The Science History Institute is an institution that preserves and promotes understanding of the
history 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 Meso ...
. Located in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, it includes a
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
,
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
,
archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
, research center and
conference center
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
.
It was founded in 1982 as a joint venture of the
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
and the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, as the Center for the History of Chemistry (CHOC). The
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was actually established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as a profession independent of chemists and mechanical engineer ...
(AIChE) became a co-founder in 1984. It was renamed the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) in 1992, and moved two years later to the institution's current location, 315 Chestnut Street in
Old City.
On December 1, 2015, CHF merged with the
Life Sciences Foundation, creating an organization that covers "the history of the life sciences and biotechnology together with the history of the chemical sciences and engineering."
As of February 1, 2018, the organization was renamed the Science History Institute, to reflect its wider range of historical interests, from chemical sciences and engineering to the life sciences and biotechnology.
The institute focuses on the
history of chemistry
The history of chemistry represents a time span from ancient history to the present. By 1000 BC, civilizations used technologies that would eventually form the basis of the various branches of chemistry. Examples include the discovery of fire, e ...
, the
history 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 Meso ...
, the
history of technology
The history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques and is one of the categories of world history. Technology can refer to methods ranging from as simple as stone tools to the complex genetic engineering and info ...
, trends in
research and development
Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...
, the impact of
science on society, and relationships between science and art. It supports a community of research scholars and an oral history program. As of 2012, it was the largest U.S. grantor of research fellowships for the history of science.
History
The idea of creating "a library of reference and a chemical museum" in the United States can be found in the Proceedings of the first meeting of the
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
(ACS) in 1876.
The idea of a Science History Institute dates to 1976, when the
nation's bicentennial and the ACS' centennial stimulated interest in history and chemistry. As part of the ACS centennial activities, John H. Wotiz of its history-of-chemistry division organized a session on the history of chemistry; he was a strong proponent of a national center for historical chemistry.
Center for the History of Chemistry
In 1979, the ACS formed a task force chaired by
Ned D. Heindel
Ned D. Heindel (September 4, 1937) is an American chemist. He is the Howard S. Bunn Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Lehigh University, where he continues to do research. Heindel also works as a medical research consultant. Heindel ...
to look at creating a national center for the history of chemistry.
[ ]Arnold Thackray
Arnold Thackray (born 30 July 1939) is a science historian who is the founding president of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (now the Science History Institute), the Life Sciences Foundation, and Science History Consultants. He is an emeritus pro ...
, a professor in the Department of History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania, and curator of the Edgar Fahs Smith
Edgar Fahs Smith (May 23, 1854 – May 3, 1928) was an American scientist who is best known today for his interests in the history of chemistry. He served as provost of the University of Pennsylvania from 1911 to 1920, was deeply involved in the ...
Memorial Collection on the history of chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, argued for the formation of such a center in Philadelphia. Thackray obtained promises of private support from chemist John C. Haas
John Charles Haas (May 22, 1918 – April 2, 2011) was an American businessman and philanthropist, at one time considered the second richest man in Philadelphia. He was the chairman of global chemical company Rohm and Haas from 1974 to 1978. Under ...
and institutional support from the Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company, officially Dow Inc., is an American multinational chemical corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company is among the three largest chemical producers in the world.
Dow manufactures plastic ...
and DuPont
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
.[ In December 1981, the ACS approved the establishment of the Center for the History of Chemistry, with support of $50,000 per year for five years, in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania, which was to provide an equivalent in goods and services.][ An agreement to create the Center for the History of Chemistry was signed by officers of the American Chemical Society and the University of Pennsylvania on January 22 and 26, 1982.] A policy council was appointed by the sponsoring institutions to oversee routine operations of the center, and Arnold Thackray
Arnold Thackray (born 30 July 1939) is a science historian who is the founding president of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (now the Science History Institute), the Life Sciences Foundation, and Science History Consultants. He is an emeritus pro ...
was appointed part-time director of the center on April 29, 1982.[ The center was inaugurated on March 11, 1983,] in several vacant basement rooms on the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
campus. Its "immediate aims" included gathering oral histories of important chemists and inventorying papers and manuscripts in repositories throughout the country to map "the largely unexplored territory of the history of chemistry and chemical technology."[
A National Advisory Board was also formed from a wide-ranging group of people in academia and industry.][ In 1982, its members included John C. Haas, historians ]Margaret W. Rossiter
Margaret W. Rossiter (born July 1944) is an American historian of science, and Marie Underhill Noll Professor of the History of Science, at Cornell University. Rossiter coined the term Matilda effect for the systematic suppression of information ...
and Alfred D. Chandler, Jr.
