Dr. Lynch, working with Ms. Kathleen Jordan, is tracing the construction and implementation of a new molecular biology technique as it changes from a highly specialized experimental tool to a commercial product. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique developed within the past few years for quickly replicating specific target sequences of DNA. It is said to be much simpler and less time-consuming than alternative techniques in molecular biology, and it is currently being packaged as an easy- to-use "black box" for sale to medical facilities, forensic labs, and research labs in numerous basic and applied scientific fields. PCR's development has been so rapid that it enables ethnographic methods of study to be used to examine the historical transformation of an esoteric technique into a standardized and commercialized product. While sustaining an intensive and present- centered ethnography of a coherent technique, the study aims to attain the kind of broader insight that historical and cross- institutional comparison can yield. It thus aims to contribute methodological innovation as well as substantive information to the field of science studies.
