Editor’s note: This is the second of a four-part series.
History professor Joseph November has some pretty big plans in mind for the funding he’ll get as a McCausland fellow.
“This support will allow me to spend more time interviewing biomedical computing pioneers. These individuals are aging and the next few years will be the last chance for them to share their insights,” November said.
Each professor selected for the fellowship will receive a $10,000 stipend to help with their teaching and research.
November said the money would help him keep his classes updated, which can be tricky, because he focuses on the history of science, technology and medicine.
Staying current in these areas requires not only reading the relevant journals but spending time with scientists, physicians and engineers,” he said.
Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, selected November to be one of the four recipients of the fellowship. November said he is honored to be part of a faculty full of “outstanding scholars and dedicated teachers.”
A graduate of Princeton University, November came to USC in 2006 to teach history. Before receiving his doctorate from Princeton, November received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago and was an undergraduate at Hamilton College in New York.
The largest course November currently teaches is Science and Technology in World History. November also teaches undergraduate courses on the history of biology, medicine and computing along with a new course called Computer Games and History.
November recently published a book entitled “Biomedical Computing: Digitizing Life in the United States,” which how computers have affected biology and medicine intellectually and institutionally. His book also discusses the flip side: how the life sciences affected the development of computing. He is in the process of writing a second book.
At USC, November is involved in both the nano STS group and the STEMCell discussion group.
November is on sabbatical this year, and he is working on writing a biography of Robert Ledley, the inventor the whole-body CT scanner, who November called a “dentist-turned-computing pioneer.”
“Although it’s wonderful to be able to devote so much time to research, I also greatly look forward to being back among USC’s many wonderful and talent students,” November said.
The McCausland Fellowship is funded by a $10 million endowment, which was given as a gift from USC alumnus Peter McCausland and his wife.
McCausland founded Pennsylvania-based Airgas Inc., the nation’s largest distributor of industrial and medical gases. McCausland graduated from USC in 1971 with a degree in history.
The fellowship targets young faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences and was awarded to professors who showed a commitment to teaching and research.
The endowment is also intended to encourage imaginative teaching and research projects through a visiting scholars program.