Alfred DuPont Chandler Jr. (September 15, 1918 – May 9, 2007) was a professor of business history at Harvard Business School and Johns Hopkins University, who wrote extensively about the scale and the management structures of modern corporatio ...
and at least three Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
winners, Christian B. Anfinsen
Christian Boehmer Anfinsen Jr. (March 26, 1916 – May 14, 1995) was an American biochemist. He shared the 1972 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Stanford Moore and William Howard Stein for work on ribonuclease, especially concerning the c ...
, Herbert C. Brown
Herbert Charles Brown (May 22, 1912 – December 19, 2004) was an American chemist and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with organoboranes.
Life and career
Brown was born Herbert Brovarnik in London, to Ukrainian Jewis ...
, and Glenn T. Seaborg
Glenn Theodore Seaborg (; April 19, 1912February 25, 1999) was an American chemist whose involvement in the synthesis, discovery and investigation of ten transuranium elements earned him a share of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work i ...
.[ The ]American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was actually established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as a profession independent of chemists and mechanical engineer ...
(AIChE) became a co-founder of the center, signing an agreement on August 27 and 28, 1984. In addition, the institution began to establish relationships with affiliated organizations such as The Chemists' Club
The Chemists' Club is a private club in New York whose membership is open to research and industrial chemists from all areas.
The Chemists' Club filed for incorporation on December 9, 1898. The Club's goal was "to promote the interests of chemis ...
, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is a learned society that was founded on December 26, 1906, at a meeting organized by John Jacob Abel (Johns Hopkins University). The roots of the society were in the American Phy ...
, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists
AATCC—the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists— is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit professional association that provides test method development, quality control materials, educational development, and networking for textile and a ...
, the Electrochemical Society
The Electrochemical Society is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of electrochemistry and solid-state science and related technology. The Society membership compris ...
and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
The American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) is a professional association based in the United States that supports the scientific field of mass spectrometry. As of 2018, the society had approximately 10,000 members primarily from the US, bu ...
.
As early as 1983, the Center for the History of Chemistry expressed an interest in "The Conservation of Historic American Chemical Instruments", in discussions of a possible joint project with the Smithsonian. However, the center did not yet have exhibition or collections space to allow for the acquisition of any but the most limited quantities of documents. The center did curate a number of traveling exhibitions by collaborating with other organizations, including "Joseph Priestley: Enlightened Chemist", "Polymers and People", "Scaling Up", and "Chemical Education in the United States".
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry (BCHOC)
During the 1980s, the center came to the attention of Arnold Orville Beckman
Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at California Institute of Technology, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of th ...
. The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation
Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at California Institute of Technology, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of th ...
provided a $2 million challenge grant in 1986 to stimulate expansion of the center as a research institute, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry (BCHOC).
Beckman challenged the center to define its mission more broadly, reaching out to academic, professional and trade organizations, and including biochemistry, materials science, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and instrumentation within its mandate. The National Foundation for History of Chemistry was established in 1987 as a supporting Pennsylvania nonprofit. The renamed Beckman Center began a major capital campaign, listing as its needs "offices, an exhibit gallery, a reading room, library stacks, and archives and storage areas." It celebrated its inauguration on November 5, 1987. With support from the American Chemical Society's "Campaign for Chemistry", the center was able to move to 3401 Walnut Street, on the University of Pennsylvania campus, as of March 9, 1988.
Othmer Library of Chemical History
In 1989, the center received a further challenge grant, this time from Donald F. Othmer
Donald Frederick Othmer (May 11, 1904 – November 1, 1995) was an American professor of chemical engineering, an inventor, multi-millionaire and philanthropist, whose most famous work is the '' Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology ...
and his wife, Mildred Topp Othmer. Donald Othmer was a quiet chemical engineering professor from Polytechnic University in Brooklyn. The Othmers donated $5 million towards the creation of the Othmer Library of Chemical History. Again, efforts to match the grant were supported by the National Foundation for History of Chemistry and the American Chemical Society's Campaign for Chemistry. The new library was further supported by the donation of 8,500 monographs, textbooks and reference works from The Chemists' Club
The Chemists' Club is a private club in New York whose membership is open to research and industrial chemists from all areas.
