Events Archive

This archive contains a list of Museum events that took place between 2005 and 2017; a list of more recent events from 2018 onwards is also available.

14 December 2017 at 18:00

BioArt: Altered Realities

Lecture

William Myers (author of Bio Art: Altered Realities) explains how BioArt responds to our changing definitions of life, nature, and identity.

Please book your free ticket through Eventbrite.

Copies of BioArt: Altered Realities, published by Thames & Hudson, can be purchased from the Museum Shop.

Part of the special exhibition Anna Dumitriu: BioArt and Bacteria

09 December 2017 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars and make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium.

Drop-in, ages 7+

02 December 2017 at 10:00

Curate

Adult Workshop

Take part in a morning of activities to bring out your inner curator!

Curate invites adults and young people to share ideas, thoughts and reflections and help shape the display of our amazing collection of early scientific instruments from the Islamic world.

Get close to some beautiful objects, learn about a unique collection, and develop your creative curatorial skills.

If you would like to take part please email co-curate@mhs.ox.ac.uk and we will send you more information.

25 November 2017 at 10:00

Curate

Adult Workshop

Take part in a morning of activities to bring out your inner curator!

Curate invites adults and young people to share ideas, thoughts and reflections and help shape the display of our amazing collection of early scientific instruments from the Islamic world.

Get close to some beautiful objects, learn about a unique collection, and develop your creative curatorial skills.

If you would like to take part please email co-curate@mhs.ox.ac.uk and we will send you more information.

22 November 2017 at 13:00

The Artist’s Tour

Tour

How can art explore the 'antibiotic apocalypse'?

Anna Dumitriu works hands-on with the tools and techniques of microbiology and synthetic biology to create intricate artworks that reveal strange histories and emerging futures. In this guided tour she will discuss the exhibition Anna Dumitriu: BioArt and Bacteria at the Museum of the History of Science, and her work exploring infectious diseases through art.

Dumitriu is a British artist whose work fuses craft, technology and bioscience. She weaves complex narratives around our relationship to infectious disease and its cultural and personal implications. She is artist-in-residence on the Modernising Medical Microbiology Project at the University of Oxford.
As well as creating artworks collaboratively in laboratories and healthcare settings at the cutting edge of science, she is known for developing participatory workshops. These engage diverse audiences in order to share stories and create spaces for dialogue between researchers and the public.

No need to book.

Part of the special exhibition Anna Dumitriu: BioArt and Bacteria

17 November 2017 at 18:00

The World and Beyond

Special Event

Explore the Museum’s collections through hands-on activities and talks to discover how we have charted our universe.

Activities for All

6-8.30pm

Grab the Stars – Top Gallery

Make your own astrolabe to explore the universe.

Message Santa – Basement Gallery

Send Santa secret Morse code messages.

Lightning Talks

6.15 – Beyond this World – Entrance Gallery

6.45 – Hands-on World – Top Gallery

7.15 – Beyond this World – Entrance Gallery

8.15 – The Chemical World – Basement Gallery

8.30 – The World of Faith – Top Gallery

8.45 – The Japanese Spiritual World – Entrance Gallery

Special Event

7.30 – Joined Up Singing give their annual performance – Staircase

Memoryphones – All Weekend

Hear the compelling accounts from Journeys to Oxford through the curious and enchanting Memoryphones designed by sculptor Dave Young and sound artist and maker Dan Fox, presented by OCM. Seek out the curious gramophone-like forms in front of our building and across the city.

For Oxford’s Christmas Light Festival

Drop-in, all ages

11 November 2017 at 14:00

World War One Walking Tour

Tour

Join this fascinating walking tour to learn about Oxford’s largely forgotten role in the first global conflict of the 20th century.

With UnderConstruction Theatre Company for Armistice Day 2017.

Please book your free ticket through Eventbrite.

11 November 2017 at 13:00

Eyeballs and Other Things

Family-Friendly Drop In

Dissect eyeballs and carry out curious visual experiments all about sight.

Drop-in, ages 9+

09 November 2017 at 11:00

Sensing Culture: Astronomy

Tour

A hands-on tour for blind and partially sighted visitors as part of our HLF-funded partner project with the RNIB.

Spaces for this tour are limited, for more information or to book contact 01865 282456 or outreach@museums.ox.ac.uk

06 November 2017 at 17:00

Sounding Space

Special Event

Experience a promenade concert with a difference and travel through space and time with music from medieval to modern, performed by the ensemble Sirinu. Includes the premiere of a new music-theatre commission by Oxford-based Martyn Harry.

