Brown Bag Lecture: “Bunsen’s American Legacy”
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Date:
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January 24, 2012
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Time:
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12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
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Location:
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CHF
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106 |
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Open to the Public |
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Fee:
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Free
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A talk by Christine Nawa
From the 1840s onward large groups of U.S.-American students made their way to Europe, and especially to Germany, to become acquainted with the latest trends and methods in chemistry.
One of the major spots of attraction was the University of Heidelberg, which became an unparalleled hotspot for the development of the natural sciences in the second half of the nineteenth century. At the center of this development was Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811–1899), whose newly built laboratory was one of the best equipped in Europe. Between 1852 and 1888—when Bunsen was active as a teacher in Heidelberg—more than 180 Americans passed his training, first and foremost to learn methods developed and mastered by Bunsen, such as gas analytics and spectral analysis.
Nawa will discuss the motivation of the American students to join Bunsen’s Heidelberg laboratory and their reception and transmission of Bunsen’s style of teaching and research after their return to the United States.
Christine Nawa is a Ph.D. candidate in the history of science at the Universität Regensburg, Germany. Her dissertation work connects university history and the history of chemistry by focusing on Robert Wilhelm Bunsen’s research style and his teaching in his Heidelberg period (1852–1889).
About Brown Bag Lectures
Brown Bag Lectures (BBLs) are a series of weekly, informal talks on the history of chemistry or related subjects, including the history and social studies of science, technology, and medicine. Based on original research (sometimes still in progress), these talks are given by local scholars for an audience of CHF staff and fellows and interested members of the public.
For more information, please call 215.873.8289, or e-mail bbl@chemheritage.org.
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