Please join us in welcoming Dr. Francesco Gerali, a visiting scholar from Italy, who comes to the University of Oklahoma with a Mellon fellowship to conduct research in the history of oil exploration. Dr. Gerali’s research project is a comparative study of the development of the oil industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries in Italy, North America, Romania, France, Germany and other countries. It is a multi-disciplinary exploration of the relations between energy production and the social needs of lighting, mechanization and plastics.

In 2009, Dr. Gerali obtained his PhD in the History of Science from the University of Bari, Italy. He is currently Curator of the historical archive at the Accademia Lunigianese di Scienze Giovanni Capellini, La Spezia, Italy. Dr. Gerali has participated in a historical fieldwork project entitled “Geological travels in the mountains of Northern Italy” (sponsored by PRIN, National Research Project). In addition to several published articles, Gerali is an active participant in INHIGEO (International Commission for the History of the Geosciences), offering papers on Giovanni Capellini at recent meetings in Eichstatt (2007), Calgary (2009), and Madrid (2010). In recognition of these and other accomplishments, Dr. Gerali was elected to membership in INHIGEO in 2010.

Dr. Gerali is presenting a History of Science Colloquium Friday, February 11, on The Geologist and Oil: Giovanni Capellini in the History of Science Collections.

We welcome Dr. Gerali to the University of Oklahoma!

Deise is working on a Masters Degree in History from the Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto exploring the nature of science and scientific methodology espoused by Claude Henri Gorceix, the founder, director and professor of the institution that initiated the study of mineralogy and geology in Brazil. The working title of her thesis is “Cum mente et malleo: the Gorceix concept of science in the School of Mines (1876-1891).” Her advisor at the Federal University of Ouro Preto is Virgínia Albuquerque de Castro Buarque.

Ms. Rodrigues will be conducting her research in the History of Science Collections through the first week of August. We welcome Deise to the University of Oklahoma!

(More info on Mellon Travel Fellowships.)

Access the Bibliography online:

Online access to the Isis Bibliography, going back to 1970, is provided through the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (HSTM) database.

1. Go to the OU website (www.ou.edu).
2. Click the “Libraries” link on the left side to go to the OU Libraries website (libraries.ou.edu).
3. Log in. Enter your 4×4 and password in the crimson-colored navigation bar near the top of the screen.
4. Click “Databases” in the lower, central part of the page.
5. Click “H” in the browse alphabetically area beneath the search field.
6. Scroll down to “History of Science…” Read the brief description, if you wish, and click the link to open the database. You will see the web page open up, with “HistSciTechMed Basic Search” at the top.
   • Shortcut: Click here to skip steps #1-6 and go straight to the HistSciTechMed database.
7. Imagine that you want to identify an interesting article or two about Newton’s alchemy. Enter “Newton Alchemy” into the Key Word field and click Search.
8. Read through this list of items and decide what you want. Let’s say that you see an article by B.J.T. Dobbs entitled “Newton’s ‘Clavis’: New Evidence on Its Dating and Significance,” published in the journal Ambix. This article is listed as one of the hits, and the Bibliography provides you with a complete citation, including year of publication, volume number, and page numbers.
9. After you have identified what you want using the Bibliography and have a complete citation, then go to the Libraries website to see if it is available, either in print or online. To obtain this article, click the link for E-Journals on the Libraries home page and then type Ambix in the search field. You will see that full-text pdf articles from Ambix are available to logged-in users from several sources, including the IngentaConnect database provided by OU Libraries.

Many journals are available online through the OU Libraries. But if the one you want is not, history of science journals and monographs are available in print format from the History of Science Collections on the 5th floor of Bizzell Library. Use the Libraries’ online catalog to search for the item. But if the item you want is available neither online nor in printed form through the University Libraries, then you may obtain it by requesting it via the OU Libraries’ Inter-Library-Loan service.

Student questions:

1. Go to the online bibliography and find the article by Dobbs described above. What is its year of publication?
2. What is its volume number?
3. What is its page range?
4. Write a complete bibliographic citation for this article:
5. Find the article by Dobbs online, as instructed above (step #9). What is the last word on the second page of this article?

