[SIGCIS-Members] Fw: Request of reading advices on statistics and computing in agriculture and life sciences

[Allan Olley]

Giuditta Parolini,
 	I can't help much but a few sources spring to mind I'm not 
sure how much use they will be:

T. A. Bancroft, "Roots of the Iowa State University Statistical Center: 
1914-1950." Iowa State Journal of Research, (August 1982), Vol. 57, No. 1 
pp. 3-10.
In looking up this reference I had to find the paper so I just 
noticed R. A. Fisher is mentioned in it as a Summer visitor to the 
statistical center from 1931-1936. This is a very summary history written 
by one of the center's main researchers, but it has some references. 
The Iowa lab is also described in Grier (see below) with references.

David Alan Grier's _When Computers Were Human_ 2005 Princeton 
University press, discusses many things including the Galton lab before 
the period in question. It discusses computation in the 1930s on but 
largely in the American context and sone of it is agricultural or 
biological work, it also discusses the Iowa laboratory.

Grier also discusses the Iowa center in "Agricultural Computing and the
Context for John Atanasoff." IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 
22, iss. 1, pp. 48-61, year 2000.

Jon Agar's paper "What Difference did Computers Make?" Social Studies of 
Science vol. 36, iss. 6(December 2006) pp. 869–907. Deals with a few 
British developments one is a geographical botanical survey of England the 
data collection and processing was mechanized on punched card in the 50s.

In terms of primary sources I can think of two from the American context 
that might be of relevance, although I admit both are largely tangential:
Baehne, G. W. ed. , Practical Applications of the Punched Card
Method in Colleges and Universities. New York: Columbia University Press,
1935.
This book has discussion of punched card methods at American universities 
in various fields including one on agricultural statistics.

G. W. Snedecor, "Uses of Punched Card Equipment in Mathematics." _The 
American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Apr. 1928) 161-169. 
[available on JSTOR] 
Snedecor was the founder of the Iowa laboratory he briefly summarizes some 
of the early work in this article.

Good luck.
-- 
Yours Truly,
Allan Olley

http://individual.utoronto.ca/fofound/

On Mon, 14 Jun 2010, Sandra Mols wrote:

> Dear colleagues 
>
>
> Here below follows a call for help by G. Parolini, who looks out for material on statistics and computing in biology in the UK, 30s to 70s. 
> She's as cc for those who may want to help, 
>
>
> Best,
>
>
> Sandra Mols
>
>
> 
>
>
> ----- Forwarded Message ----
> From: Giuditta Parolini <giuditta.parolini2 at UNIBO.IT>
> To: MERSENNE at JISCMAIL.AC.UK
> Sent: Mon, 14 June, 2010 14:22:06
> Subject: Request of reading advices on statistics and computing in agriculture  and life sciences
>
> Hi,
> I am a PhD student at the University of Bologna
> (http://www.cis.unibo.it/sth/doc_students/curricula/parolini.html)
> interested in the development of statistics in agricultural and
> biological research in UK (especially from 1930s to 1970s).
>
> I want to examine as a case study the development of the statistical
> researches related to life sciences at
> Rothamsted  experimental station and the Galton Laboratory. As I am
> interested in the history of computing, I want to investigate in
> particular which role had computing technologies (mechanical
> calculators, punched cards machines and electronic computers) in the
> development of statistical practices and methodologies and in the
> local negotiations among statisticians, biologists and agricultural
> scientists. Key figures in my research will be R.A. Fisher, Frank
> Yates (Fisher's successor at Rothamsted) and Cedric A.B. Smith
> (statistician at the Galton Laboratory headed by Penrose).
>
> I am looking for sources on various aspects:
> - the history of statistics - and more generally the history of
> quantification - in agriculture and life sciences for the period
> 1930s-1970s
> - the use of computing technologies in statistics, especially with
> relation to agriculture and life sciences
> - the visual culture of statistics in 20th century
>
> Can you help me with reading suggestions? You can write to my email
> address giuditta.parolini2 at unibo.it
>
> Best regards,
> Giuditta Parolini