As old and new technologies continue to shape and reshape daily lives, questions about who builds them and who bears their consequences continue to be urgent. In an upcoming Honors Mic lecture, Adelheid Voskuhl, associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a leading scholar in the history of science and technology, will explore how engineers, then and now, have shaped not just machines but society itself.

“At key moments in history — certainly today, but also during World War II and the Cold War — engineers have actively participated in conversations about the ‘consequences’ of technology,” Voskuhl said.

The lecture “Engineering Institutions: Machines, Government, and Social Elites in Industrial Revolutions” will take place at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, in GEAR 26. It is free and open to the campus and broader Northwest Arkansas community.

Guests are encouraged to arrive early to find a seat. Parking is available in the Harmon Avenue Parking Garage.

Attendees should register in advance here. Students may use their UARK ID to log in; community members may register using a guest account.

In this lecture, Professor Voskuhl will examine debates about the societal consequences of technology and the roles engineers have played in shaping them. At key moments in history, engineers developed political and ethical theories of technology. They evaluated the innovations of their time, deliberated on how to govern rapidly industrializing nation-states and reflected on their own status as creators and controllers of technology.

The talk focuses on North America and Central Europe, leading regions of what is often called the “Second” Industrial Revolution, in the period leading up to World War II. During this time, engineers began asserting themselves in political and social debates. They were also forming a new professional identity and seeking recognition as a social elite, aiming to be seen on par with established groups such as the nobility, military, clergy, legal and medical professions, business leaders and politicians.

By writing histories and theories of technology, engineers positioned themselves within the traditional educated elites of the transatlantic world, shaping the discourse around industrialization and governance.

Before joining the University of Pennsylvania, Voskuhl was a fellow in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study and an assistant and then associate professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. Her research focuses on the history of technology from the early modern period to the present, with broader interests in the philosophy of technology, the Enlightenment and modern European intellectual and cultural history. Her book Androids in the Enlightenment: Mechanics, Artisans, and Cultures of the Self (University of Chicago Press, 2013) won the Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History from the American Philosophical Society in 2014.

“I try to offer students those moments of aha,” she added. “Take innovation, for example. We love that word, but you don’t really know if something is innovative unless you understand what came before it. What felt groundbreaking 100 years ago, like the shift from steam to electric power, was only understood as innovation because people knew what they were leaving behind. Often, what we call new is actually very old.”

The lecture will also reflect on the continuing evolution of the profession, with a look at the role engineers have played closer to home, across Arkansas and the American South, and how their work in agriculture, transportation and education continues to shape society. Following the presentation, Voskuhl will invite conversation about what lessons today’s rapidly changing technological world might draw from the past.

“No matter what we do, we’re engaging with history,” Voskuhl said. “Engineers study old machine designs. Mathematicians study equations written long ago. Chefs look to how people prepared food in times of scarcity and affluence. We may as well become systematic about it, and that’s where history as a discipline can help.”

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and brings together high-achieving undergraduate students and the university’s top professors to share transformative learning experiences. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $80,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students’ academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. All Honors College graduates have engaged in mentored research.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.