.
Solid State documentary to air Fall 2019
HSTM and CBI historians collaborate on documentary, "Solid State: Minnesota's High-Tech History": emeritus faculty Tom Misa is featured; CBI historian Jeffrey Yost and HSTM doctoral student Elizabeth Semler worked as lead historian and researcher and production manager, respectively. View the documentary at Twin Cities Public Television's website.
