We are lucky to host interviews with many wonderful authors of books on the history of physics, but it is with particular excitement that we share today’s article featuring the work of historian Dr. Rebecca Charbonneau, who recently joined us at the American Institute of Physics. Dr. Charbonneau is also an affiliate of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and the St. Andrews SETI Post-Detection Hub. She holds an MSc (Master of Science) in the history of science, medicine, and technology from the University of Oxford and a PhD in the history and philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge.
Dr. Charbonneau’s new book, Mixed Signals: Alien Communication Across the Iron Curtain, was released on January 14, 2025, and delves into the complicated and little-known alliance between US and USSR radio astronomers during the Cold War. Without further ado: the interview!

Maria Mitchell (1818–1889) was the first American scientist to discover a comet. Born on Massachusetts’ Nantucket Island to a library worker mother and an amateur astronomer father, she adopted both pursuits in her own life. Her parents ensured that she got a good education, which was not always a guarantee for girls at the time. Her father personally undertook her instruction in astronomy, mathematics, surveying, and navigation. At the age of 16, Maria opened a math and science school for girls. In 1836 Mitchell became the first librarian of the Nantucket Atheneum, the island’s members-only library. The Atheneum became a public library in 1900 and is still the primary library on Nantucket to this day.

In August 1841, during her tenure as librarian, the Atheneum hosted Nantucket’s first antislavery convention, a three-day event that featured Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison as speakers.

Similarly to Marie Curie and Albert Einstein, Mitchell’s job as a librarian afforded her the opportunity to think about science and much more. During her 20 years as a librarian, she spent many hours each day reading, with nights reserved for time at the nearby observatory that her father built. Though she became famous for her comet discovery, Mitchell was trailblazing in many other ways. She was likely one of the first professional women to be employed by the US government due to her work on the US Coastal Survey; she was a founder of the American Association for the Advancement of Women; she was involved with antislavery and suffrage movements; and she frequently published her scientific work in journals that usually published only men’s research. Mitchell became the first female professor of astronomy at Vassar College in 1865, specializing in the surfaces of Jupiter and Saturn. Standing against social norms, she made sure her female students came out at night to use the telescopes, and many of these students were also later published in scientific journals.

In this guest post, originally published in Physics Today magazine, historian Ryan Dahn highlights the story behind the first book children's author Maurice Sendak ever illustrated, 1947 popular-science book titled Atomics for the Millions by Hyman Ruchlis and coauthor Maxwell Leigh Eidinoff, a copy of which is held at the AIP Niels Bohr Library & Archives.

There are many snow-filled vistas in the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives including snow-capped observatories, physicists sledding and skiing, intrepid mountain climbers and researchers continuing to do experiments despite the snow. This December Photos of the Month celebrates snow! We hope you enjoy a glimpse into the winter wonderlands of physicists and astronomers.

At the Niels Bohr Library & Archives, we have many collections related to science communication and even whole book call number ranges dedicated to communication among scientists and to the public perception of science. We’ve created a Research Guide that gives an overview of our scientific communication-related books, archival collections, oral histories, and audiovisual materials that we hope will be useful for both fun and research. Check it out!

Every year, Thanksgiving seems to get lost in the marketing steamroller that takes us through the fall holidays, from Halloween through Christmas. But as a foodie, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays – gathering with friends and family, baking bread and pies, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with some mulled cider, roasting a turkey that hopefully has legs unlike one unfortunate year... 

The Niels Bohr Library & Archives has proudly sponsored the Grants to Archives program since 1998. This program helps support work to make accessible records, papers, and other primary sources that document the history of modern physics and allied fields. It is open to any institution worldwide and has a deadline in autumn each year.

Chatsworth House Trust was one of the recipients of the grant in 2022 for its project to catalog the papers of Henry Cavendish. In this interview, Archivist Erinna Cave tells us more about the project. 

This interview was originally published in the spring 2024 issue of the AIP History Newsletter. The project is now concluded; please see the bottom of this article for more information.

I am delighted to start a new author interview series for AIP’s Niels Bohr Library and Archives Blog, Ex Libris Universum, with this interview with John C. Besley, one of the authors of Strategic Science Communication: A Guide to Setting the Right Objectives for More Effective Public Engagement (2022). My hope for this series is to connect with researchers who are putting out excellent social science and humanities books of relevance to AIP’s focus on empowering physical scientists to create a better world. This first interview explores new research in science communication, an important collection area for the Niels Bohr Library & Archives. Stay tuned for an upcoming companion piece to this interview highlighting some of the science communication collections at NBLA.  

Dr. Besley is the Ellis N. Brandt Professor of Public Relations in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University. He engages in research to help science communicators improve their effectiveness by helping them consider evidence-based and strategic communication choices.

Paul Brandt once said, “don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon,” and I’ve been living by it ever since. Humans have accomplished the extraordinary in space. From human spaceflight to creating powerful space telescopes, our achievements in space are truly awe-inspiring.  

Starting as a week-long celebration in 1968 and expanding to last a month in 1988, Hispanic Heritage Month is held every year from September 15 to October 15 to recognize the numerous achievements and contributions of Hispanic/Latino Americans in the United States. In honor of this month, your friendly librarians (and archivists!) at the Niels Bohr Library & Archives have compiled a list of recommendations for your reading and listening pleasure to familiarize yourself with the stories and accomplishments of just a few Hispanic/Latino American scientists. From children’s books to career guides, biographies, and even a newsletter series, we’re sure there is something here for you.