Read more:

In the April, 2010 newsletter of the History of Science Society, Prof. Weldon explains a number of tips and strategies for advanced searching in the HistSciMedTech database: “Searching Smartly in the HistSciTechMed database.”

The bibliography was begun in 1913 by historian of science George Sarton as part of his new journal Isis, and it has been published continuously since then. In 2000 the bibliography office moved to the University of Oklahoma. The Isis Current Bibliography is now edited by Stephen P. Weldon.

The print version of the bibliography comes out annually, and is mailed with the December issue of the journal Isis. Access to the bibliographic data is also available online through OCLC’s HistSciTechMed database, which can be accessed through many libraries in North America and some institutions outside of North America. All members of the History of Science Society have access to this database as part of their membership.

In 1616 Galileo was silenced on Copernicanism, but he bounced back with gusto in 1623. In that year his supporter and friend, Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, a former patron of the Academy of the Lynx and uncle of Cardinal Francesco Barberini , became Pope Urban VIII. The election of Barberini seemed to assure Galileo of support at the highest level in the Church. A visit to Rome confirmed this.

The Apiarium (Rome, 1625) was a gift of the Lynx to the new pope. Galileo adapted the telescope into a new instrument, named a microscope by a member of the Lynx. In the Apiarium, the first publication of observations made with a microscope, Federico Cesi (1585-1630) and Francesco Stelluti (1577-1651) studied the anatomy of the bee.

Only a few copies of this broadsheet were printed. See how the type bit deeply into the hand-made cotton paper? (below).

Along the top of this extremely rare document are representations of ancient coins depicting bees (below). Note the Barberini crest. The classical age of microscopy thus began with diplomacy.

The text includes classical references to bees as well as new knowledge, integrated in a tabular outline (below). Cesi had a fondness for tabular layouts, even in classification.

In a work of the same time, Stelluti published drawings. On the title page (below, left), note the Barberini bees, and the name of their patron, Francesco Barberini. And the Lynx. A remarkable plate displays the fine anatomical structures of bees, arranged in the pattern of the Barberini crest (below, right; click thumbnails for larger versions).

Just as Galileo’s telescope brought near the Moon and stars, so the eyes of the Lynx could see the secrets of the small, portraying structures of the bee never seen before.

An early alumna of the OU History of Science program, Clara Sue Kidwell (right, and below left) translated the Apiarium as part of her PhD dissertation in 1970. The translation appears as an appendix to a larger study of the Academy of the Lynx. Kidwell explains that Curator Duane Roller used to keep the temperature so low in the Collections’ former location on the 3rd floor in order to prevent the old graduate students from spoiling!

Prof. Kidwell later served as Director of the Native American Studies program at OU (1995-2006) and as Director of the American Indian Center at the University of North Carolina (2006-present).

• Apiarium gallery
• Apiarium catalog record
• Kidwell translation (dissertation appendix; searchable pdf, 40MB)
• Kidwell dissertation (via catalog)
• Freedberg, Eye of the Lynx
• Galileo’s Microscope at the Galileo Museum, Florence
• List of digitized books

The Lady and the Looking Glass: Margaret Murray’s Life in Archaeology.

History of Science Department Associate Professor Katherine Pandora served as Kate’s advisor. After receiving a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Truman State University, Kate earned an MA in Egyptian Archaeology from University College, London. In 2006, she added another MA from the Department of the History of Science at OU with a thesis entitled “You call this archeology? Flinders Petrie and Eugenics.”

The dissertation reflects Kate’s background in archaeology and her interests in women’s roles in the professionalization of science. More specifically, in the case of Margaret Murray, Kate explains:

“I find it fascinating when women who have been forgotten in the historical record have not simply an assistant-type role in professionalizing a science, but who in fact played a central and crucial role in the establishment of university disciplines, training programs, course development, and career trajectories of many of the more well-known scientists in our century. I also fell in love with public mummy unwrappings and the idea of controlling information by revealing the exotic to the public.”

