'From Lectern to Laboratory' is a detailed study of the rise of hands-on, experiment-focused teaching at the post secondary level in America. Nikola-Lisa details the increasing instances of this form of education by focusing on one professor, Edward Charles Pickering, his education, and his teaching at MIT and Harvard.

While focused on Pickering's development and practices, the book focus broadly on many education reformers, teachers, professors, politicians, and wealthy Americans. The amount of names referenced within the pages is difficult to follow at times and a bit excessive. In addition, detailed descriptions of Boston neighbourhoods and university halls make for tedious reading at times.

The transition from lecture-based to experiment-based teaching was a significant development in scientific understanding. The topic is deserving of a monograph focused solely on this change. Unfortunately, Nikola-Lisa's focus appears to be more in tune with the 'great Americans' who made this shift possible rather than the shift itself. That being said, this book is still a well written and thoroughly researched historical work well worth the readers time.

Okay so it’s kind of a dry book. However if you enjoy science and theory then you will enjoy this book. It is a bit wordy but other than that moves at a good pace.

From Lectern to Laboratory is a interesting and informative book. The book is well researched. The book is dry and a slow read.

This micro-history of education in America is quite thorough but it is also extremely boring. Only read if you possess a every deep and abiding interest in the detailed history of education in the US. From the full emersion study of Greek, Latin and Hebrew 350 years ago to the way things are today.