James Arthur Bennett (born 1947) is a retired

museum curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

and

historian of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Mesopo ...

Career

Jim Bennett was educated at Grosvenor High School, Belfast, and

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refound ...

, where he graduated with BA and PhD degrees in 1969 and 1974 respectively. He was Director of the

Museum of the History of Science The History of Science Museum in Broad Street, Oxford, England, holds a leading collection of scientific instruments from Middle Ages to the 19th century. The museum building is also known as the Old Ashmolean Building to distinguish it from th ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

(since renamed the History of Science Museum). He was appointed on 1 October 1994, on the retirement of the previous director, Francis Maddison, and retired on 30 September 2012. He is also a fellow of the Faculty of History and

Linacre College Linacre College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the UK whose members comprise approximately 50 fellows and 550 postgraduate students. Linacre is a diverse college in terms of both the international composition of its m ...

. In 2010, the University of Oxford gave him the title Professor of the History of Science. Previously he was a fellow and senior tutor of

Churchill College Churchill College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It has a primary focus on science, engineering and technology, but still retains a strong interest in the arts and humanities. In 1958, a trust was establish ...

and curator of the

Whipple Museum of the History of Science Whipple may refer to: People * Whipple (surname) (including a list of people with the surname) * Whip Jones (1909–2001), American ski industry pioneer, founder, developer and original operator of the Aspen Highlands ski area in Aspen, Colorado * ...

, both part of

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

. Since 2016, he's been the president of the

Hakluyt Society The Hakluyt Society is a text publication society, founded in 1846 and based in London, England, which publishes scholarly editions of Primary source, primary records of historic voyages, travels and other geographical material. In addition to it ...

. He also holds the position of Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London Bennett's interests lie in the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

of practical mathematics from the 16th century to the 18th century,

scientific instrument A scientific instrument is a device or tool used for scientific purposes, including the study of both natural phenomena and theoretical research. History Historically, the definition of a scientific instrument has varied, based on usage, laws, an ...

s and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

. His work in Cambridge included hands-on use of scientific and navigational instruments, using the Whipple collection to teach undergraduates how instruments worked, and gaining insight into the difficulties faced by the historical teachers of those instruments. Jim Bennett has been President of the

British Society for the History of Science The British Society for the History of Science (BSHS) was founded in 1947 by Francis Butler, Joan Eyles and Victor Eyles. Overview It is Britain's largest learned society devoted to the history of science, technology, and medicine. The society's ...

and President of the Scientific Instrument Commission of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science. He has also appeared in television documentaries.

Selected publications

* ''The Divided Circle: A History of Instruments for Astronomy, Navigation and Surveying'', Jim Bennett. Oxford, 1987. * ''Church, State and Astronomy in Ireland, 200 Years of Armagh Observatory'', Jim Bennett. Belfast, 1990. * ''The Garden, the Ark, the Tower, the Temple. Biblical Metaphors of Knowledge in Early Modern Europe'', Jim Bennett and S. Mandelbrote. Oxford, 1998. * ''Practical Geometry and Operative Knowledge'', Jim Bennett. ''Configurations'', 6, 1998. * ''London's Leonardo: The Life and Work of Robert Hooke'', Jim Bennett, Michael Cooper, Michael Hunter and

Lisa Jardine Lisa Anne Jardine (née Bronowski; 12 April 1944 – 25 October 2015) was a British historian of the early modern period. From 1990 to 2011, she was Centenary Professor of Renaissance Studies and Director of the Centre for Editing Lives and ...

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2003. . ;As editor * '' The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science'', John L. Heilbron (editor-in-chief), Jim Bennett, Frederic L. Holmes, Rachel Laudan and Giuliano Pancaldi (eds).

, 2003. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Jim 1947 births Living people Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge British curators British historians Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge Place of birth missing (living people) Fellows of Linacre College, Oxford Historians of science