Spring: Dive into the World of Mad Scientists, Contractors, and Semi-Secretive Agencies!

For Engineers, Mathematicians, Computer Scientists and secret Agency lovers it can be hard to find books that speak your language and are quotable for essays and Personal Statements. These are not topics that can so succinctly be reduced into good soup. Many students lament that you cannot create poetry odes to Motherboards and Robots the way you can from books on politics or the social sciences. However, there are growing collections of science-light and science-friendly books written by respected journalists (as in this case) and scientists able to bridge the language divide. To make science and math emotive and expressive in ways that make your writing punchy when you quote them!

Michael Belfiore the author of: The Department of Mad Scientists: How DARPA is Remaking Our World, from the Internet to Artificial Limbs, writes:

“Join me, then, for a wild ride through the back roads of extreme science and technology. DARPA’s story is in the best tradition of mad science. Mad because only a few mad dreamers dare to believe in the impossible. Mad because only truly original ideas are judged by others to be crazy until they are proven otherwise.”

He even has cool page numbers - everything page heading starts with zeroes and backstrokes. He uses a slick hand to guide you deep into DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the United States), and also deep into the private contractors (civilian companies working for the government) working primarily for these secretive agencies. He gives you insight that leaves you wondering if they offered him security clearances and a full time corner office job - he was literally and figuratively everywhere. He met everyone and he’s spilling his secrets. From the Mojave Desert to Silicon Valley to Hampton, Virginia he takes us all on a stroll through historical and modern science and technology in a way that at times seems like science fiction until he mentions how much money was pumped into that particular program to turn science fiction into reality! For those interested in universities leading the charge in invention and innovation you will also get a great perspective into what they really do there and who is nearby: 

“What I found on my visit [to the Stanford Research Institute- SRI]....resort-style DARPA. The mild weather, the collegiate atmosphere, its location in a tree-lined residential neighborhood, the sandwich bar with grilled veggies and the salad bar at the cafeteria, the electric golf carts used to get around the campus, even the relaxed dress of the researchers...all gave me the impression of a more laid-back, semitropical DARPA.” Stanford University, MIT, UCLA, and more feature heavily - take a wander and see if you do not find yourself more interested than you initially thought.