The Science History Institute is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by spotlighting scientists like Mexican chemist Mario Molina, the 1995 Nobel laureate who discovered CFCs were depleting the Earth’s ozone layer. We’re also highlighting a selection of Spanish-language rare books that includes a 15th-century alchemical treatise, some really cool scientific postage stamps from Spain and Cuba, and a story on Mexican comic books from the 1950s featuring “superhero” chemists.
You can also read our latest Distillations article about President Biden’s upcoming White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, which is taking its cues from a similar summit held in 1969. And don’t miss a free lecture by Institute VP Michelle DiMeo, who will present “Where Were Women in Chemistry in the 1600s?” during the September 28 meeting of the Princeton Section of the American Chemical Society.
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Programs, Lectures & Talks
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Wednesday, September 21, 2022
6:00 p.m.–6:45 p.m. EDT
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Join Institute fellow Meagan Allen for a Varsity Tutors virtual class to learn the secrets behind the chemistry of the alchemical laboratory. Alchemists are the wizard-like thinkers who tried to turn lead into gold and who looked for a way to live for centuries. But did you know that alchemy was really science? Students will “ transmute” an ordinary penny into “gold” during this live, interactive class.
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Thursday, September 22, 2022
1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. EDT
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The new season of our Joseph Priestley Society virtual talk series kicks off with a discussion on how metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can ease water shortages by extracting it from the air. UC Berkeley chemistry professor Omar Yaghi and GE Research carbon capture technology leader David Moore will demonstrate the potential of extracting clean water from air anywhere in the world at any time with MOFs. This talk will be moderated by nanotechnology business development consultant Daryl Boudreaux.
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📷 Science History Institute/Conrad Erb
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Thursday, September 22, 2022
6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. EDT
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Spend an evening nerding out with local scientists and researchers about astronomy, medicine, oceanography, and more. Start Talking Science aims to increase public awareness of—and interest in—cutting-edge, local research in order to make STEM more accessible. This event is free and no registration is required. |
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Saturday, September 24, 2022
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. EDT
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The Science History Institute joins the Delaware River Festival for its 4th annual celebration of the mighty Delaware. Institute staff will be on hand with some fun, water-themed activities, including a button-making station and giveaways featuring our award-winning Downstream exhibition. This event is free and open to the public.
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Museum Programs & Activities
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Saturday, September 24, 2022
2:00 p.m. EDT
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From Rachel Carson to ACT UP, our “drop-in” Science & Activism Tour explores how scientists and activists have shaped discovery and created change with stories of environmental justice, patients’ rights, and community science. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary. |
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Museum Programs & Activities
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Saturday, October 1, 2022
2:00 p.m. EDT
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Our “drop-in” Water Tour explores the importance of water and the histories of pollution and protection that have changed our relationship to this vital substance. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary. |
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Protesters at the Solidarity Day march during the Poor People’s Campaign at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., June 1968. 📷 Jill Freedman/Getty Images
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Can an upcoming White House conference muster the political will needed to address the nation’s food insecurity and obesity crises? A summit from 1969 offers clues.
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Two humorous poems illuminate the politics of science funding in the 1950s.
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📷 Photo illustration by Jay Muhlin/Science History Institute
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When the United States and Mexico resolved their beef.
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In the 1950s comic books took Mexico’s youth by storm. But alongside familiar superhuman avengers were other kinds of heroes: real-life chemists.
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When Latin America challenged a new era of colonization.
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Our digital collections house more than 12,920 curated items, including rare and modern books, scientific instruments, letters, photographs, advertisements, oral histories, and more:
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Casa Turull Exhibition Display, Spanish-language display advertising chemical products manufactured by Casa Turull and the Hercules Powder Company, 1950s
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Pretiosa Margarita Novella [The Precious New Pearl], one of only six known complete manuscripts of an alchemical treatise by Petrus Bonus; this copy most likely originated in the Iberian Peninsula in Catalonia, circa 1450–1480
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Oral History: George Rosenkranz, interview with the former CEO of Syntex, a Mexico City-based pharmaceutical company, where he worked with Uruguayan entrepreneur Alejandro Zaffaroni to develop the first effective oral contraceptive, 1997
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Mario Molina (left) and Frank Sherwood Rowland at UC Irvine, January 1975. 📷 University of California, Irvine
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Mexican chemist Mario Molina (1943–2020) has been called “one of the single most important contributors to climate protection in world history.” As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Irvine, he noticed that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) had the potential to destroy the ozone layer, which acts as a protective shield from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. This discovery proved true, and in 1995 he became the first Mexican-born scientist to receive a Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Molina, who is only the third Mexican-born person to ever receive a Nobel Prize, shared the award with his mentor, Frank Sherwood Rowland, and Dutch scientist Paul Crutzen.
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View of models of instruments used to measure ozone levels and info on Mexican chemist and ozone savior Mario Molina, on display in our permanent exhibition. 📷 Science History Institute
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Our museum is open Wednesday–Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Building Façade
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Water Pics (CLOSING September 21, 2022): Last chance to see our outdoor exhibition installed on the front of our building at 315 Chestnut Street; open 24/7
Hach Gallery
Horiba Gallery
DuPont Gallery
Lobby
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Scientists seek answers to critical questions. They experience the setbacks and euphoria of discovery. The Science History Institute collects all of it, like the Spanish-language comic above from our digital collections highlighting Nobel laureates Marie and Pierre Curie. We need your support so we can continue to share these stories with our more than 2 million website visitors worldwide.
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