Your weekly guide to what’s happening at the Institute
You’re receiving this email on a Tuesday because Monday was Memorial Day. This year most of us had to forgo our holiday traditions—family get-togethers, parades—due to restrictions on gatherings. But for the rest of this week, we hope you find some time to pause and enjoy the things we can still participate in and, while you’re at it, maybe even learn something new.
In this issue our Distillations team talks to Susan Weiss, a microbiologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, who has been studying coronaviruses for the past 40 years. And on Friday join public historian and local shoemaker Damian Niescior for a discussion about the science of shoes (remember those?).
We’ve added some new virtual backgrounds for your next Zoom meeting! Choose from a selection of fun images in our digital collections, including an early-20th-century research lab, a boardroom straight out of Mad Men, a Dow trade show booth from the 1940s, a control panel from a mid-century chemical plant (above), and even an alchemist’s workshop.
Matthew Shindell, curator of planetary science at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, presentsthis week’sLunchtime Lecture. Part of the Science, Incorporated: Constructing the Natures of American Modernizationseries, Shindell’s talk highlights the life of Nobel Prize–winning chemist Harold C. Urey (1893–1981), one of the most famous American scientists of the 20th century.
Inspired by our popular Saturday Speaker Series, our Virtual Speaker Series features short talks on an intriguing scientific topic followed by a Q&A. Join public historian and local shoemaker Damian Niescior as he walks us through the history and science of making shoes.
Get the app now and be ready when the event starts. If you prefer not to install an app, open the meeting link from a Google Chrome browser on a desktop or laptop computer.
