Philosophy
"Cambridge's Whipple Museum of the History of Science gets £500,000 donation"
by
Gareth McPherson
March 13th, 2013
Cambridge News
A priceless compass is among the scientific kit that will be restored by a Cambridge museum – thanks to a £500,000 donation from its founder’s descendants.
The Whipple Museum of the History of Science was handed the donation, the biggest it has received since it was founded, so it can preserve some of history’s finest and unique inventions, many of which are housed in the Free School Lane museum.
The whopping sum is funding a conservation programme, which will straight away go towards restoring a Portuguese compass made in 1711 and the Herschel Telescope, one of five made in the late 18th century by William Herschel, who most famously discovered Uranus.
It has come from the grandchildren and other relatives of Robert Whipple, who founded the museum in 1944 when he handed his collection of scientific instruments to Cambridge University.
The donation establishes a new conservation fund, to enable the preservation and restoration of unique scientific instruments.
Prof Liba Taub, director and curator of the museum, which is part of the university’s history and philosophy of science department, said it was incredible to see 10 of Mr Whipple’s family, aged from 3 to 83, at the museum, which boasts about 7,000 exhibits.
She said: “Some things naturally deteriorate and this fund will allow us to halt that decline. It’s not just a place to come and visit, this is a research lab.”
Seb Falk, of the history and philosophy of science department, said: “This money is vital for the work of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, enabling us to protect scientific heritage that might otherwise decay and eventually disappear.
“It’s not every day that donations of such magnitude are made, and it’s a great cause – the protection of some priceless, and picturesque, objects.”
The museum includes scientific instruments, apparatus, models and other material relating to the history of science from the medieval period to present day.
It is open from 12.30-4.30pm from Monday to Friday. Admission is free and open to all.
Whipple Museum of the History of Science
Whipple Museum of the History of Science [Wikipedia]
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Philosophy
Whipple Museum receives a £500,000 donation
Darwin's microscope
"Cambridge's Whipple Museum of the History of Science gets £500,000 donation"
by
Gareth McPherson
March 13th, 2013
Cambridge News
The Whipple Museum of the History of Science was handed the donation, the biggest it has received since it was founded, so it can preserve some of history’s finest and unique inventions, many of which are housed in the Free School Lane museum.
The whopping sum is funding a conservation programme, which will straight away go towards restoring a Portuguese compass made in 1711 and the Herschel Telescope, one of five made in the late 18th century by William Herschel, who most famously discovered Uranus.
It has come from the grandchildren and other relatives of Robert Whipple, who founded the museum in 1944 when he handed his collection of scientific instruments to Cambridge University.
The donation establishes a new conservation fund, to enable the preservation and restoration of unique scientific instruments.
Prof Liba Taub, director and curator of the museum, which is part of the university’s history and philosophy of science department, said it was incredible to see 10 of Mr Whipple’s family, aged from 3 to 83, at the museum, which boasts about 7,000 exhibits.
She said: “Some things naturally deteriorate and this fund will allow us to halt that decline. It’s not just a place to come and visit, this is a research lab.”
Seb Falk, of the history and philosophy of science department, said: “This money is vital for the work of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, enabling us to protect scientific heritage that might otherwise decay and eventually disappear.
“It’s not every day that donations of such magnitude are made, and it’s a great cause – the protection of some priceless, and picturesque, objects.”
The museum includes scientific instruments, apparatus, models and other material relating to the history of science from the medieval period to present day.
It is open from 12.30-4.30pm from Monday to Friday. Admission is free and open to all.
Whipple Museum of the History of Science
Whipple Museum of the History of Science [Wikipedia]
- How Old Is History?
On Presidents' Day, PBS showed a new documentary about the Clinton presidency. I heard an interview with the director on Fresh Air where he argued that the time was right for this work because it was far enough in the past that it had just become...
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Seems like a waste of time...each side is entrenched. "Bill Nye will debate founder of Creation Museum" Bill Nye, science education advocate and TV personality, will visit Kentucky in February to debate Ken Ham, the founder of the Creation Museum. The...
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James Halliwell-Phillipps "The first HSS: the sad fate of a 19th-century history of science society" How an 18-year-old Royal Society fellow's fascination for manuscripts sunk an early venture in the history of science by Rebekah Higgitt ...
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Maybe not as macabre as you think. Remember Einstein's brain . "Art collector finds Galileo's lost tooth, fingers" November 20th, 2009 Reuters An art collector has found a tooth, thumb and finger of the renowned Italian scientist Galileo Galilei...
- Science Museum In London...top 10 List
This is interesting. I would cast a vote for James Watt's steam engine. "Science museum's top 10 objects" by Sean Coughlan June 9th, 2009 BBC News Which was the more important innovation - the railway revolution ushered in by Stephenson's...