This month’s Photos of the Month features images related to six different episodes that will be featured in season one of Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast. Can you guess what each episode will be about based on the images and descriptions that follow below? To find out if you were right, be sure to tune into Initial Conditions starting this July!

Episode 1

Rollo’s Experiments is a 19th century novel intended to teach about science. It’s one of the earliest examples of the use of juvenile literature, juvenile fiction in fact, being used for scientific popularization and education. The book starts off with Rollo wanting to figure out why the sun shines farther inside the barn in the winter, than in the summer. His friend Jonas says it’s because they want the sunlight more in the winter and Rollo says “I don’t believe the sun moves about in the heavens, to different places, only just to shine into barn doors.” So they decide to do an experiment to track the sun’s light.

The Niels Bohr Library & Archives is particularly interested in physics education, in all its forms, whether it’s more popular works like The Magic School Bus or classic physics textbooks. We collect broadly so we can trace not only how science itself has changed over time, but also how our understanding and learning about science has changed. Science popularizations are fun for librarians to collect because they’re written for us, as we’re not scientists, unless you really consider library science a true “science.” But these books were meant to spark curiosity and engage the reader; they don’t assume a base level of knowledge or use jargon.

The study of science popularizations is also fascinating for historians of science, Joanna Behrman, Assistant Public Historian at AIP says,

Because it offers a window into the value system of science. This can mean both how science "ought" to be done, but also what aspects of nature are worthy of study and who is worthy of studying them. Children's literature like Rollo's Experiments, which are not meant only for future scientists but all children whether or not they continue in science, can also offer insight into what value scientific knowledge holds for any individual and thus also for society as a whole. Does someone need to know some level of science to be a good citizen, for instance? Or does knowing the processes of science build intellectual abilities or good character?

 These are questions we’re still grappling with today.

“A genius.” “Very undisciplined.” “A beautiful craftsman.” “An aristocrat.” “My hero.”

Robert Williams Wood, often known simply as R. W. Wood, was many things to many people. A physicist, science fiction author, poet, and (it seems to me) a man who lived for drama, Wood spent most of his career in the physics department at Johns Hopkins University. In honor of National Poetry Month I want to take a dive into Wood’s life and his eclectic career.

Wood the Physicist

To celebrate 4.14, World Quantum Day, we'll learn about quantum physics from the experts that shaped the field (with special help from classic films like Mean Girls and When Harry Met Sally).

In honor of National Library Week, today we are celebrating the role of libraries and librarians!
The theme for National Library Week 2022, “Connect with Your Library,” promotes the idea that libraries are places to get connected to technology by using broadband, computers, and other resources. Libraries also offer opportunities to connect with media, programs, ideas, and classes—in addition to books. Most importantly libraries also connect communities to each other. Overall, the theme is an explicit call to action—an invitation for communities to join, visit, or advocate for their local libraries.

Inspired by the book America Is Immigrants by Sara Nović and illustrated by Alison Kolesar, we bring you this month’s Photos of the Month: a sampling of physicists and physics-adjacent people who immigrated to America. Interspersed throughout photographs from our Emilio Segrè Visual Archives are some excerpts and illustrations from the book.

It's Women's History Month and all of us here at the Niels Bohr Library & Archives love podcasts. We recently compiled our favorite podcast episodes featuring women in science in a tweet thread and thought we would share it with our Ex Libris Universum readers! Here are our podcast recommendations for your enjoyment.

Note: It may take a few seconds for tweets to load.

The new underground vault at the American Institute of Physics is ready to become home for the Wenner Collection, other rare books, manuscripts, and archival photographs that are part of the Niels Bohr Library & Archives collections. The space was redesigned and upgraded with the financing from designated AIP funds and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

You can now find all of the digitized images from our Emilio Segrè Visual Archives in the Niels Bohr Library & Archives digital collections site! We are excited to now have a central repository for our digitized collection materials, but realize that this is a big change for researchers, so our staff compiled a handy guide you can use to get acquainted with the features of the new site.

Please let me be your tour guide on this trip of my own 10101010 explorations. Some of these came from recommendations from colleagues, some are from institutions AIP has a relationship with, and some of them were found through Internet rabbit holes. You’ll see that the formats vary widely; some are very sleek and modern-looking while others are more modest in form, but all of them have fascinating content. Most, but not all, are about history of science topics. Did I miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below or tag us in a Tweet!