There will be three promenade performances of one hour each:
5.00-6.00pm
6.45 -7.45 pm
8.30-9.30pm

Tickets £10, for booking and more information see www.ocmevents.org

02 November 2017 at 18:00

Anna Dumitriu: Artist's Talk

Lecture

Anna Dumitriu works hands-on with the tools and techniques of microbiology and synthetic biology to create intricate artworks that reveal strange histories and emerging futures. In this talk she will discuss the exhibition Anna Dumitriu: BioArt and Bacteria at the Museum of the History of Science, and her work exploring infectious diseases and emerging technologies through art.

Dumitriu is a British artist whose work fuses craft, technology and bioscience. She weaves complex narratives around our relationship to infectious disease and its cultural and personal implications. She is artist-in-residence on the Modernising Medical Microbiology Project at the University of Oxford.

As well as creating artworks collaboratively in laboratories and healthcare settings at the cutting edge of science, she is known for developing participatory workshops. These engage diverse audiences in order to share stories and create spaces for dialogue between researchers and the public.

Please book your free ticket through Eventbrite.

Part of the special exhibition Anna Dumitriu: BioArt and Bacteria

27 October 2017 at 13:00

Small Worlds, Giant Drawing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get involved in one giant drawing celebration based on bacteria and all things microscopic.

Drop-in, ages 7+

26 October 2017 at 13:00

Small Worlds, Giant Drawing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get involved in one giant drawing celebration based on bacteria and all things microscopic.

Drop-in, ages 7+

14 October 2017 at 12:00

House of Wisdom

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out how early Islamic scientists mapped the stars and discover medieval medicine through board games, talks and activities.

TOP GALLERY

- Discover medieval medicine in the Islamic world through board and card games

- Enjoy rare scientific instruments from the Islamic world with our team of Young Producers

- Find out about Qibla indicators and use maps to make your own

- Make a model astrolabe and find out how it was used

BASEMENT GALLERY – OBJECT HANDLING TRAIL

- Discover the people, places and principles of medieval medicine in the Islamic world with an exciting object-handling activity game

Drop-in, ages 7+

12 October 2017 at 18:00

King of all Balloons

Lecture

In this illustrated talk Mark Davies reveals the triumphs and tragedies in the life of Oxford’s James Sadler: a “most ingenious yet unfortunate man”.

James Sadler was the first Englishman to build and fly a hot-air balloon, and with his son Windham he flew from numerous location throughout the British Isles, setting various records in the process. These included the fastest journey ever made, commemorated in a medal displayed in the Museum of the History of Science. Yet despite a lifetime of achievement, bringing him into contact with some of the most significant names in Georgian Britain, James Sadler ended his days back in Oxford in impoverished obscurity. This talk will take place in the room where Sadler assisted the Oxford University Chemist Thomas Beddoes.

Mark Davies is an Oxford local historian, guide, public speaker, and author of several popular local interest books. His most recent publication, ‘King of all Balloons’: the Adventurous Life of James Sadler, first English Aeronaut, is the first biography of James and Windham Sadler. Copies will be available for signing on the night.

Please book your free ticket through Eventbrite.

07 October 2017 at 13:30

Discover Us: Dance Workshops

Family-Friendly Drop In

Dive into a magical world of lines, connections and movement. With live music and an invitation to play and participate, this performance-workshop looks at what connects us to each other and the world around us.

Workshops taking place at 1.30pm, 2.30pm, and 3.30pm.

Run by DancingStrong as part of Dancin’Oxford’s autumn Family Dance Week festival.

For booking and more information see www.dancinoxford.co.uk

Ages 4+

29 September 2017 at 12:00

Curiosity Carnival

Special Event

The Curiosity Carnival is a chance to find out what research is really all about, meet researchers, ask questions and discover how research affects and changes all our lives.

The night is a huge festival of curiosity – a city-wide programme of activities across the University of Oxford’s museums, libraries, gardens and woods. There will be a wide range of activities for all ages and interests – live experiments, games, stalls, busking, debates, music, dance. At the Museum we will be hosting a pub-quiz.

From noon, the whole of Broad Street will come alive with acrobatics, bite-size talks at Curiosity Corner, curiously interesting demonstrations, walking tours, and live music. Later in the day, other activities around Oxford will require a free ticket, giving you access to hundreds of free, fascinating activities around Oxford.

For more information about what's on and where, visit the Curiosity Carnival website.

24 September 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

We're approaching the end of this

project. If you haven't taken part

and tested a board game, don't

miss the opportunity.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

16 September 2017 at 14:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did museums look like 400 years ago? Learn about the strange and exciting objects these early 'cabinets of curiosity' contained. Choose objects from the museum to create your own model cabinet of curiosities.

Drop-in, ages 5-11

01 September 2017 at 14:00

Lino-block Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make your own linocut designs inspired by the Museum’s collection. Get first-hand experience with a mechanical printing press and print your design to take home.

Drop-in, ages 7+

31 August 2017 at 14:00

Lino-block Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make your own linocut designs inspired by the Museum’s collection. Get first-hand experience with a mechanical printing press and print your design to take home.

