Professor, geologist, and former astronaut on the Apollo mission Harrison H. Schmitt talks about his experiences as a member of the Apollo mission to the moon, and also discusses the possibilities of mining the moon in future for the energy source helium-3. His presentation includes film footage of the Apollo mission.
Professor Pauline Maier discusses her experiences teaching U.S. history at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), from the American Revolution to the current events in Iraq.
A panel of scholars and professionals discusses college and university architecture throughout U.S. history, focusing particularly on the architectural history of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Professor and author James Ackerman overviews the general history and development of academic architecture in the U.S.; curator Kimberly Alexander specifically overviews MIT's architectural history; and MIT president Charles Vest describes the process of completing the modern Stata Center.
To view part two of this lecture, scroll down to "Related Videos."
Scholar and author Emily Thompson describes the study of aural history—the study of not just music, but of noise and soundscapes as a whole, what cultures heard and how they heard it—and discusses the aural culture in the U.S. from 1900 to 1933. She looks at how sound at the time was influenced by technology and at the consumption of sound, focusing particularly on architecture's influence on sound.
Professors William J. Mitchell follows the architectural development of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) throughout its history. He focuses particularly on developments in the last decade, but also discusses development prior to the present day.
The Historical Museum of Southern Florida presents the history of South Florida and the Caribbean. The museum's permanent exhibit addresses Native American life, the international rivalry for dominance in the region, southward expansion and Seminole displacement, the development of technology and the region's economy, and immigration and tourism to South Florida. Consistent themes include ethnic diversity, immigration, and use of the natural environment.
The museum offers exhibits, summer camps, curriculum-based programs for students, historical site excursions for students, outreach programs for students, evening history programs, family programs, social and ecological history tours for adults, and research library and archive access. The website offers pre-visit materials.
The House of David Museum presents the story of the Christian religious community known as the House of David, founded in 1903. Members created most, if not all, of the items which they needed or desired for the rest of the community. At its height during the 1930s, the House of David served the early U.S. tourist population through its own amusement park, hotels, and restaurants, among other amenities. The House of David was also known for its baseball prowess, and would play games against teams in the Negro Leagues—unthinkable at a time when sports were so stringently divided by race.
The museum offers exhibits and self-guided tours. Appointments are required for groups of 25 or more. Groups receive an introduction and, when possible, a guided tour.
From the PBS Video website:
"In the summer of 1950 Wytheville, VA realized the nation's worst medical fears. An outbreak of Infantile Paralysis, commonly known as Polio, swept through a small town of 5,500 in which 40 percent of residents had not yet reached their eighteenth birthday. Highly contagious, just in time for summer vacation, the devastating neurodegenerative disease had chosen its next target."
This full-length documentary traces the progress of the mid-20th-century polio scare, the campaign to find a cure, and the development of two vaccines.
This companion website to a PBS NOVA documentary contains information about Einstein and his theory of relativity, as well as several special features. The site offers a timeline of Einstein's life from his birth in 1879 to his death in 1955, a short essay on his life before his great discovery in 1905, and an explanation of the theory behind the equation. Special features include: an essay on the legacy of Einstein's theories of special relativity and general relativity and how they affect our world; a feature exploring time dilation as predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity; and an audio feature in which 10 top physicists briefly describe Einstein's equatio. The site also offers two teacher guides: "Einstein's Big Idea" and "Einstein Revealed," 10 links to related websites, and a bibliography of eight books. Though it contains no primary source material, this site should be useful for science teachers and high school students studying Einstein, physics, and the history of science.
The Museum of Arts and Sciences invites visitors to explore all forms of the arts and natural and physical sciences.
The museum offers exhibits, planetarium shows, guided tours for school groups, camps and classes, and other recreational and educational events.