The Chemists' Club filed for incorporation on December 9, 1898. The Club's goal was "to promote the interests of chemis ...
of New York.
Chemical Heritage Foundation
On July 1, 1992, the National Foundation for History of Chemistry changed its name to the Chemical Heritage Foundation, in recognition of the international nature of chemical history. By 1994, the organization was searching for a permanent home for the Beckman Center and Othmer Library. One candidate was the First National Bank building at 315 Chestnut Street, an 1866 masonry-and-brick structure with a two-story Palazzo
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
facade. The institution bought the bank building and nearby property in 1995, in part with a matching grant from Donald Othmer. Soon afterward, its endowment was expanded by a bequest from Othmer's estate.[ The Chemical Heritage Foundation moved to 315 Chestnut Street on February 1, 1996.] The buildings were renovated by Richard Conway Meyer over the next few years. Phase 1, providing temporary office space and book storage, was completed in 1998. Phase 2, a move to more permanent facilities, was completed in 2000. Phase 3, construction of the adjoining Ullyot conference space for meetings and events, began soon after.
Creating a public museum
Acquisition of a permanent building finally made it possible for the institution to develop "a public museum and display area". One possible focus was the history of instrumentation. As early as 1989, the Beckman Center had requested the loan or gift of Beckman Instruments
Beckman Coulter Inc. is a Danaher Corporation company that develops, manufactures, and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical testing. It operates in two industries: Diagnostics and Life Sciences. For more than ...
such as the Beckman pH meter
A pH meter is a scientific instrument that measures the hydrogen-ion activity in water-based solutions, indicating its acidity or alkalinity expressed as pH. The pH meter measures the difference in electrical potential between a pH electro ...
and the DU spectrophotometer
The DU spectrophotometer or Beckman DU, introduced in 1941, was the first commercially viable scientific instrument for measuring the amount of ultraviolet light absorbed by a substance. This model of spectrophotometer enabled scientists to eas ...
for display at the center. Some of those instruments were included in an instrumentation exhibition organized by W. Richard Howe of the University of Pittsburgh for the (PITTCON) in 1994, and expanded in 1999. In the early 1990s, inspired by John Ferraro, a committee was formed within the Society for Applied Spectroscopy
The Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) is an organization promoting research and education in the fields of spectroscopy, optics, and analytical chemistry. Founded in 1958, it is currently headquartered in Frederick, MD. In 2006 it had about 2 ...
(SAS), to pursue the creation of an instrumentation museum. Edward Brame and other members of that committee connected with Arnold Thackray and formed the nucleus of the institution's Chemical Instrumentation Museum Group (CIMG) in 1994.[ In 1997, on the recommendation of the CIMG, the Chemical Heritage Foundation's board approved a collections policy for the acquisition of "historically significant chemical instruments and apparatus".] Instrumentation, however, was only one of several areas of interest as the institution began to expand its collections.
=Alchemical collections
=
The Science History Institute is particularly interested in the origins of early science and chemistry. Its varied holdings have considerable depth both in alchemical books and fine-art depictions of early modern alchemists.[ The institution's collection of alchemy-related artwork, one of the largest in the world, builds upon two significant collections.] Chester Garfield Fisher, founder of Fisher Scientific
Fisher Scientific International, Inc. (NYSE: FSH) was a laboratory supply and biotechnology company that provided products and services to the global scientific research and clinical laboratory markets until its merger with Thermo Electron in 200 ...
, started collecting alchemical art in the 1920s. In 2000, his collection of alchemical paintings was donated by Fisher Scientific International to the Chemical Heritage Foundation. In 2002, the institution received another gift from Roy Eddleman, founder of Spectrum Laboratories, whose collection contained paintings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Together, the two collections contain more than 90 paintings and 200 works on paper illustrating the work of alchemists and their influence on the development of chemistry as a science.
=Instrument collections
=
The Chemical Heritage Foundation's collections include such pioneering and landmark instruments as a 1934 Beckman Model G pH Meter, a DuPont
DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...
