Science in American Life

Closed November 27, 2011

Over the last 125 years, science and technology have been the most profound agents of change in American life, and science has grown into a complex enterprise interwoven with all aspects of our culture. American culture, in turn, has deeply influenced science. This exhibition examined the relationship between science, technology, progress, and culture. Through artifacts, historical photographs, and multimedia technology, the exhibition explored many of the scientific issues, controversies, misunderstandings, and achievements that have shaped modern American life.

The exhibition featured:

  • a display of the laboratory of pioneering chemist Ira Remsen during the 1870s
  • a Gilbert chemistry set for children
  • intelligence tests of the 1930s
  • a cyclotron, used in experiments in nuclear physics
  • a backyard bomb shelter.