Kate, shown here with the famous depiction by Vivant Denon of the zodiac ceiling of the Temple of Dendera (in Saulnier, 1822), is heading to Egypt at the end of the summer to take up a 3-year teaching position at the American University in Cairo:

My new position in Cairo is a teaching fellowship where I will be teaching two core curriculum courses in Scientific Thinking and one course of my own choosing! I’m so excited about this opportunity not only to move to Egypt but also to engage with freshmen as they come into the new world of learning on a whole new level.

Kate, we wish you all the best as you continue your academic career, and promise to welcome you back to the History of Science Collections whenever you can return to Norman. Please keep in touch!

Countless volumes and nearly 9,000 Landmarks titles have been released to date.

The journals in Landmarks are particularly noteworthy. Landmarks contains 350 titles on 780 reels of 17th, 18th and 19th century periodicals and academy publications. Some of these journals are not held by the Collections in printed format.

To find out if a work you are looking for is available in Landmarks, try the following:

• Search the OU Libraries catalog. However, some Landmarks items may not turn up when searching the Libraries’ online catalog, nor in the Collections’ printed card catalog.
• Consult our lists of Landmarks books and journals. The books list is current to July 2009; the journals list is complete for Landmarks II up through March, 1984.
• One of the best ways to identify Landmarks titles is to search WorldCat for microforms containing “Landmarks of Science.” If a Landmarks title is in WorldCat, it is usually here. Often, WorldCat is the most efficient way to identify a Landmarks title.

When you know what you want, ask staff in the Microform center within Government Documents (Bizzell Library, 4th floor) to retrieve Landmarks titles for you. Landmarks microforms, like other history of science microforms, were integrated into the Libraries’ microform collection in August 2013.

Note: Landmarks is divided into different parts, which make little difference to the user, but it is helpful to be aware of the three parts when retrieving them. The three parts are:

• Landmarks I, which contains monographs and some journals (produced 1967-1975).
• Landmarks II – Monographs (produced 1976-present), and
• Landmarks II – Journals (produced 1976-present).

See also: FAQ | Application form | Area Attractions | Email |

Through a generous endowment provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the History of Science Department and the History of Science Collections, the University of Oklahoma offers a travel fellowship program for visitors to make use of its resources for research in the History of Science. The Andrew W. Mellon Travel Fellowship Program is intended to assist scholars at both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral levels.

The program is designed to provide travel expenses and a reasonable per diem to researchers who reside outside the central Oklahoma area, and who have well-defined research projects that can be served by the holdings of the History of Science Collections. Support is available for qualifying projects for periods ranging from two to eight weeks. Although there is no limitation on the subject field of investigation, applicants must demonstrate the utility of materials in the History of Science Collections.

Fellowship projects may be scheduled for any time of the year when the Collections are open (hours). Applicants preparing proposals should contact the Curator or the Librarian for information.

Proposals are evaluated on an ongoing basis; there are no deadlines for proposal submission.

Proposal Contents:

Section One. The application form.
Complete the application form (pdf). This is the first section of your proposal.

Section Two. A curriculum vitae.
Include a cv, with a list of your scholarly publications and activities, as the second section of the proposal.

Section Three. Description of the research proposal.
This section should include:

• a narrative of your proposed project, not to exceed 1000 words, that discusses its relationship to previous and current scholarship in the field.
• a bibliography of relevant materials that require consultation at the History of Science Collections. Applicants should consult reference materials, including the University Libraries’ online catalogue, and may confer with the Curator or Librarian for assistance.

Section Four. References:

• Two letters of recommendation from persons qualified to judge your research skills in the proposed area and the scholarly significance of your research project. Pre-doctoral applicants will normally be expected to request letters from the project supervisor and a member of the doctoral or masters committee. Letters of recommendation should be requested well in advance.

Applicants are encouraged to consider the fellowship program as a means of supplementing the partial funding which they may be able to obtain from their own institutions or other sources, so that program funds can be extended to as many interested scholars as possible. Applicants will be notified of decisions within a few weeks of submitting the application.