900 Differential Thermal Analyzer, an early custom Electro-spray Ionization Mass Spectrometer used by John B. Fenn
John Bennett Fenn (June 15, 1917December 10, 2010) was an American professor of analytical chemistry who was awarded a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2002. Fenn shared half of the award with Koichi Tanaka for their work in mass spectro ...
, a 1947 Mettler B5 Single-Pan Balance, a 1963 Perkin-Elmer
PerkinElmer, Inc., previously styled Perkin-Elmer, is an American global corporation focused in the business areas of diagnostics, life science research, food, environmental and industrial testing. Its capabilities include detection, imaging, inf ...
Model 125 Infrared Grating Spectrophotometer, and a c. 1980's Automated Peptide Synthesizer created by Bruce Merrifield
Robert Bruce Merrifield (July 15, 1921 – May 14, 2006) was an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left ...
.
The foundation expanded its instrument collections slowly, mostly through donations of single instruments or small groups of instruments. In 2000, the CIMG was transformed into the Heritage Council Instruments and Artifacts Committee (HCIAC), which included staff and supporters and began meeting under founding chair W. Richard Howe. In 2002, the institution was given hundreds of instruments
Instrument may refer to:
Science and technology
* Flight instruments, the devices used to measure the speed, altitude, and pertinent flight angles of various kinds of aircraft
* Laboratory equipment, the measuring tools used in a scientific lab ...
by Stephen P. DeFalco, president of PerkinElmer
PerkinElmer, Inc., previously styled Perkin-Elmer, is an American global corporation focused in the business areas of diagnostics, life science research, food, environmental and industrial testing. Its capabilities include detection, imaging, inf ...
, after the company closed a plant in Überlingen, Germany. An interim exhibition of ''Revolutionary Tools'' was curated at the Chemical Heritage Foundation by David Brock, showing fifteen 20th-century instruments, including Arnold Beckman's pH meter.
In 2004, a list of "50 Instruments That Changed the World" was identified as a basis for further expansion. In 2008, the institution released a list of its ten most wanted instruments.
= The Arnold O. Beckman Permanent Exhibit and the Clifford C. Hach Gallery
=
As early as 1996, the Chemical Heritage Foundation had envisioned a broadly-based museum of chemical progress in which instruments would have "a major, but not exclusive role". That vision was followed when Peter Saylor of Dagit•Saylor Architects created the public museum and conference space. The Arnold O. Beckman Permanent Exhibit and the Clifford C. Hach Gallery for rotating exhibitions opened in 2008. The Arnold O. Beckman
Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at California Institute of Technology, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of th ...
permanent exhibition, ''Making Modernity'', was designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates
Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) is one of the world's longest-established and largest museum exhibition design firms with offices in New York City, London, Beijing, Berlin, Moscow, and Dubai.Bradford A. McKee, What's a Museum: What he says it i ...
.[ It has been described as an "art gallery for science", and showcases objects from the institution's widely varying collections. "The instruments are only a fraction of the objects on display. The exhibition also includes books, documents, and artwork from CHF's collection, as well as an array of consumer products."] The exhibition is organized around thematic arcs illustrative of the history of science, particularly chemistry. Displays include the influence of alchemy in early chemistry, the development of the first plastics, the development of brilliantly colored synthetic dyes, scientific advocacy for public health in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the teaching of chemistry through books and chemistry sets.
Science History Institute
On December 1, 2015, the Chemical Heritage Foundation merged with the Life Sciences Foundation, also founded by Arnold Thackray. Recognizing that the joint organization's interests extended beyond the field of chemistry, the organization began a two-year renaming process, whose outcome required the agreement of its founding partners, the American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was actually established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as a profession independent of chemists and mechanical engineer ...
. On February 1, 2018, the organization was renamed the Science History Institute, to reflect its wider range of historical interests, extending from the chemical sciences and engineering to the life sciences and biotechnology.
Leaders
Arnold Thackray
Arnold Thackray (born 30 July 1939) is a science historian who is the founding president of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (now the Science History Institute), the Life Sciences Foundation, and Science History Consultants. He is an emeritus pro ...
, the institution's first president, was awarded the 1983 Dexter Award The HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry (2013-present) is given by the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award was originally known as the Dexter Award (1956-2001) and th ...
for his contributions to the history of chemistry. Thackray was succeeded by Thomas R. Tritton, under whose leadership (2008-2013) the history of science museum opened to the public in its present location, and the fellowship program expanded.
