 He became vice-president of AAAS in 1885.He was also a member of the American Mathematical Society, an honorary member of the American Society of Architects, a
member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the first president of 
the American Society for Engineering Education (1893–1894).He invented the "Wood's 
Steam Rock-Drill" and various other devices and published several dozen books and articles in scientific journals on mathematics, engineering and thermodynamics.