David Mcgee
Biographic Data
| ID | 185447 |
|---|---|
| NAME | David Mcgee |
| GIVEN NAMES | David |
| FAMILY NAME | Mcgee |
| SIGNATURE | MCGEE D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7329-3428 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 22 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1995 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Speleothems in Utah caves record past dynamics of mountain permafrost
Mountain permafrost is a climatically sensitive but poorly constrained component of the terrestrial cryosphere. We use 108 U-Th dates from speleothems in two limestone caves in the Uinta Mountains of northern Utah, USA, to reconstruct a 600,000 year history of permafrost presence and absence in this alpine setting. Speleothem growth in both caves is confined almost entirely to discrete intervals that align with interglacial conditions of Marine I…
A speleothem record of hydroclimate variability in northwestern Madagascar during the mid-late Holocene
We present a continuous high-resolution precisely dated multiproxy record of hydroclimate variability at Anjohibe cave in northwestern Madagascar using speleothem AB13. The record spans from ~4484 y BP to ~2863 y BP. Stalagmite δ 18 O, δ 13 C and Sr/Ca ratios show very similar changes in hydroclimate. The mechanism controlling Sr/Ca changes, however, from prior calcite precipitation to degree of dolomite dissolution at about 4 ky BP. Our record i…
Central Andean (28–34°S) flood record 0–25 ka from Salinas del Bebedero, Argentina
The Salinas del Bebedero occupies an isolated basin in the foreland of central Argentina at 33°S and was flooded repeatedly over past 25 ka. Isotopic evidence demonstrates that this flooding was due to overflow of the nearby Río Desaguadero with waters derived from the distant (≥300 km) central Andes between 28–34°S. Stratigraphic and shoreline evidence shows that floods occurred most frequently from 14.3 to 11.4 ka, followed by lesser events bet…
Tidal Belongings: First Nations–Driven Archaeology to Preserve a Large Wooden Fish Trap Panel Recovered from the Comox Harbour Intertidal Fish Trap Complex in British Columbia
This article describes the recent identification, documentation, and preservation of a large wooden lattice-work panel recovered from a wet-site trap complex located in Comox Harbour on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This project was the result of Indigenous community members proactively taking control of their heritage for protection and conservation. Based on the research of the contributors, this panel appears to be the …
A new interpretation of Madagascar's megafaunal decline: "The "Subsistence Shift Hypothesis
Summaries of Doctoral Dissertations
I was honored that Lee Alston asked me to be the convener for the Nevins Prize Competition this year. There were close to a dozen submissions spanning a
Absolute-dated, high-resolution records of water balance changes during the last glacial period and deglaciation from lacustrine cave deposits in the Bonneville Basin, Utah, USA
The evolution of the North African dust plume over the past 15,000 years: Insights from dust fluxes measured along a meridional transect
Images
Images Demetrius Oliver, Robert Pruitt, Joseph Havel, Dario Robleto, Trenton Doyle Hancock, David McGee, John T. Biggers, Jean Lacy, Mequitta Ahuja, and Dawolu Jabari Anderson Click for larger view View full resolution Totem by Demetrius Oliver Digital C-print, 48.4 x 32.1 inches. [End Page 65] Click for larger view View full resolution Prosthetic by Demetrius Oliver Digital C-print, edition 5, 36 x 48 inches, 2005. [End Page 66] Click for larger…
Ships and Science: The Birth of Naval Architecture in the Scientific Revolution, 1600–1800
Larrie D. Ferreiro. Ships and Science: The Birth of Naval Architecture in the Scientific Revolution, 1600–1800. Cambridge, MA : The MIT Press, 2007. xxiv + 442 pp. index. append. illus. tbls. bibl. $45. ISBN: 0-262-06259-3. - Volume 60 Issue 3
The Philosophy of Shipbuilding: Conceptual Approaches to the Study of Wooden Ships (review)
Reviewed by: The Philosophy of Shipbuilding: Conceptual Approaches to the Study of Wooden Ships David McGee (bio) The Philosophy of Shipbuilding: Conceptual Approaches to the Study of Wooden Ships. Edited by Frederick M. Hocker and Cheryl A. Ward. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2004. Pp. xii+183. $75. This book of collected essays began life as a festschrift for Richard Steffy, the doyen of modern underwater archaeology who taught a…
To Harness the Wind: A Short History of the Development of Sails (review)
Reviewed by: To Harness the Wind: A Short History of the Development of Sails David McGee (bio) To Harness the Wind: A Short History of the Development of Sails. By Leo Block. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2003. Pp. xv+164. $24.95. This book accurately calls it itself a short history. In fact, the historical review is even shorter than one might think, taking up only one half of the book's 134 pages of text, while the second half contain…
Architecture in the Age of Printing: Orality, Writing, Typography, and Printed Images in the History of Architectural Theory (review)
It is not often that a reviewer finds himself chuckling at observations and asides found in a book on the history of technology, but the many unexpected insights found in this short work on printing and the development of early modern architecture make it a pleasure to read
The Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships and Boats (review)