Drop-in, ages 7+

27 August 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Help test our board games and give us your feedback.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

12 August 2017 at 14:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

How did people communicate before the internet? Discover the amazing revolution brought about by Samuel Morse who invented Morse code, and use the Museum’s bespoke telegraphic apparatus to unravel the mystery message.

Drop-in, ages 7+

30 July 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Help test our board games and give us your feedback.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

22 July 2017 at 14:00

Globe-Makers

Family-Friendly Drop In

Travel the world and explore the Museum’s wonderful collection of globes! Discover the remarkable methods of Renaissance craftsman and make your own pocket globe to take home with you.

Drop-in. Ages 9+

11 July 2017 at 18:00

Galaxies and Black Holes

Lecture

Professor Roger Davies (Physics, University of Oxford) will tell the story behind the surprising discovery that black holes play a crucial part in making galaxies.
Please book your free ticket through Eventbrite.

The doors to the Museum will open at 5.45pm. Please arrive in plenty of time and ensure you have taken your seat by 5.55pm. This will allow us to release any unclaimed seats after this time to those waiting.

Late arrivals cannot be guaranteed entry.

01 July 2017 at 12:00

Alice's Puzzles

Family-Friendly Drop In

Alice in Wonderland Trail 12-5pm

Find out more about Charles Dodgson and the story of Alice in Wonderland through our wonderful collection of objects.

Storytelling 2-2.30pm

Join Storyteller Lucy Walters to explore the games and riddles Alice encounters on her fabulous journey through Wonderland.

POSTER

25 June 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Help test our board games and give us your feedback.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

20 June 2017 at 19:30

The Contagion Cabaret: a quirky theatrical evening of drama, discussion and disease

Special Event

Killer germs, superbugs, pestilent plagues and global pandemics have fascinated writers, musicians and thinkers for centuries. As diseases spread through a culture, likewise myths and ideas travel virally through film, literature, theatre and social media.

Join a cast of actors, scientists and literary researchers for an inventive illustration of infectious extracts from plays and music, past and present. This homage to all things contagious will take place in the suitably atmospheric setting of the Museum of the History of Science. Be sure to bring your antiseptic wipes.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Please note that the doors to the Museum will open at 7.15pm and the talk begins promptly at 7.30pm. Late arrivals cannot be guaranteed entry.

For Oxfordshire Science Festival.

17 June 2017 at 12:00

House of Wisdom

Family-Friendly Drop In

A festival of science and medicine in the early Islamic world with talks, activities, board games and more.
For Oxfordshire Science Festival

Drop-in, ages 7+.

13 June 2017 at 18:00

William Herschel and the Universe

Special Event

The Museum of the History of Science will host a special viewing of the new film William Herschel and the Universe. Introduced by former Museum Director Professor Jim Bennett and the filmmaker George Sibley, the film will be followed by a Q&A.

On March 13th, 1781, in his own back yard, using a telescope he built himself, a 42-year old musician named William Herschel found a new planet for the first time in history. That discovery doubled the size of the known solar system and would change not only his own life, but astronomy as well. William Herschel and the Universe, a film by Florida film maker George Sibley, tells the story of how a previously unknown amateur astronomer and his telescopes took the scientific world by storm.

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLMYl7b9BRo&feature=youtu.be

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Please note that the doors to the Museum will open at 5.45pm and the event begins promptly at 6pm.

02 June 2017 at 14:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early voyages of exploration with maps, globes, and hands-on navigational instruments.
Drop-in. Suitable for ages 7-13.

01 June 2017 at 14:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early voyages of exploration with maps, globes, and hands-on navigational instruments.
Drop-in, ages 7-13.

28 May 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Help test our board games and give us your feedback.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

20 May 2017 at 14:00

Make a Magical Votive

Family-Friendly Drop In

Join artist Anna Dumitriu to make a magical votive offering inspired by your experiences of antibiotics and the exhibition Back from the Dead. Add your piece to an exciting art installation with artist Anna Dumitriu.

Drop-in, all ages.

18 May 2017 at 13:00

Back from the Dead: Curator-led Tour

Tour

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of first human trials of penicillin, Back from the Dead at the Museum of the History of Science traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join our curators in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running regularly while the exhibition is open.

09 May 2017 at 18:00

The Magic of Crystallography: From Penicillin and Chocolate to Drug Discovery

Lecture

Professor Elspeth Garman (Biochemistry, University of Oxford) discusses how Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin unravelled the 3-D shape of penicillin using crystallography, and highlights what else this field has taught us since Hodgkin's pioneering work in the 1940s.

Please note that this talk is on Tuesday 9 May, not Thursday 11 May as advertised elsewhere.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Please note that the doors to the Museum will open at 5.45pm and the talk begins promptly at 6pm.

