Review by Choice Review
Lee (CEO, Lumicell Diagnostics; MIT Koch Institute), a biomedical device design engineer, has written an interesting brief history of the engineering technologies that have enabled biology research/development from the latter half of the 19th century to the present. The book lauds influential technology developers for making some of science's great discoveries possible. It is a fascinating, exciting read, particularly for younger researchers who may have never contemplated the early days of such ubiquitous research technology as ultracentrifugation or gel electrophoresis. Lee writes at the lay audience level, rarely presenting quantitative design principles or other technical details. The inclusion of reproduced vintage figures are a nice touch. The biographical vignettes will help students appreciate the many different career paths in science. The book contains many interviews and quotes, giving some chapters the feel of an "oral history"; these are some of the book's most compelling parts. Lee's conversational writing style makes the transitions to interview sections read smoothly. The book concludes with discussions of future directions in which Lee feels that engineers can make major contributions. Simultaneously, the latter chapters transition to concepts that are more at the cellular and molecular levels, such as cell signaling, which mirror recent trends in biomedical research. --Michael R. King, Cornell University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review