Historians of technology are likely to be triply misled by the title of this work, which is not intended to be a complete study of the history of Venetian ships and boats, or a complete study of the history of Venetian art relating to ships and boats, or a complete study of the archaeology of Venetian vessels. What the book does set out to do, however, is establish a typology of mostly medieval Venetian vessels based on the analysis of a large nu…
On Line and On Paper: Visual Representations, Visual Culture, and Computer Graphics in Design Engineering (review)
The introduction of computer aided design (CAD) into modern engineering may bring about the single greatest transformation in the design [End Page 388] process since the "rationalization of sight" during the Renaissance. Hence a book about the changes in engineering design resulting from the use of CAD could be very interesting. Unfortunately, this assemblage of previously published work does not live up to that potential. At the heart of the pro…
History of Warships: From Ancient Times to the Twenty-First Century
In a single volume, James L. George has attempted to surmount three problems: first, to cover the entire history of warships; second, to combine a description of ships and their historical characteristics with accounts of their operational use; third, to write for lay as well as expert readers. A former officer in the United States Navy and national security adviser in Washington, George has added to this ambitious undertaking the task of trying …
From Craftsmanship to Draftsmanship: Naval Architecture and the Three Traditions of Early Modern Design
From Craftsmanship to Draftsmanship: Naval Architecture and the Three Traditions of Early Modern Design David Mcgee (bio) Almost every historian of technology has used the word “craft” at one time or another. It is a term we apply to techniques in which artifacts are made by hand and eye and rule of thumb, where skills and knowledge are thought to be literally embodied in the craftsman. We use it to refer to techniques that proceed by trial and e…
Making Up Mind: The Early Sociology of Invention
As an aside in a 1988 response to some rather odd attacks by Michael Fores over the emergence of the engineering sciences, Edwin T. Layton offered an unusual defense of a common historical practice. The practice in question was the use of the terms empiric and scientific to characterize the premodern and modern eras in technology. The thrust of Layton's defense was that these terms had become a conventional shorthand for referring to complex chan…
A new interpretation of Madagascar's megafaunal decline: "The "Subsistence Shift Hypothesis
Making Up Mind: The Early Sociology of Invention
As an aside in a 1988 response to some rather odd attacks by Michael Fores over the emergence of the engineering sciences, Edwin T. Layton offered an unusual defense of a common historical practice. The practice in question was the use of the terms empiric and scientific to characterize the premodern and modern eras in technology. The thrust of Layton's defense was that these terms had become a conventional shorthand for referring to complex chan…
From Craftsmanship to Draftsmanship: Naval Architecture and the Three Traditions of Early Modern Design
From Craftsmanship to Draftsmanship: Naval Architecture and the Three Traditions of Early Modern Design David Mcgee (bio) Almost every historian of technology has used the word “craft” at one time or another. It is a term we apply to techniques in which artifacts are made by hand and eye and rule of thumb, where skills and knowledge are thought to be literally embodied in the craftsman. We use it to refer to techniques that proceed by trial and e…
Making Up Mind: The Early Sociology of Invention
As an aside in a 1988 response to some rather odd attacks by Michael Fores over the emergence of the engineering sciences, Edwin T. Layton offered an unusual defense of a common historical practice. The practice in question was the use of the terms empiric and scientific to characterize the premodern and modern eras in technology. The thrust of Layton's defense was that these terms had become a conventional shorthand for referring to complex chan…
From Craftsmanship to Draftsmanship: Naval Architecture and the Three Traditions of Early Modern Design
From Craftsmanship to Draftsmanship: Naval Architecture and the Three Traditions of Early Modern Design David Mcgee (bio) Almost every historian of technology has used the word “craft” at one time or another. It is a term we apply to techniques in which artifacts are made by hand and eye and rule of thumb, where skills and knowledge are thought to be literally embodied in the craftsman. We use it to refer to techniques that proceed by trial and e…
On Line and On Paper: Visual Representations, Visual Culture, and Computer Graphics in Design Engineering (review)
The introduction of computer aided design (CAD) into modern engineering may bring about the single greatest transformation in the design [End Page 388] process since the "rationalization of sight" during the Renaissance. Hence a book about the changes in engineering design resulting from the use of CAD could be very interesting. Unfortunately, this assemblage of previously published work does not live up to that potential. At the heart of the pro…
History of Warships: From Ancient Times to the Twenty-First Century
In a single volume, James L. George has attempted to surmount three problems: first, to cover the entire history of warships; second, to combine a description of ships and their historical characteristics with accounts of their operational use; third, to write for lay as well as expert readers. A former officer in the United States Navy and national security adviser in Washington, George has added to this ambitious undertaking the task of trying …
The Art and Archaeology of Venetian Ships and Boats (review)
