Compiling this volume was an ambitious undertaking; the editors present an impressively wide range of perspectives on big science. The volume's five sections feature a total of fifty-four articles written by 114 contributors, including administrators from a worldwide collection of institutions, laboratories and institutes, as well as funding-agency officials, academics and other specialists from a broad array of fields.
The first section, ‘Voices from European big science organizations’, is a mixed bag. Some articles are scholarly with well-developed, thought-provoking ideas, for example on the impact of spin-offs of the European particle physics laboratory CERN and the economic benefits of the European Space Agency. Other articles provide useful information about little known European projects, but offer meager analysis.
The strength of the second section, ‘Economic and innovation impact of big science projects’, comes from several intriguing sociological studies. High points include various promising frameworks for probing socio-economic impacts and ideas for leveraging knowledge for social good. Insights are specific in method but general in potential applicability and thus can shed light on the prospects for a variety of big-science projects. Also noteworthy is an article featuring space technology programmes that reveals how entrepreneurship shapes social benefits. Less impressive are chapters that seem more like preliminary sketches or rough drafts, with minimal detail and superficial analysis.
The section with the most consistent high quality is ‘Historical perspectives on big science’, which comes third in the line-up. Every article showcases well-informed, rigorous scholarship. The entries also cover a broad range of subject matter, including the development of big-science projects throughout Europe and the United States. Also impressive is the diversity of fields: the section covers particle physics, meteorology and climatology, biology and materials science. In addition, this section features critiques of big science from the perspective of history, sociology and science policy. These perspectives are extended by an analysis of the new big science; that is, the recent trend of large-scale materials science laboratories. Taken alone, this section would work well as a summary for a course in the history of big science. At the same time, this trove of history-of-science scholarship seems curiously hidden. After all, the articles touch little, if at all, on the economic and societal impacts promised in the volume's title. Indeed, despite its strengths, this section is out of step with the rest of the volume, and therefore seems likely to disappoint some readers.
The fourth section, ‘Big science in culture and education’, has some interesting surprises, at least in the first half. This part features articles that address how big science is represented in the wider culture, for example in film, television and museums. Particularly intriguing is a chapter about a collaboration of scientists and film-makers intent on creating a realistic movie depiction of black holes. The resulting work led to film awards as well as imaging techniques that aided further academic scholarship. The other half of this section mostly features articles expounding more familiar themes, for example that focusing on big science can motivate students to enter scientific careers, lead to increased science funding and encourage a better world by breaking down geopolitical barriers. The section ends with the important story about CERN's successful efforts to break down financial and practical barriers to the exchange of scientific information by ushering in open access for scientific journals.
The last section, ‘Mapping a global outlook on the role of big science organizations’, addresses the role of big science in science diplomacy and global scientific development, showcasing parts of the globe usually overlooked by scholars: Japan, China, India, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Although some articles here, as elsewhere in the volume, lack detail and solid analysis, the section as a whole nonetheless provides much-needed new information. Particularly thought-provoking are two chapters, one on the planned development of synchrotron light sources in Africa, the other describing the thirty-year struggle to plan, build and operate the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME). In both cases, the light sources promised practical applications, a means to spur the advance of scientific and educational institutions, and a bid for international recognition and status. The financial and political challenges faced by these projects were much more extreme than those faced elsewhere. The resulting heroic efforts and mixed success dramatically highlighted the attractions, limitations, joys and disappointments of big science.
As a whole, the volume is a bit lopsided, with an excess of coverage about Europe, in particular CERN. However, given the copious quantity of information this is a minor defect. The uneven scholarly quality of this compendium is its main weakness, but the scope at least partially offsets this flaw. With a bit of caution and sifting to find the worthwhile in the mix, this volume can serve as a useful reference for historians of science.
