
This digital collection features selected chemistry sets, molecular models, and science kits used for both instruction and play, all primarily from the mid-20th century. Some of these objects were previously on display in the Institute's museum as part of the Science at Play exhibition. Materials in this collection also include lecture notes, such as Louis Pasteur’s on stereochemistry, as well as letters between scientists concerning the state of scientific education.
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3 items
Periodic Table Card Game
- Circa 2014
Memory game features 54 card deck; 34 cards feature element number and cartoon characters who personify or act out elements and their characteristics, 16 group cards, and 4 command cards; game includes Periodic Table of…
- Manufacturer Artec Educational
- Subject Science--Study and teaching, Card games, Artec Educational, Periodic table of the elements
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Oral history interview with Catherine T. Hunt
- 2009-Mar-26
- 2009-Aug-28
Catherine T. Hunt grew up in Bronxville, New York, one of seven children. Her father was a chemist at Allied Chemical Company, and Katie often went to work with him and always had questions for him about why things are…
- Interviewee Hunt, Catherine T. 1955-
- Interviewer Domush, Hilary
- Subject Hunt, Catherine T. 1955-, Chemistry, Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Women in chemistry, Rohm and Haas Company, American Chemical Society, Dow Chemical Company, Science--Study and teaching, Sustainable development, Chemists, Women chemists
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Oral history interview with Jennie R. Patrick
- 2006-Mar-30
Jennie R. Patrick grew up in Gadsden, a small, typically Southern, town in Alabama, the fourth of five children. Her parents were laborers whose formal education stopped in junior high school. As a child, she had no…
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2 items
Oral history interview with Bruce A. Hamilton
- 2005-Oct-05 – 2005-Oct-07
Bruce A. Hamilton was born in Palo Alto, California, where his father was a graduate student in engineering. His mother was at that time a housewife. Having finished his master's degree, the older Hamilton began work in…
- Interviewee Hamilton, Bruce A., 1964-
- Interviewer Mejia, Robin
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Hamilton, Bruce A., 1964-, Science--Study and teaching, Religion, Genetics, Lander, Eric S., Neurogenetics, University of California, San Diego, Zinn, Kai George, Medical scientists, Neuroscientists
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Letter from Arnold O. Beckman to potential Beckman@Science conference attendees
- 1999-Sep-24
This letter from Arnold O. Beckman invites potential attendees (and potential donors) to a conference on the future of science education in Orange County, California. This initiative to improve science education was…
- Creator Of Work Beckman, Arnold O.
- Subject Science--Study and teaching, California--Orange County, Humanitarianism, Public schools, Education
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Oral history interview with Markus D. Meister
- 1998-Nov-18
- 1998-Nov-20
- 1998-Nov-28
Markus D. Meister was born in Siegsdorf, Germany, a small town in Swabian Germany, in the foothills of the Alps. His father completed a PhD in physics, and when Markus was a young boy the family moved to the village of…
- Interviewee Meister, Markus, 1940-
- Interviewer Maestrejuan, Andrea R.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Meister, Markus, 1940-, Science--Study and teaching, Euratom, Education, Bilingual, Biology, Berg, Howard C., 1934-, Neurosciences, Visual perception, Harvard Medical School
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92 items
Smithsonian MicroChemistry XM Manual
- Circa 1996
An instruction manual written to accompany the Smithsonian MicroChemistry XM 5000 chemistry set. Intended for use by children ages 10 and older, the manual describes how to use the set's tools, then outlines a series of…
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4 items
Smithsonian MicroChemistry XM 5000 Chemistry Set
- Circa 1996
Gray plastic (Rubbermaid) container; two panels open to the right and left and snap into place with small protrusions on the raised base platform; platform also has two support sticks that can be rotated outward so…
- Manufacturer Smithsonian Institution
- Subject Chemistry sets, Smithsonian Institution
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25M 41S
Chemistry Is Cool2
- 1996
Video of a performance presented by COSI (Center of Science and Industry) during the 1996 Ohio Chemical Council annual conference in Columbus, Ohio. In this performance, host Krista teaches the audience about chemical…
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2 items
Periodic Round Table
- 1995
The "Periodic Round Table" looks like a multi-layered cake. There are eight wooden layers that sit on top of one another and can be rotated. Layers are divided into chemical elements with engraved element name and…
- Creator Of Work Katz, Gary
- Subject Science--Study and teaching, Periodic table of the elements, Katz, Gary
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5m 53s
Passing Through: Behind The Scenes
- Circa 1993
This is a promotional work created by the National Plastics Center and Museum to advertise their educational video, Passing Through. Passing Through is a film for teenagers and high school science students in which a…
- Creator Of Work National Plastics Center and Museum
- Producer WAVE, Inc.