Historians of technology are likely to be triply misled by the title of this work, which is not intended to be a complete study of the history of Venetian ships and boats, or a complete study of the history of Venetian art relating to ships and boats, or a complete study of the archaeology of Venetian vessels. What the book does set out to do, however, is establish a typology of mostly medieval Venetian vessels based on the analysis of a large nu…
Architecture in the Age of Printing: Orality, Writing, Typography, and Printed Images in the History of Architectural Theory (review)
It is not often that a reviewer finds himself chuckling at observations and asides found in a book on the history of technology, but the many unexpected insights found in this short work on printing and the development of early modern architecture make it a pleasure to read
To Harness the Wind: A Short History of the Development of Sails (review)
Reviewed by: To Harness the Wind: A Short History of the Development of Sails David McGee (bio) To Harness the Wind: A Short History of the Development of Sails. By Leo Block. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2003. Pp. xv+164. $24.95. This book accurately calls it itself a short history. In fact, the historical review is even shorter than one might think, taking up only one half of the book's 134 pages of text, while the second half contain…
The Philosophy of Shipbuilding: Conceptual Approaches to the Study of Wooden Ships (review)
Reviewed by: The Philosophy of Shipbuilding: Conceptual Approaches to the Study of Wooden Ships David McGee (bio) The Philosophy of Shipbuilding: Conceptual Approaches to the Study of Wooden Ships. Edited by Frederick M. Hocker and Cheryl A. Ward. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2004. Pp. xii+183. $75. This book of collected essays began life as a festschrift for Richard Steffy, the doyen of modern underwater archaeology who taught a…
Ships and Science: The Birth of Naval Architecture in the Scientific Revolution, 1600–1800
Larrie D. Ferreiro. Ships and Science: The Birth of Naval Architecture in the Scientific Revolution, 1600–1800. Cambridge, MA : The MIT Press, 2007. xxiv + 442 pp. index. append. illus. tbls. bibl. $45. ISBN: 0-262-06259-3. - Volume 60 Issue 3
Images
Images Demetrius Oliver, Robert Pruitt, Joseph Havel, Dario Robleto, Trenton Doyle Hancock, David McGee, John T. Biggers, Jean Lacy, Mequitta Ahuja, and Dawolu Jabari Anderson Click for larger view View full resolution Totem by Demetrius Oliver Digital C-print, 48.4 x 32.1 inches. [End Page 65] Click for larger view View full resolution Prosthetic by Demetrius Oliver Digital C-print, edition 5, 36 x 48 inches, 2005. [End Page 66] Click for larger…
Absolute-dated, high-resolution records of water balance changes during the last glacial period and deglaciation from lacustrine cave deposits in the Bonneville Basin, Utah, USA
The evolution of the North African dust plume over the past 15,000 years: Insights from dust fluxes measured along a meridional transect
Summaries of Doctoral Dissertations
I was honored that Lee Alston asked me to be the convener for the Nevins Prize Competition this year. There were close to a dozen submissions spanning a
A new interpretation of Madagascar's megafaunal decline: "The "Subsistence Shift Hypothesis
Central Andean (28–34°S) flood record 0–25 ka from Salinas del Bebedero, Argentina
The Salinas del Bebedero occupies an isolated basin in the foreland of central Argentina at 33°S and was flooded repeatedly over past 25 ka. Isotopic evidence demonstrates that this flooding was due to overflow of the nearby Río Desaguadero with waters derived from the distant (≥300 km) central Andes between 28–34°S. Stratigraphic and shoreline evidence shows that floods occurred most frequently from 14.3 to 11.4 ka, followed by lesser events bet…
Tidal Belongings: First Nations–Driven Archaeology to Preserve a Large Wooden Fish Trap Panel Recovered from the Comox Harbour Intertidal Fish Trap Complex in British Columbia
This article describes the recent identification, documentation, and preservation of a large wooden lattice-work panel recovered from a wet-site trap complex located in Comox Harbour on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This project was the result of Indigenous community members proactively taking control of their heritage for protection and conservation. Based on the research of the contributors, this panel appears to be the …
A speleothem record of hydroclimate variability in northwestern Madagascar during the mid-late Holocene
We present a continuous high-resolution precisely dated multiproxy record of hydroclimate variability at Anjohibe cave in northwestern Madagascar using speleothem AB13. The record spans from ~4484 y BP to ~2863 y BP. Stalagmite δ 18 O, δ 13 C and Sr/Ca ratios show very similar changes in hydroclimate. The mechanism controlling Sr/Ca changes, however, from prior calcite precipitation to degree of dolomite dissolution at about 4 ky BP. Our record i…
Speleothems in Utah caves record past dynamics of mountain permafrost
Mountain permafrost is a climatically sensitive but poorly constrained component of the terrestrial cryosphere. We use 108 U-Th dates from speleothems in two limestone caves in the Uinta Mountains of northern Utah, USA, to reconstruct a 600,000 year history of permafrost presence and absence in this alpine setting. Speleothem growth in both caves is confined almost entirely to discrete intervals that align with interglacial conditions of Marine I…
Archaeology (11 works) · History (9 works) · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology (7 works) · Art (5 works) · Engineering (5 works) · Geography (5 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (5 works) · Epistemology (4 works) · Geology (4 works) · Sociology (4 works)