The holiday season is officially upon us, and that means it’s time to grab your apron and get baking. You can try some of our favorite historical recipes from our digital collections, learn about the baking powder battles that began in the 18th century, or read about Betty J. Sullivan, a biochemist who spent her career trying to improve the baking qualities of flour. If you need a break from the hot kitchen and want to visit our museum, please note our holiday hours: we will close at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 18, 2021, and reopen at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 6, 2022, so our staff can enjoy their own baked goodies with family and friends.
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Monday, December 6, 2021
4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. PST
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. EST
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Wednesday, December 8, 2021
4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. PST
7:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. EST
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Institute research curator Roger Turner discusses how science and history can teach us to produce needed rare earth metals while minimizing harm to humans and the environment.
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Friday, December 10, 2021
12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. EST
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Join us in our museum for a Library Pop-Up with our librarians and curators who will explore a selection of books that feature the concoctions that have quenched people’s thirst for centuries. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary.
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Saturday, December 11, 2021
Saturday, January 8, 2022
2:00 p.m. EST
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Our Science and Activism “drop-in” tours explore the vital impacts made by engaged communities on scientific discovery, environmental justice, and public health. Guided Tours take place twice a month on Saturdays (excluding holidays) through February 2022. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary.
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Monday, December 13, 2021
6:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m. EST
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This month’s Science on Tap virtual talk features the University of Pennsylvania Museum’s Jason Herrmann who will discuss the results of his geophysical surveys to demonstrate how archaeologists can document buried remains and make observations about peoples of the past, their daily lives, and social organization with limited or no excavation.
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Saturday, December 18, 2021
Saturday, January 15, 2022
11:00 a.m. EST
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Dive into a day of family-friendly, water-related activities! Our final Family Swim of 2021 features a fun, holiday-themed program that includes storytime with a book about the water cycle told using a snowflake and a chance to make your very own snowflake. Family Swim takes place once a month on Saturdays through February 2022. Admission is free and no reservations are necessary.
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Monday, January 3, 2022–Thursday, January 6, 2022
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. EST
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Presented by the Center for Oral History, this online workshop will introduce attendees to all aspects of the interview process, including general oral history theory and methodology, in-person and remote interviewing techniques, legal and ethical issues, transcription practices, archiving, recording equipment and its use, data management, and other relevant topics.
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Detail of the cover of the Royal Baker and Pastry Cook recipe book, 1902. 📷 Royal Baking Powder Company
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When crime and politics influenced American baking habits.
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Baking homemade bread anchors us to millennia-long traditions.
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With their creeping, bloodsucking ways, bedbugs continue to mock human superiority.
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How a bloody gun duel between two doctors in Transylvania sparked a frenzy of outrage—as well as the American Medical Association.
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The Baker's Book, illustrated first volume describing the history and significance of bread and other baked goods from around the world, 1901
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Detail of the cover of the July 12, 1948, issue of Chemical and Engineering News featuring a profile of Betty J. Sullivan titled “She Analyzed the Wheat and Improved the Flour.” 📷 Science History Institute
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Award-winning biochemist Betty J. Sullivan (1902–1999) spent her entire career studying the chemical properties of wheat and flour, specifically analyzing moisture levels and testing different agents to improve the baking qualities of flour. She got her start as a lab assistant at the Russell-Miller Milling Company in 1922 after receiving a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota, where she also earned a PhD in biochemistry in 1935. In 1948 Sullivan became the first woman to receive the Thomas Burr Osborne Medal from the American Association of Cereal Chemists. She was an active member of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society of Baking Engineers.
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Now more than ever it’s important to tell the stories of science. Help us continue this work by supporting the Science History Institute.
You can also support the Institute while shopping on Amazon at smile.amazon.com or by asking Alexa to donate to the Science History Institute.
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