30 April 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Help test our board games and give us your feedback.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

27 April 2017 at 18:00

Regulation and Resistance

Lecture

Agricultural antibiotic use has a long and controversial history in Western food production. Dr Claas Kirchhelle (University of Oxford) discusses why antibiotics were introduced to food production, tracks the development of agricultural antibiotic use on both sides of the Atlantic, and examines why regulations designed to curb bacterial resistance differ in the US and Europe.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Please note that the doors to the Museum will open at 5.45pm and the talk begins promptly at 6pm.

22 April 2017 at 12:00

Marconi Day

Special Event

Basement Gallery: 12-4pm

Oxford & District Amateur Radio Society will be operating the radio station GB4MHS from the Museum. Drop in to see who they can contact across the globe by the power of wireless, handle historic radio equipment, and try out Morse code for yourself.

Top Gallery: 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm

Radio operators will be discussing their experiences at sea, working for Marconi, and maritime communications in the second half of the 20th century.

The Museum of the History of Science and the Bodleian Libraries have joined to present a programme in celebration of Marconi Day.

21 April 2017 at 14:00

Fabulous Fundials

Family-Friendly Drop In

Design and make your own decorative Easter sundial to help you tell the time.

Drop-in. Suitable for ages 5-11.

20 April 2017 at 14:00

Make a Magical Votive

Family-Friendly Drop In

Join artist Anna Dumitriu to make a magical votive offering inspired by your experiences of antibiotics and the exhibition Back from the Dead. Add your piece to an exciting art installation with artist Anna Dumitriu.

Drop-in, all ages.

18 April 2017 at 14:00

Back from the Dead: Curator-led Tour

Tour

In 1941 the first human trials of penicillin took place. To commemorate this event in medical history, Back from the Dead traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join our curators in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running regularly while the exhibition is open.

04 April 2017 at 18:00

A Future without Antibiotics?

Lecture

Dr Laura Shallcross (University College London) on why we need new drugs, new diagnostics and a complete re-think about how we consume antibiotics.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Please note that the doors to the Museum will open at 5.45pm and the talk begins promptly at 6pm.

01 April 2017 at

Easter Trail

Family-Friendly Drop In

Challenge yourself to the Easter Mystery Trail.

Drop-in, ages 6+
Help yourself from the Entrance Gallery.

26 March 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Help test our board games and give us your feedback.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

22 March 2017 at 15:00

Back from the Dead: Curator-led Tour

Tour

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of first human trials of penicillin, Back from the Dead at the Museum of the History of Science traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join our curators in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running regularly while the exhibition is open.

19 March 2017 at 12:00

Brain Aware

Special Event

An afternoon of interactive activities with University of Oxford researchers exploring how our brains work.

For Brain Awareness Week.

Drop-in, all ages.

18 March 2017 at 12:00

Yellow Magic

Special Event

Join us for an exciting day of hands-on activities, talks and performances about the story of penicillin and the miracle of antibiotics. Meet artists and scientists at the cutting edge of medical research.

For British Science Week.

Drop-in, all ages.

16 March 2017 at 19:00

Sir Hugh Cairns: A Pioneering Neurosurgeon

Lecture

Professor Gabriele De Luca (University of Oxford) discusses the work of Sir Hugh Cairns, whose research led to the introduction of motorcycle crash helmets and transformed battlefield neurosurgery during World War II.

For Brain Awareness Week.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Doors open at 6.30pm.

11 March 2017 at 13:00

Making Micrographia

Family-Friendly Drop In

Draw bugs and bacteria from images through microscopes, and make magical monoprints.

Drop-in, all ages.

09 March 2017 at 19:00

Crystals, Careers and Penicillin

Lecture

Biographer Georgina Ferry is joined by a panel of young women currently working in biochemistry to discuss their careers, and the achievements of Chemistry Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin.

For Oxford International Women’s Festival.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Doors open at 6.30pm.

03 March 2017 at 18:00

Stars and Specula

Special Event

An evening of star gazing with an 1840 speculum-metal reflecting telescope, a modern telescope, and replica Galilean telescopes.

With Hanwell Community Observatory.

Taking place in the Sheldonian Courtyard next to the Musuem.

Read more HERE.

26 February 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Help test our board games and give us your feedback.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

25 February 2017 at 14:00

Magical Movies

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did the Victorians know about the moving image? Find out and make your own magical movie toy.
Drop-in, ages 7+.

16 February 2017 at 14:00

Make a Magical Votive

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a magical votive offering inspired by your experiences of antibiotics and the exhibition Back from the Dead. Add your piece to an exciting art installation with artist Anna Dumitriu.

Drop-in, all ages.

15 February 2017 at 14:00

Back from the Dead: Curator-led Tour

Tour

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of first human trials of penicillin, Back from the Dead at the Museum of the History of Science traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join our curators in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running regularly while the exhibition is open.