Following a global search, Carsten Reinhardt
Karsten or Carsten is a both a given name and a surname. It is believed to be either derived from a Low German form of Christian, or "man from karst". Notable persons with the name include:
Given name
;Carsten:
* Carsten Charles Sabathia (born 1 ...
, a professor of the history of science from Bielefeld University
Bielefeld University (german: Universität Bielefeld) is a university in Bielefeld, Germany. Founded in 1969, it is one of the country's newer universities, and considers itself a "reform" university, following a different style of organization a ...
, Germany, was chosen in August 2013 as president and CEO of the organization. In 2016, Reinhardt returned to Germany, and his place was taken by interim president Robert G. W. Anderson. On January 11, 2017, it was announced that Anderson would take the job permanently. As of May 20, 2020, David Allen Cole, previously executive director of the Hagley Museum and Library
The Hagley Museum and Library is a nonprofit educational institution in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. Covering more than along the banks of the Brandywine Creek, the museum and grounds include the first du Pont ...
, became president and CEO.
File:Arnold Thackray at podium ID2005.jpg, Arnold Thackray
File:TomTritton 2011 Heritage Day.jpg, Tom Tritton
File:Carsten Reinhardt 018.JPG, Carsten Reinhardt
File:Robert Anderson Historian MoMM DL 036.JPG, Robert Anderson
Collections
The Science History Institute holds many collections relevant to the history of chemistry.
* The Othmer Library: In 2004, the Othmer Library became the steward of the Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library, which represents one of the most comprehensive single deposits of books on the history of chemistry in the world. Roughly 6,000 titles in all, the Neville collection comprises materials that date from the late 15th century to the early 20th century and includes many of the most important works in the history of science and technology from this period.
* Center for Oral History: The Center for Oral History at the Science History Institute aims to create a collection of comprehensive, professionally edited interviews with leading figures in chemistry and related fields.
* Archives: The Science History Institute collects, preserves, describes, and makes available the unique, unpublished materials that document the past 200 years of scientific history. The institute actively collects archival materials from outstanding scientists, industries, and professional organizations. Spanning over 5,000 linear shelf feet, these collections are a major attraction for scholars of the history of chemical and molecular sciences.
* Photographs: The Science History Institute's Image Archive contains an extensive collection of photographic prints, negatives, and slides reflecting the chemical history of the past century. The institute currently holds more than 20,000 images of notable chemists, laboratories, industrial scenes, historic gatherings, and chemical artifacts. These images hold considerable interest for scholars, journalists, and publishers who are active in chemistry-related fields. Informal snapshots and personal photos capture notable scientists at work and at play, such as the polymer chemists Wallace Carothers
Wallace Hume Carothers (; April 27, 1896 – April 29, 1937) was an American chemist, inventor and the leader of organic chemistry at DuPont, who was credited with the invention of nylon.
Carothers was a group leader at the DuPont Experiment ...
and Carl Shipp Marvel
Carl Shipp "Speed" Marvel (September 11, 1894 – January 4, 1988) was an American chemist who specialized in polymer chemistry. He made important contributions to U.S. synthetic rubber program during World War II, and later worked at developing ...
on a fishing trip and chemical engineer Donald Othmer
Donald Frederick Othmer (May 11, 1904 – November 1, 1995) was an American professor of chemical engineering, an inventor, multi-millionaire and philanthropist, whose most famous work is the ''Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, ...
and his wife on their wedding day. Highlights include:
** Williams Haynes Portrait Collection: nearly 1,000 formal portraits of important chemists from the early 1900s
** Travis Hignett Collection: images from the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory (1920–1950)
** Joseph Labovsky Collection: the history of nylon
** Dow Historical Collection: 20th-century industrial images
* Fine Art: Strengths of the Science History Institute's fine-art collection include the Fisher Scientific International Collection and the Roy Eddleman Collection, more than 90 paintings and 200 works on paper that unmask the world of the alchemists. In their pursuit of the elusive philosophers’ stone, alchemists created a body of knowledge about the material world through experiments and lab work, setting the stage for modern chemistry. Other highlights of the fine-art collection include oil paintings depicting such early modern chemical activities as distillation and metallurgy and watercolors showing the production process of the textile ramie
Ramie (pronounced: , ; from Malay ) is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial growing to tall; .
