Ronald G. Havelock is an internationally recognized authority on knowledge utilization. As professor and research scientist at the University of Michigan and later American University in Washington, D.C., he has directed studies of knowledge use, technology transfer, and the planning of change in many fields. His 1969 book, Planning for Innovation through the Dissemination and Utilization of Knowledge, is widely regarded as a landmark work on that subject. Subsequent books include A Guide to Innovation in Education (1970), Training for Change Agents with Mary C. Havelock (1973), The Change Agent’s Guide to Innovation (1973), 2nd Ed with S. Zlotolow (1995), Solving Educational Problems, The Theory and Reality of Innovation in Developing Countries, with A. Michael Huberman (1978). His broad range of work includes studies of research use in advanced technology, education, and medicine. During the 1990’s he served as an advisor to the American Association for the Advancement of Science on their long-term project to improve science education. For the last five years he has designed training materials and provided strategic advice to the American Institutes of Research, Washington, D.C. on programs to assist schools nationwide in the adoption of new programs in special education. He is currently preparing a book on the nature of human progress, summarizing what he has learned over a 40 year career studying how scientific knowledge has evolved and how it has impacted society.