11 February 2017 at 15:00

Out in Oxford: Special Tour

Tour

On the 11 February the University of Oxford’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM!) launch Out in Oxford, a specially commissioned trail celebrating diversity and highlighting LGBTQ+ experiences across Oxfordshire and beyond.

Funded by the Oxford University Museums Partnership, teams from GLAM have worked with LGBTQ+ community members and allies to queer the collections and offer alternative insights into the fascinating items looked after by the University.

Join us at the Museum for a tour by one of the volunteers who has written the object labels for this trail and find out about LGBTQ+ history through the collections at the Museum of the History of Science.

11 February 2017 at 14:30

Out in Oxford: Special Tour

Tour

On the 11 February the University of Oxford’s Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM!) launch Out in Oxford, a specially commissioned trail celebrating diversity and highlighting LGBTQ+ experiences across Oxfordshire and beyond.

Funded by the Oxford University Museums Partnership, teams from GLAM have worked with LGBTQ+ community members and allies to queer the collections and offer alternative insights into the fascinating items looked after by the University.

Join us at the Museum for a tour by one of the volunteers who has written the object labels for this trail and find out about LGBTQ+ history through the collections at the Museum of the History of Science.

11 February 2017 at 14:00

House of Wisdom

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out how scientists in early Islamic civilisations mapped the stars, and discover medieval medicine through exciting new board games and activities.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

09 February 2017 at 19:00

Saving Lives with Penicillin in Britain and Abroad

Lecture

Hear Dr Robert Bud (Science Museum, London) speak on the anniversary of the first human trials of penicillin. Dr Bud will describe that momentous medical event by looking at laboratory notebooks, analysis of British wartime experience and the challenges of making a wonderdrug in occupied countries from China to Czechoslovakia.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Doors open at 6.30pm.

29 January 2017 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Help test our board games and give us your feedback.

Drop-in, ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

28 January 2017 at 14:00

Chinese Dragon Fire-Clocks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a working Chinese dragon fire-clock to celebrate Chinese New Year. Try it out at home!
Drop-in, ages 7+.
Materials donation £3.

26 January 2017 at 19:00

Unlocking the Medieval Medicine Cabinet

Lecture

Dr Freya Harrison (University of Warwick) explores whether antibiotics could be hidden in the pages of medieval manuscripts.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Doors open at 6.30pm.

24 January 2017 at 13:00

Back from the Dead: Curator-led Tour

Tour

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of first human trials of penicillin, Back from the Dead at the Museum of the History of Science traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join our curators in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running regularly while the exhibition is open.

14 January 2017 at 14:00

Make a Magical Votive

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a magical votive offering inspired by your experiences of antibiotics and the exhibition Back from the Dead. Add your piece to an exciting art installation with artist Anna Dumitriu.

Drop-in, all ages.

10 January 2017 at 15:00

Back from the Dead: Curator-led Tour

Tour

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of first human trials of penicillin, Back from the Dead at the Museum of the History of Science traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join our curators in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running regularly while the exhibition is open.

28 December 2016 at 13:00

Back from the Dead: Curator Tour

Tour

75 years ago the first human trials of penicillin took place. To commemorate this milestone in medical history, the Museum's special exhibition Back from the Dead traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join this curator-led tour in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

No need to book.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running every two weeks.

Part of the programme of events for the Back from the Dead Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

18 December 2016 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Once a month we will be road-testing our games! Come along to give your feedback.

Drop-in. Ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

15 December 2016 at 11:00

Medicine – Tour for Blind and Partially Sighted Visitors

Tour

Join us for a hands-on tour of the museum for visitors who are blind or partially sighted on the theme of Medicine. Part of our HLF-funded “Sensing Culture” partner project with the RNIB.
Spaces for this tour are limited, for more information or to book contact 01865 282456 or outreach@museums.ox.ac.uk

13 December 2016 at 19:00

The Star of Bethlehem

Lecture

Join Museum Director Dr Silke Ackermann for a journey through science, art and history.

Doors open at 18:30.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

13 December 2016 at 14:30

Back from the Dead: Curator Tour

Tour

75 years ago the first human trials of penicillin took place. To commemorate this milestone in medical history, the Museum's special exhibition Back from the Dead traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join this curator-led tour in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

No need to book.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running every two weeks.

Part of the programme of events for the Back from the Dead Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

10 December 2016 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars, make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium.

Drop-in. Ages 7-13.

08 December 2016 at 19:00

The Global Threat of Antibiotic Resistance

Lecture

Bacteria resistant to the effects of antibiotics were discovered shortly after penicillin was licensed and since then the global prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has increased significantly. Professor Angela Brueggemann (University of Oxford) explores what is currently being done to tackle this problem.

Doors open at 18:30.

Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

Part of the programme of events for the Back from the Dead Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

06 December 2016 at 13:30

Shakespeare’s World View: Curator Tour

Tour

On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death the Museum explores Shakespeare’s knowledge of the natural world and the influence of Elizabethan thinkers on his works. Take a curator-led tour to transport you back in time to discover the inspiration for Prospero in The Tempest and Shakespeare’s view on free will.

No need to book.

Curator-led tours for Shakespeare’s World View are running once a month.

30 November 2016 at 15:00

Back from the Dead: Curator Tour

Tour

75 years ago the first human trials of penicillin took place. To commemorate this milestone in medical history, the Museum's special exhibition Back from the Dead traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join this curator-led tour in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.

No need to book.

Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running every two weeks.

Part of the programme of events for the Back from the Dead Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

27 November 2016 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic Medicine. Once a month we will be road-testing our games! Come along to give your feedback.

Drop-in. Ages 7+.

This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

26 November 2016 at 13:00

Magic Tales

Special Event

As part of the Oxford Christmas Light Festival the Museum will be celebrating the Victorian magic lantern and the stories they told. Drop-in to learn about this magical device, see performances by Mirror Mirror Education and make your own lantern slide to take home.

Drop-in. All ages.
Part of the Oxford Christmas Light Festival.

25 November 2016 at 18:00

Magic Tales

Special Event

Celebrate Christmas at the Museum with illuminations, live singing, curator talks and activities. Our late-night opening will also let you learn about at the history of the Victorian magic lantern, see performances by Mirror Mirror Education, and make your own lantern slide to take home.

Drop-in. All ages.

Part of the Oxford Christmas Light Festival

22 November 2016 at 19:00

Penicillin: Triumph and Tragedy

Lecture

Join Dr Robert Bud (Science Museum, London) for the first evening talk in our Back from the Dead programme of events.
Doors open at 18:30.
Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.
Part of the programme of events for the Back from the Dead Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

19 November 2016 at 14:00

Back from the Dead: Votive Workshops

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a magical votive offering inspired by your experiences of antibiotics and the exhibition Back from the Dead. Add your piece to an exciting new art installation with artist Anna Dumitriu.
Drop-in. All ages.
Part of the programme of events for the Back from the Dead Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

18 November 2016 at 12:30

Back from the Dead: Curator Tour (European Academic Heritage Day Special)

Tour

75 years ago the first human trials of penicillin took place.

To commemorate this milestone in medical history, the Museum's special exhibition Back from the Dead traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join this curator-led tour in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World. As a European Academic Heritage Day event this tour will focus on the role of penicillin during the Second World War.
No need to book. Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running every two weeks.

Part of the programme of events for the Back from the Dead Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

17 November 2016 at 19:00

Don’t Panic

Special Event

Using the three floors of the Museum for the History of Science, we invite you to explore hopes and fears in relation to science and technology. Using performance the evening will bring to life episodes from history, including the eruption of Krakatoa and Dorothy Hodgkin’s work on penicillin.

The evening combines impromptu and staged performance, and film, with academic interpretation and discussion. Join us for an entertaining and interactive night at the Museum drawing on humanities research at the University of Oxford; the collections of the Museum for the History of Science and the actors of Pegasus Theatre.

Doors will open at 19:00.
Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

09 November 2016 at 13:30

Shakespeare’s World View: Curator Tour

Tour

On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death the Museum explores Shakespeare’s knowledge of the natural world and the influence of Elizabethan thinkers on his works. Take a curator-led tour to transport you back in time to discover the inspiration for Prospero in The Tempest and Shakespeare’s view on free will.

No need to book.
Curator-led tours for Shakespeare’s World View are running once a month.

04 November 2016 at 14:30

Back from the Dead: Curator Tour

Tour

75 years ago the first human trials of penicillin took place. To commemorate this milestone in medical history, the Museum's special exhibition Back from the Dead traces the miraculous and precarious nature of antibiotics from the 1940s to the present day. Join this curator-led tour in the Special Exhibitions Gallery to discover how penicillin has shaped Oxford and the World.
No need to book.
Curator-led tours of Back from the Dead are running every two weeks.
Part of the programme of events for the Back from the Dead Special Exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science.

30 October 2016 at 14:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Museum is helping to develop new board games about medieval Islamic Medicine. Once a month we will be road-testing our games! Come along to give your feedback.
Drop-in. Ages 7+.
This event is running regularly on the last Sunday of every month.

28 October 2016 at 13:00

Big Robot Draw

Family-Friendly Drop In

Join us for a novel drawing event at the Museum, the Museum's contribution to this season's festival of drawing, expressly for Lego(TM) enthusiasts!

You will be challenged to experiment, adapt and control your own Lego drawing machine to join in the fun of making a giant chaotic drawing!

We will be constructing a giant montage of the most wild and wonderful sections of your robot's drawings!

Drop-in. Ages 7+.

