Logo banner
Have you worked your way through your Netflix queue? This week, we have something new for both your eyes and ears with the video-on-demand release of our documentary, The Instrumental Chemist: The Incredible Curiosity of Arnold O. Beckman, and the start of a fresh, new season of our Distillations podcast. Plus, it’s your last chance to sign up for next week’s Oral History Training Institute.
The Instrumental Chemist film title slide
Detail of film poster. 📷 Science History Institute
If you’re looking for something new to add to your watch list, our documentary, The Instrumental Chemist: The Incredible Curiosity of Arnold O. Beckman, has just been released on video on demand. This one-hour film spotlights the remarkable life and legacy of chemist, inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Arnold Beckman and six of his groundbreaking scientific instruments. You can watch it now on iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vimeo, and other streaming and on-demand platforms.

The Science History Institute conference center has reopened and is ready to welcome you back. Our team has spent the last several months developing and testing enhanced guidelines for in-person gatherings and honing our virtual and hybrid event skills. Contact us today at 215-629-5151 or facilityrental@sciencehistory.org for reservations, site tours, and brainstorming sessions on how to turn an idea into an exceptional experience.

Henry Aaron hill 1976-77
Henry Aaron Hill, ca. 1976–1977. 📷 American Chemical Society
Polymer chemist and entrepreneur Henry Aaron Hill (1915–1979), founder of National Polychemicals Inc. and Riverside Research Laboratories, was the American Chemical Society’s first African American president.

Want to learn more about trailblazing Black chemists like Hill? Then join us by following #BlackInChem on Twitter August 10–15. Organized by chemistry PhD candidate Devin Swiner and other researchers, this weeklong initiative celebrates African American chemists past, present, and future.

Get ready to dive into a new season of our Distillations podcast, where we’ll be exploring science at the margins. In the first episode, “Collecting Monstrosity,” cohosts Alexis Pedrick and Lisa Berry Drago take a look at the history of embryology—and yes, it’s as weird as it sounds. New episodes will be available every Tuesday so subscribe now.
Engraving of anatomical tableau
Detail of a tableau featuring infant skeletons by Frederick Ruysch. 📷 Wellcome Collection
The surprising origins of developmental embryology.

Caroline Hampton and the forgotten origins of the first personal protective equipment.
Monday, August 17, 2020–Thursday, August 20, 2020
9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. EDT
Presented by the Institute’s Center for Oral History, this online workshop will introduce attendees to all aspects of the interview process, including general oral history theory and methodology, in-person and remote interviewing techniques, legal and ethical issues, transcription practices, archiving, recording equipment and its use, data management, and other relevant topics. Advance registration is required.
Painting of an alchemist in his lab
Detail of An Alchemist at Work, Mattheus von Helmont, oil on canvas, 1700s. 📷 Science History Institute
While you can’t visit our museum in person just yet, you can still experience our Age of Alchemy exhibition right from home on Google Arts & Culture. Stranger than fiction and more curious than myth, alchemy’s golden age (ca. 1300–1700) was marked by experimental discovery and practical skill that helped shape our modern understanding of science.
Do you love nature photography? Looking for inspiration? Here’s something fun you can try while enjoying the summertime sunshine: choose a plant or animal featured in our digital collections and see if you can find it on your next hike, on your next neighborhood walk, or even in your own home. Show off your discoveries by tagging us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Science History Institute
Now more than ever it’s important to tell the stories of science. Help us continue this work by supporting the Science History Institute.
Although our doors may be temporarily closed, we encourage you to visit sciencehistory.org/learn and discover the stories of science. Resources and activities include virtual exhibitions, role-playing games for students, and Zoom backgrounds to download for your next online meeting. Comments, suggestions, or questions? Contact us at enews@sciencehistory.org.