Detail of a mother and child from At the Alchemist, oil on metal painting after artist David Teniers, ca. 1820–1870. 📷 Science History Institute | |
Whether you call her mom, mommy, mama, ma, mum, or madre, you can join our Mother’s Day celebration by exploring some of the maternal items in our digital collections. We have a letter from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, a glass breast pump from the 1850s, and an interview with biochemist Barbara Panning, who discusses balancing motherhood with work. You can learn about Marie Curie and Irène Joliot-Curie, the only mother-daughter pair to ever win a Nobel Prize, or listen to a podcast about one of the first baby formulas that turned into every mother’s worst nightmare. And don’t miss Mothers of Science, a special Stories of Science program taking place on Saturday, May 11 featuring family-friendly activities highlighting the contributions of women in science. | |
All events are free and take place online or at the Science History Institute at 315 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia unless otherwise noted. | |
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Friday, May 3, 2024
5pm–7pm EDT
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At our May First Friday, step into the shadows of medicine and mystery and join us for the grand opening of our newest ExhibitLab, Poisons and Panaceas: Inside the 19th-Century Medicine Cabinet. First Fridays are free and open to the public. Attendees will receive a 10% discount to National Mechanics restaurant. | |
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Saturday, May 4, 2024
2pm EDT
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Join our museum’s Gallery Guides for a “drop-in” Women in Chemistry Tour highlighting the central role of women in shaping chemistry and the material sciences throughout history. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary. | |
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Wednesday, May 8, 2024
5:30pm–8pm EDT
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Join us for our annual celebration of exceptional achievements in chemistry, chemical engineering, the life sciences, and allied fields and industries honoring MIT professor Paula Hammond, TIAX founder Kenan Sahin, and Scripps CEO Peter Schultz. The evening will feature brief talks from our awardees, great conversation about science, and light refreshments, all for free! Registration required. | |
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Saturday, May 11, 2024
10am–5pm EDT
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Join us in our museum for Mothers of Science, a very special Stories of Science event featuring family-friendly activities that highlight the many women who have contributed to and transformed their scientific fields! Check out items from our handling collection, make a Mother’s Day card using images from our collections, or try your hand at computer coding with friendship bracelets. This event is part of Remake Learning Days, a celebration of innovative experiences and opportunities for youth. Admission is free and reservations are not required. | |
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Monday, May 13, 2024
6pm–7pm EDT
National Mechanics
22 South 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
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Our next Science on Tap talk features archaeologists Sarah Linn and Megan Kassabaum, who will discuss an ongoing project to excavate and share hidden stories of the neighborhood from the 19th century to the present. This event is free and no reservations are required. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. | |
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Monday, May 13, 2024–Thursday, May 16, 2024
10am–1pm EDT
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The Science History Institute’s Center for Oral History is proud to provide training to scholars and researchers interested in learning oral history and research interview methodologies. This online workshop will introduce attendees to all aspects of the interview process. Tickets are $75 for individuals, $50 for students. | |
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Tuesday, May 14, 2024
6pm–7pm EDT
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The Science History Institute has teamed up with online learning platform Roundtable by the 92nd Street Y, New York to offer you compelling courses from the history of science. Join our Distillations podcast team for the fourth session of this five-part course as we explore how faulty beliefs about race biology influence American medicine. This programming is part of Innate, an ongoing project that explores the roots of racism in American science and medicine. The course is free, but registration is required. | |
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Saturday, May 18, 2024
2pm EDT
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Join our museum’s Gallery Guides for a Dyes & Textiles “drop-in” tour highlighting the remarkable scientific properties of natural dyes and textiles, the technology behind synthetic clothing, and the impact of fashion on human health and the environment. Admission is free and reservations are not required. | |
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Thursday, May 23, 2024
6pm–8pm EDT
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What does energy look like on the big screen? Our next Science and Society hybrid talk has the answer. Join us for a Fellow in Focus conversation featuring American Energy Cinema coeditor Raechel Lutz and contributor Conevery Bolton Valencius, who will discuss the recently released collection of essays and analyze Hollywood films that feature energy as historical objects. The lecture will begin at 6pm for both online and in-person attendees. A reception follows at 7pm. | |
Illustration of a mother reading to her child inside a backyard bomb shelter, from Fallout Protection: What to Know and Do About Nuclear Attack, 1961. 📷 Science History Institute | |
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Collections Blog
The Nuclear Family
Two instruments evoke memories of being a child during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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The Disappearing Spoon Podcast
A Deadly Soup for Babies
World famous 19th-century chemist Justus von Liebig quickly became infamous for his role in the killing of four starving infants.
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The Disappearing Spoon Podcast
When Tenure Means Life and Death
After a tenure dispute, engineer Valery Fabrikant murdered four colleagues. So why is he still allowed to publish scientific papers?
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The Science History Institute Digital Collections house more than 13,330 curated items, including rare and modern books, scientific instruments, letters, photographs, advertisements, videos, oral histories, and more:
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Oral History: Barbara Panning, interview with the biochemist and University of California, San Francisco professor who discusses balancing motherhood with work, 2008
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Conversations on Botany, illustrated publication composed of a series of conversations between a mother and son about botany, 1817
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Irène Joliot-Curie (left) and her mother Marie Curie working in a lab at the Radium Institute, 1927. 📷 New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images | |
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Marie Curie and Irène Joliot-Curie
A two-time Nobel laureate, Marie Sklodowska Curie (1867–1934) is best known for her pioneering studies of radioactivity. Her elder daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie (1897–1956), also received the prestigious award for the discovery of artificially created radioactive atoms, making them the only mother-daughter pair of Nobel Prize winners. The two worked together at the Radium Institute in Paris, where “Madame Curie” directed a physics and chemistry lab. Both mother and daughter eventually died of leukemia induced by their long exposure to radioactive materials.
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View of our What’s Behind a Nobel Prize display featuring an automatic peptide synthesizer developed by Nobelist Bruce Merrifield and his team, which included his wife, Libby Merrifield (bottom right), who stepped away from the lab from 1952 to 1979 to raise their six children. 📷 Science History Institute | |
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The Science History Institute Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Admission is free.
HACH GALLERY
HORIBA EXHIBIT HALL
BUILDING FAÇADE
MUSEUM MEZZANINE
DU PONT GALLERY
DU PONT LOBBY
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Rosa and Max Bredig, photo of the German Jewish chemist and his mother, after 1915–before 1933. 📷 Science History Institute | |
Say thank you to all the mothers in the world. Or tell us the name of a mother you love and make a gift in her honor. | |
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