27 October 2016 at 13:00

Big Robot Draw

Family-Friendly Drop In

Join us for a novel drawing event at the Museum, the Museum's contribution to this season's festival of drawing, expressly for Lego(TM) enthusiasts!

You will be challenged to experiment, adapt and control your own Lego drawing machine to join in the fun of making a giant chaotic drawing!

We will be constructing a giant montage of the most wild and wonderful sections of your robot's drawings!

Drop-in. Ages 7+.

25 October 2016 at 19:00

Ingenuity and Craft Culture in Early Modern London

Lecture

Professor Robert Iliffe (University of Oxford) examines how the work of artisans, especially scientific instrument-makers, was represented by Samuel Hartlib and Robert Hooke in early modern London. He will look at the changing intellectual and social contexts for their accounts, as well as the ways in which their own interests and identities informed the way they wrote about craftsmen.
Doors open at 18:30.
Please reserve a ticket through Eventbrite.

14 October 2016 at 13:30

Shakespeare’s World View: Curator Tour

Tour

On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death the Museum explores Shakespeare’s knowledge of the natural world and the influence of Elizabethan thinkers on his works. Take a curator-led tour to transport you back in time to discover the inspiration for Prospero in The Tempest and Shakespeare’s view on free will.

No need to book.
Curator-led tours for Shakespeare’s World View are running once a month.

08 October 2016 at 14:00

Science and Medicine in Early Islam

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out how early Islamic scientists mapped the stars; discover medieval medicine through board games and activities.

Top Gallery

– Discover the display of Islamic instruments in the top gallery with members of our Youth Forum team

– Find out about Qibla indicators and use maps to make your own

– Make a model astrolabe and find out about prayer lines

Basement gallery

– Discover medieval medicine through board games

– Create recipes for medieval medicines

Drop-in. Ages 7+.

29 September 2016 at 11:00

Objects of Science – Tour for Blind and Partially Sighted Visitors

Tour

Join us for a hands-on tour of the museum for visitors who are blind or partially sighted on the theme of Objects of Science. Part of our HLF-funded “Sensing Culture” partner project with the RNIB.

Spaces for this tour are limited, for more information or to book contact 01865 282456 or outreach@museums.ox.ac.uk

21 September 2016 at 13:30

Shakespeare’s World View

Tour

Take a curator-led tour to discover Shakespeare’s knowledge of the natural world.

15 September 2016 at 19:00

Mercury Rising: Measuring Temperature Through Time

Lecture

Beginning 300 years ago and leading us right up to the present day, Professor Graham Machin (National Physical Laboratory) will explore the origin and development of temperature scales.

How is our international measuring system changing and what is the science of thermometry? Why did practical temperature scales, such as Celsius and Fahrenheit, develop in the 1700s? Illustrating his talk with thermometers, thermometry equipment and practical demonstrations, Professor Machin explains how measuring temperature has, and still is, changing over time.

Doors open at 6.30pm.
Free booking available at www.bit.ly/mhs-events.

10 September 2016 at 14:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did museums look like 400 years ago? Learn about the strange and exciting objects these early 'cabinets of curiosity' contained. Choose objects from the museum to create your own model cabinet of curiosities.

Drop-in. Suitable for ages 5-11

26 August 2016 at 13:00

Lino-block Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make your own linocut designs inspired by the Museum’s collection. Get first-hand experience with a mechanical printing press and print your design to take home.

Drop-in. Suitable for ages 7+

25 August 2016 at 13:00

Lino-block Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make your own linocut designs inspired by the Museum’s collection. Get first-hand experience with a mechanical printing press and print your design to take home.

Drop-in. Suitable for ages 7+

18 August 2016 at 19:00

Time for Shakespeare

Lecture

Literally and figuratively, what was time for Shakespeare?

When the Prologue to Romeo and Juliet announces that the performance will last two hours, what does Shakespeare mean?

Professor Tiffany Stern (English, Oxford University) will explore hourglasses, sundials and mechanical clocks to consider the options for measuring time that were visible or audible in the early modern playhouse. Questioning what hours, minutes and seconds might have meant to a playwright in the 1500s, Professor Stern examines how did the art of describing time shaped Shakespeare's writing.

Doors open at 6.30pm.
Free booking available at www.bit.ly/mhs-events.

17 August 2016 at 13:30

Shakespeare’s World View

Tour

Take a curator-led tour to discover Shakespeare’s knowledge of the natural world.

13 August 2016 at 13:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

How did people communicate before the internet? Discover the amazing revolution brought about by Samuel Morse who invented Morse code, and use the Museum’s bespoke telegraphic apparatus to unravel the mystery message.

Drop-in. Suitable for ages 7+

21 July 2016 at 19:00

Board Games and Medieval Medicine

Lecture

The Museum is helping to develop board games about medieval Islamic medicine. Daniel Burt (Oriental Institute, Oxford University) presents this exciting new project.

Doors open at 6.30pm.

