Scientific Education

540 items

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.

2 items
Charts, diagrams, etc

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
5 items
Chemistry sets

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
92 items
Handbooks and manuals

Smithsonian MicroChemistry XM Manual
- Part of Smithsonian MicroChemistry XM 5000 Chemistry Set
- 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…
- Manufacturer Smithsonian Institution
- Subject Chemistry sets, Smithsonian Institution, Chemistry, Chemistry--Experiments, Chemistry--Handbooks, manuals, etc., Education, Secondary, Science--Experiments, Science--Study and teaching, Educational toys
Oral histories

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
Business correspondence

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
2 items
Oral histories

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
Oral histories

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…
- Interviewee Patrick, Jennie R., 1949-
- Interviewer Brown, Jeannette E.
- Subject Patrick, Jennie R., 1949-, Women in science, Scientists, Black, Science--Study and teaching, Community development, Chemical engineering, Nucleation, Supercritical fluid extraction, African American chemists, Chemists
Oral histories

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
3 items
Charts, diagrams, etc

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
Chemistry sets

Chemcraft An Introduction to the Wonders of Modern Chemistry
- Undated
Chemistry sets reached their heyday in the 1950s, but production of them began in the United States during World War I. Playing with a toy chemistry set inspired many a boy to become a chemist, and not until the late…
- Manufacturer Porter Chemical Company
- Subject Chemistry sets, Porter Chemical Company
Molecular models

Disc Molecular Models
- Undated
Rectangular grey cardboard box with white writing and colored disks on sides; box contains a cardboard separator that divides the inside into four compartments and an instruction booklet; the compartments contain a…
- Manufacturer W. A. Benjamin, Inc
- Subject Molecules--Models
Plastics, Molecular models

Bakelite Molecular Orbital Model
- Undated
Black Bakelite cylindrical base with four steel arms giving it support; red Bakelite circles are attached to the end of each arm; the model itself is attached with a steel arm that protrudes upward from the base; model…
- Subject Molecules--Models, Molecular orbitals, Bakelite
Plastics, Molecular models

Bakelite Molecular Orbital Model
- Undated
Black Bakelite cylindrical base with four steel arms giving it support; red Bakelite circles are attached to the end of each arm; the model itself is attached with a steel arm that protrudes upward from the base; model…
- Subject Molecules--Models, Molecular orbitals, Bakelite
Molecular models

Harshaw Crystal Model Kit
- Undated
Blue cardboard box containing three compartments; two compartments hold a number of black and white stone marbles; third compartment holds four brass rods, numerous glass spacers, and sheets of thin paper; box also…
- Manufacturer Harshaw Scientific, Division of the Harshaw Chemical Company
- Subject Molecules--Models
Plastics, Molecular models

Bakelite Molecular Orbital Model
- Undated
Black Bakelite cylindrical base with four steel arms giving it support; red Bakelite circles are attached to the end of each arm; the model itself is attached with a steel arm that protrudes upward from the base; model…
- Subject Molecules--Models, Molecular orbitals, Bakelite