NO. 95: JUNE 2011 ISSN: 1751-8261 Contents The Voices of Science Past Feature article 1 Tom Lean discusses An Oral History of British Science BSHS News 4 Viewpoint 6 Object of the Issue 7 Where Watt Worked 8 Review - book 9 Museo Galileo 10 Review - exhibition 11 CERN archive 12 Conference Report 13 The Questionnaire 14 BJHS, Viewpoint, BSHS info. 16 Editorial I How should we remember, record, narrate and display the history of science? Questions of scientific heritage and memory underpin this issue, as a range of contributors analyse the objects, myths, and life-stories that are so crucial to our discipline. We hear from the Oral History of British Sci- ence team based at the British Library about how they are capturing the lives and tales of scientists and engineers; and from the Science Museum about how to recreate James Watt’s workshop. The winners of the Outreach and Education Committee’s recent Great Exhibitions! competition, Museo Galileo in Florence, introduce their revamped collec- tions. The Viewpoint opinion-piece argues for historians of science to take charge of the popular imagination; and our object of the issue column asks how can you exhibit a giant Russian supercomputer? Sophie Forgan is our interviewee. Plus there is the latest news from the Interviewee Richard West (background - middle) and Dick Grove (foreground) taking a Society, including the launch of a BSHS core sample of Kentmere diatomite deposits, Lake District, early 1950s. For detailed Monograph, a report from the 2011 post- explanation of photograph, see C1379/34, Track 12. Photo © Richard West. graduate conference, the HotSpots schools’ competition, and more. My particular thanks go to Charlie Con- Directed by National Life Stories at the British taries, comparatively little of this material is nelly and Emily Hankin for their help in Library, An Oral History of British Science easily available. Compared to the efforts of or- putting together this issue. Contributions aims to record the life stories of scientists, ganisations in America, such as the American to the next issue should be sent to news- engineers and others involved with British sci- Institute of Physics and the Chemical Heritage [email protected] by 15th August 2011. ence and technology. Although many figures Foundation, there has not been the same con- from the history of science and technology in certed, national level effort in Britain to record Britain have been interviewed already for as- scientists in their own words and make their Melanie Keene, Editor sorted purposes, such as books and documen- stories available for research. 2 Viewpoint No. 95 An Oral History of British Science will cre- issues. We’ll identify subjects, projects and working life contextualised through discus- ate a major new archive of science-related places of interest and the people connected sion of childhood, education, beliefs, family, life stories, accessible at the British Library to them. We’ll also consult others who already hobbies and outside interests too. There are and via the internet. Over the next few years know the area, such as heritage groups and obviously similarities with written biogra- the project will collect 200 audio interviews, museum curators. Sometime interviews ‘snow- phies, but how many scientists ask questions typically between 8 and 15 hours in length, ball’ off each other, when interviewees them- of themselves in their memoirs that a historian with a variety of individuals linked with sci- selves suggest other potential interviewees. would? How many scientific biographers ence and technology in Britain. The project Choosing from the list of possibles is never get the chance to really know their subjects is split into four themed strands, of which easy, it’s a hard choice between a lot of personally? two are currently underway, with funding interesting looking people. The decisions are The life history interview with the scientist from Arcadia (http://www.arcadiafund. made by the science project team as a whole, is something between these two things. It’s org.uk/) and the 1851 Commission. ‘Made with the guidance of the project’s advisory an opportunity to record a scientist’s life and in Britain’, for which I am the interviewer, is committee, including historians of science and work in their own words, but shaped through concerned with individuals from technol- actual scientists. As we’re dealing with unique conversation with an interested third party ogy, engineering and the applied sciences. individuals there is no hard and fast rule for with a different outlook to the scientist them- ‘A Changing Planet’, the responsibility of Dr who we will interview. Rather, we have a set selves. Just how much of different outlook? Paul Merchant, considers the development of of guiding concerns. Obviously in any area Well, as one of my interviewees remarked the earth sciences. The two as yet unfunded there are certain ‘key’ people who leap out for during a recent interview, “Good Lord, how on strands are: ‘Cosmologies’, which will consider inclusion. However, our aim isn’t just to record earth does your mind work to ask a question new systems of thought that have emerged key players, but to get a deeper collection of about that?” Mostly we will record interviews in correspondence with the development viewpoints including everyone from profes- in a persons home, a comfortable environ- of theoretical fields such as mathematical sors to lab technicians. We’re also distributing ment for them and a further insight into the physics, astronomy, and high-energy physics; interviews around the various fields of science interviewee for the interviewer. The interviews and ‘The Factory of Life’, which will explore and engineering, and making sure that we are recorded over several sessions, using top the transformations in biomedicine, how new cover a variety of sites of scientific activity. of the range digital audio equipment. The technologies have changed medical practices Ultimately we’re aiming for representation of typical 8 to 15 hour interview results in a tran- and provide a new understanding of biologi- the breadth and depth of scientific activity script of comparable size to the average PhD cal objects. in Britain, creating a collection of interviews thesis. Multiply that by 200, and the size of the which will be useful for many different pur- eventual resource becomes clear. Who Are We Interviewing? poses in the future. Supplementing the audio recordings we are The project began with a scoping study, also carrying out a smaller number of video researched by Dr Simone Turchetti from the What do we talk about? and group interviews. The group interviews University of Manchester. Included in this was In common with other National Life Stories will bring together an interviewee with former a starting list of possible interviewees across projects, An Oral History of British Science colleagues, and should bring out a sense the various fields of science and engineering. uses a life story interview approach. Rather of how science is a collaborative activity, as As we approach each new topic of the project than just focusing on a particular period in a well as allowing an insight into the collective Paul Merchant and myself carry out our own person’s life, we aim to record a much broader memory of groups of individuals who worked research to give us a feel for the area and its impression of them as a person, with their together. For the video interviews we decided “...there were a lot of strange things actually Geologist Janet Thomson remembers her A Changing Planet in those first months. I always remember exclusion from British Antarctic Survey that Bernard Lovell was trying to track the fieldwork in Antarctica: Paul Merchant is capturing stories of key rocket of the first Sputnik with his telescope developments in the Earth Sciences includ- at Jodrell Bank ... Of course this rocket could ‘... I thought it was daft that somebody... ing the influence of physics on glaciology be seen with the naked eye, and there were should be expected to work on samples (Charles Swithinbank, John Nye, John Glen), quite a lot of occasions when he would ring that hadn’t been collected by that person. the formulation of the theory of plate me up and ask…can you observe it again ...And I was also cross because there was tectonics (Fred Vine, Dan McKenzie, Mary and give me the correction? I remember the gender issue that was sort of dawning Almond), the use of isotopes to date events doing it once when I was at Seaford with my on me really [laughs] and I thought that in the life of rocks (Stephen Moorbath), parents, they got this phone call from Profes- was stupid too, so I wanted to go for the the role of satellites in observing the Earth sor Lovell [laughs] and I went right up on the reason of seeing it for myself, that par- and its atmosphere (Desmond King-Hele, top of the cliffs, I remember, to get no light so ticular location, but also going because Sir John Houghton), the discovery of the that I’d make sure I saw it. ...So I was able to they shouldn’t stop me [laughs] because ozone ‘hole’ (Joseph Farman), the use of give him another prediction and then he was I’m a woman, you know, I think that was instrumentation in oceanography (Sir An- able to observe it again and – with the new the start of feeling that it was a rather thony Laughton, Philip Woodworth, Melvyn observation, that allowed him to look at it improper segregation of scientists, be- Mason) and the rise of interest in climate the next night as well. ...He would come on cause [being] male or female depended, history and change (Dick Grove, Richard the radio and said, ‘yes, we observed it again’ you know, whether they could go to the West, John Kington, James Lovelock, Chris sort of thing and so he gave the impression Antarctic or not.’ Rapley).