Laurel Waycott studies the shared histories of science, medicine, and art in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Her current project, The Pattern Seekers, is a history of the concept of pattern recognition. Originating in the world of craft and design, the notion of “pattern” was widely adopted by scientists at the beginning of the twentieth century. By examining the history of design alongside the history of science, this project demonstrates how culturally specific notions of beauty shaped the construction of knowledge in the life and human sciences.