* Artifacts: The Science History Institute collects three-dimensional artifacts to create a representative group of material-culture objects that can be used as resources for both research and exhibition. The institute holds a variety of historical artifacts related to chemistry and chemical education, including instrumentation. It has one of the best public collections of chemistry sets, with approximately 100 different sets from all over the world, including Australia and Germany. Other special artifact collections include The Beauty of Bakelite
Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, better known as Bakelite ( ), is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed ...
and Chemistry and Fashion. Highlights include the Beckman IR-1 spectrophotometer, John Fenn’s electrospray mass spectrometer and Bruce Merrifield
Robert Bruce Merrifield (July 15, 1921 – May 14, 2006) was an American biochemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left ...
’s solid-phase peptide synthesizer.
File:Pandora, das ist 1582 Die Gab Gottes p 247 AQ5 (2).jpg, ''Pandora, das ist, Die edleste Gab Gottes'', 1582
File:The Alchemist’s Experiment Takes Fire 1687 CHF fa 2000.001.276.JPG, ''The Alchemist’s Experiment Takes Fire'', 1687
File:Trouble Comes to the Alchemist FA 2000.001.269.jpg, ''Trouble Comes to the Alchemist''
''Distillations''
The Science History Institute's magazine, ''Distillations'', appeared in print three times a year until 2019, when content became digital-only. As an online resource, it continues to present stories about the history of science for a popular readership. ''Distillations'' first appeared in spring 2015, as a publication of the Chemical Heritage Foundation. It was predated by the ''Chemical Heritage Magazine'', published as a quarterly by the Chemical Heritage Foundation.
Fellowships
The Science History Institute offers many fellowships-in-residence, of varying lengths.
Awards
The Science History Institute presents a number of annual awards to recognize outstanding contributions to science and technology by researchers, business leaders and entrepreneurs.
The annual Heritage Day Awards honor achievements in science and technology and comprise the Othmer Gold Medal
The Othmer Gold Medal recognizes outstanding individuals who contributed to progress in chemistry and science through their activities in areas including innovation, entrepreneurship, research, education, public understanding, legislation, and ph ...
,
the Richard J. Bolte Sr. Award for Supporting Industries and, in conjunction with The Chemists' Club
The Chemists' Club is a private club in New York whose membership is open to research and industrial chemists from all areas.
The Chemists' Club filed for incorporation on December 9, 1898. The Club's goal was "to promote the interests of chemis ...
of New York, the
Winthrop-Sears Medal
The Winthrop-Sears Medal is awarded annually by The Chemists' Club of New York in conjunction with the Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) to recognize entrepreneurial achievement in the chemical industry for the b ...
.
The annual Affiliate Partnership Awards, presented in conjunction with affiliate organizations, recognize achievement with the
Biotechnology Heritage Award
The Biotechnology Heritage Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of biotechnology through discovery, innovation, and public understanding. It is presented annually at the Biotechnology Innovation ...
,
the Franklin-Lavoisier Prize,
the Petrochemical Heritage Award
The Petrochemical Heritage Award was established in 1997, "to recognize individuals who made outstanding contributions to the petrochemical industry, petrochemical community." The award is intended to inspire achievement and to promote public und ...
and the Pittcon Heritage Award
The Pittcon Heritage Award recognizes "outstanding individuals whose entrepreneurial careers shaped the instrumentation and laboratory supplies community." The award is jointly sponsored by the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and A ...
.
The Roy G. Neville Prize in Bibliography or Biography recognizes a biographical work in the field of chemical or molecular science. Established in 2006, the prize is awarded biennially.
See also
* Burndy Library
Burndy Library is one of the world's largest collections of books on the history of science and technology.
History
Founded in 1941 in Norwalk, Connecticut by the electrical engineer, industrialist, and historian Bern Dibner, the library holdin ...
* Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments
Harvard University's Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments (CHSI), established 1948, is "one of the three largest university collections of its kind in the world". Waywiser, the online catalog of the collection, lists over 60% of the co ...
* 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
* ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
1982 establishments in Pennsylvania
Heritage organizations
History of chemistry
History of science museums
Museums in Philadelphia
Organizations established in 1982
Science museums in Pennsylvania
Research libraries in the United States