- Subject Science--Study and teaching, Plastics, Educational films, Middle Ages
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25m 52s
Chemistry: Serious Fun
- 1991
In this video produced by the American Chemical Society, two actors from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Alfonso Ribeiro and Tatyana Ali, prepare to attend a new semester at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).…
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3 items
ElemenTree 3D Periodic Table
- 1990
Three dimensional representation of the periodic table of elements (unassembled). ElemenTree is made of transparent Vivak plastic in pink and green with black text. The tree has 17 pieces (layers are polygonal) with a…
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Molecular Model Set for General Chemistry
- 1980s
Models kits, such as this one, are often found in laboratories and classrooms and are used to visualize the structure of chemical substances.
- Manufacturer Allyn and Bacon
- Subject Molecules--Models
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HGS General Chemistry Molecular Model Set
- 1985 – 1989
Transparent plastic container with five interior compartments for multicolored plastic pieces. Instruction manual included.
Models kits, such as this one, are often found in laboratories and classrooms and are used to…
- Manufacturer Benjamin / Maruzen
- Subject Molecules--Models
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58M 07S
Once Upon a Christmas Cheery, in the Lab of Shakhashiri...
- 20th Anniversary
- 1989
One of many in a series of annual Christmas lectures given by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, a Lebanese chemistry educator who spent most of his career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The 1989 lecture was the 20th…
- Creator Of Work Shakhashiri, Bassam Z.
- Contributor University of Wisconsin-Madison, National Science Foundation (U.S.)
- Subject Science--Study and teaching, Lectures, Chemistry--Experiments, University of Wisconsin--Madison, Christmas, Liquid nitrogen, Combustion, Sublimation (Chemistry), Acids, Polymers, Chemiluminescence, Educational films
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2 items
FlexibleStereoChemistry Flexible Molecular Model Kit
- 1983
Green plastic case with snap lid on front; kit comes with five different types of plastic pieces: 12 multi-colored balls, eight gray "double bonds" pieces, one gray "triple-bonded carbon pairs" rod, and dozens of…
- Manufacturer FlexibleStereoChemistry, Inc.
- Subject Molecules--Models
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The Periodic Pyramid
- 1983
Periodic table designed in the style of a pyramid by Charles E. Gragg. This table was published by Instruments for Research and Industry and includes instructions for assembly into a 3-D model.
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The 3-Dimensional Periodic Cube
- 1982
Periodic table designed in the style of a cube by J. Francis Young, Professor of Civil and Ceramic Engineering, University of Illinois. This table was published by Instruments for Research and Industry and includes…
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59M 28S
Once Upon a Christmas Dreary in the Lab of Shakhashiri
- 1980-Dec-10
One of many in a series of annual Christmas lectures given by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, a Lebanese chemistry educator who spent most of his career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The 1980 lecture begins with an…
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Organichem Model Set
- 1970s
Small, multicolored plastic connectors and straws in small plastic bag.
Models kits, such as this one, are often found in laboratories and classrooms and are used to visualize the structure of chemical substances.
- Manufacturer Freeman, Cooper & Co.
- Subject Molecules--Models
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Mexican postage stamp commemorating the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (40th anniversary)
- 1976
Mexican postage stamp issued to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional de México (the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico) on January 1, 1936. Established during the…
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Letter from Linus Pauling to Theodor Benfey
- 1976-Aug-27
Concerning possibility of publishing an early Pauling manuscript in a high school textbook or in an issue of "Chemistry."
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50M 36S
Once Upon a Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri
- 1973
One of many in a series of annual Christmas lectures given by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, a Lebanese chemistry educator who spent most of his career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The 1973 lecture was the first…
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Johnny Horizon Environmental Test Kit
- 1971
Cardboard box with color printing on lid, showing young men and women engaged in chemical testing of environmental factors (air, water). Inside is a blue plastic tray with wells for test equipment, including a…
- Manufacturer Parker Brothers, inc.
- Subject Games, Chemistry sets, Toys, Chemicals, Environmental testing