Contact:
JoAnn Palmeri, Librarian (Email)
Andrew W. Mellon Travel Fellowship Program
History of Science Collections
University of Oklahoma Libraries
401 West Brooks, Room 380
Norman, OK 73019
405/325-2741

See also: General information | Application form | Area Attractions | Email |

Who may apply?
Short-Term Travel Fellowships are available to scholars at both the pre-doctoral and post-doctoral levels. Scholars whose principal residence or place of employment is inside the central Oklahoma area may not apply for short-term travel fellowships.

May I re-apply?
Applications from former fellows are welcome after an interval of six months, provided they have submitted a final report for previous award periods. Applicants should be aware that all proposals are evaluated solely on the merits of the project and the availability of resources in the History of Science Collections.

What constitutes the central Oklahoma area?
The central Oklahoma area, as determined by the Mellon Travel Fellowship Committee, is defined as the area within 100 miles of Norman, Oklahoma. Any scholar whose principal residence or place of employment is located within this region is ineligible for a short-term travel fellowship.

What criteria are used in evaluating fellowship applications?
In general, fellowship applications are evaluated under the following three criteria:

• the significance of the proposed project
• the applicant’s ability to complete the proposed project
• the appropriateness of the proposed project to the resources of the History of Science Collections

The selection process is competitive and all three criteria are considered very carefully. Because the Travel Fellowship Program is specifically designed to encourage use of Collections materials, the third criterion is especially important.

How are fellows selected?
The selection committee for the Mellon Travel Fellowship Program consists of the Curator and Librarian of the History of Science Collections and the Chair of the History of Science Department. The committee will solicit the expert opinions of other faculty when appropriate.

How may I learn about the resources of the History of Science Collections and the History of Science Program at the University?
Scholars wishing to apply are advised that information about the History of Science Collections may be found on the Internet; information about the History of Science Department may be obtained online as well. Both sites contain contact information. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their projects with members of the History of Science Program at the university.

What are the housing arrangements for fellows?
The University of Oklahoma maintains on-campus accommodations through Sooner Suites, ranging from single rooms to cottages. If you use these on-campus accommodations, the charge will be billed directly to the fellowship program, which results in a discounted rate. Successful applicants should request information regarding on-campus housing as soon as their fellowship term is set. Meals may be arranged through the University’s Food Services. Fellows may also make their own arrangements through a variety of hotels and motels in Norman, including the Holmberg House Bed & Breakfast.

For more information on accommodations and visiting Norman, see the Area Attractions pdf.

There is no fee to download or use these images, and our terms of use are quite generous — mainly, attribute them to us with a statement such as “Courtesy History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries.”

As a post from July 31, 2006, explained:

At the end of summer, 2006, approximately 6,000 images from books held in the History of Science Collections of the University of Oklahoma Libraries were available on the History of Science Collections image server. Our generous terms of use reflect our mission, as a public research university, in providing resources for teaching, research and publication.

Available images represent a wide variety of rare works in the history of science, including Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Aristarchos, Archimedes, Hippocrates, Hyginus, Pliny, Ptolemy, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), Crescenzi, Duns Scotus, Hildegard of Bingen, Sacrobosco, Leonardo da Vinci, Peurbach, and Regiomontanus, in addition to hundreds of images from 16th century and later works by Copernicus, Vesalius, Kepler, Galileo, Boyle, Newton, Cuvier, Darwin, Finley, Flammarion or Curie, to name a few.

Since that time the number of available images has grown to over 60,000. The importance of the galleries lies not in how many complete books are digitized. Rather, these galleries provide high-resolution color images suitable for close scrutiny. Browse these galleries when you need engravings, portraits, maps and illustrations for scholarly examination, or iconic images of pedagogical value for your teaching and presentations.

Above: Charles Darwin, Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle, (London, 1838-43).

See also: About the Online Galleries

The header for the blog is taken from a 1535 work by Albrecht Dürer held in the Collections. The transformation of a three-dimensional object onto a two-dimensional canvas by means of perspective drawing, depicted by Dürer, suggests our aim to transform the three-dimensional space of the History of Science Collections onto the ethereal “canvas” of this blog.

View additional Dürer images at the Collections’ image galleries.