Projects & Initiatives
The Science History Institute is committed to expanding knowledge and challenging perspectives in the history of science. We collect, preserve, interpret, and share that history through a diverse array of independent and grant-funded projects and initiatives aimed at revealing the lesser-known and often untold stories behind the science.
Voices of Science
Hear the stories of five individuals who have faced personal, professional, and social challenges in their scientific careers.
Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race
A podcast and magazine project that explores the historical roots and persistent legacies of racism in American science and medicine.
Curious Histories Fest
The Institute’s annual celebration of science, history, exploration, and experimentation.
Joseph Priestley Society
Held September through April, this speaker series promotes a deeper understanding of science, technology, and industry, with an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Oral Histories of Immigration and Innovation
This NHPRC grant-funded project features free and searchable oral history interviews of 70 immigrant scientists.
Rare Earth Elements Project
Explore the historical and contemporary challenges posed by the rare earth metals.
Science and Survival: Digitizing the Papers of Georg and Max Bredig
Funded by a CLIR grant, this project tells the story of the Bredig family’s struggle to survive the Holocaust.
Arnold O. Beckman Legacy Project
Get to know the instrumentation pioneer who contributed to the intellectual and material developments that defined 20th-century science.
Synthesis Book Series
A partnership with the University of Chicago Press that seeks to shed light on the history of chemistry and its diverse roles in society.