Free booking available through Eventbrite.
POSTER

21 July 2016 at 12:00

Summer Trails and Activities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover amazing instruments and devious devices: help yourself to trails and activities.

Drop-in.

09 July 2016 at 14:00

Globe-makers

Family-Friendly Drop In

Travel the world and explore the Museum’s wonderful collection of globes! Discover the remarkable methods of Renaissance craftsman and make your own pocket globe to take home with you.

Drop-in. Materials £2. Suitable for ages 9-13

03 July 2016 at 14:00

Oxford in the Great War – Walking Tour

Tour

Join this fascinating walking tour to learn about Oxford's largely forgotten role in the First World War. Discover how many well known colleges and public buildings were converted into hospitals and for military use; the desperate plight of Belgian and Serbian refugees arriving in the city; plus the formative experiences of key historical and literary figures, including Siegfried Sassoon, Vera Brittain and T E Lawrence. A poignant trip into an overlooked period in the Oxford story. This is a repeat of the Oxford in the Great War walking tour that took place on 29 May 2016.

The tour will be led by Jeremy Allen, writer, from UnderConstruction Theatre.

Meet outside the front gates of the Museum of the History of Science.

Free booking available at www.bit.ly/mhs-events.
POSTER

02 July 2016 at 13:00

Alice’s Discoveries

Family-Friendly Drop In

Visit the Museum and find out about cameras and early photography. Experiment with cyanotypes, one of the earliest types of photography, and discover Alice’s objects in the Museum.

Drop-in. Suitable for ages 7+
POSTER

30 June 2016 at 11:00

Navigation and Exploration – Tour for Blind and Partially Sighted Visitors

Tour

Join us for a hands-on tour of the museum for visitors who are blind or partially sighted on the theme of Navigation and Exploration. Part of our HLF-funded “Sensing Culture” partner project with the RNIB.

Spaces for this tour are limited, for more information or to book contact 01865 282456 or outreach@museums.ox.ac.uk

28 June 2016 at 19:00

Observing the Observers – SOLD OUT

Lecture

This lecture has now sold out. There will be a number of tickets avalible at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. Eventbrite tickets that have not been collected at 19:00 will also be re-released to those waiting.

Kew Observatory was originally built in 1769 to enable King George III to observe that year’s transit of Venus. Yet it was its work during the nineteenth century that is of the greatest historical interest. Its activities encompassed meteorology, geomagnetism, instrument testing and solar physics. In this talk, Dr Lee Macdonald will explore how a group of astronomers and science devotees at Kew began the world’s first systematic programme of daily solar photography in tandem with observations of the Earth’s magnetic field – a precursor of today’s ground- and space-based programmes that monitor the Sun and ‘space weather’, the Sun’s interactions with the Earth and other planets. The talk will also describe how Kew Observatory pioneered the testing of scientific instruments and became the originating institution of the present-day National Physical Laboratory.
Free booking available at www.bit.ly/mhs-events.

Doors open at 6.30pm.
POSTER

11 June 2016 at 14:00

Is There a Doctor in the House?

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the art of medicine through objects, stories and activities.

Drop-in. Suitable for ages 9+

POSTER

03 June 2016 at 13:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early voyages of exploration with maps, globes, and hands-on activities with navigational instruments.
Drop-in. Suitable for ages 7-13.
POSTER

02 June 2016 at 13:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early voyages of exploration with maps, globes, and hands-on activities with navigational instruments.
Drop-in. Suitable for ages 7-13.
POSTER

29 May 2016 at 14:00

Oxford in the Great War – Walking Tour

Tour

Join this fascinating walking tour to learn about Oxford's largely forgotten role in the First World War. Discover how many well known colleges and public buildings were converted into hospitals and for military use; the desperate plight of Belgian and Serbian refugees arriving in the city; plus the formative experiences of key historical and literary figures, including Siegfried Sassoon, Vera Brittain and T E Lawrence. A poignant trip into an overlooked period in the Oxford story.

The tour will be led by Jeremy Allen, writer, from UnderConstruction Theatre.

Meet outside the front gates of the Museum of the History of Science.

Free booking available at www.bit.ly/mhs-events.
POSTER

23 May 2016 at 19:00

Buckets, Bollards and Bombs

Lecture

Dr Mats Fridlund examines the power of terrorizing things and the containment of our emotions from the 19th century to the present day.

The humanities have an especially important role in providing critical investigation of the history and cultural impact of terrorism. Dr Fridlund’s project aims to provide an example of how historians can write histories of terrorism that provide a history of how civilians, cities and countries have learned how to live with a constant threat of terror.

In this talk he will examine how terror is incorporated into the everyday lives of citizens in the past and present day, and how coping mechanisms for this can take the form of technological artefacts like hardened buildings, gas masks, duck-and-cover drills, and routine public announcements not to leave luggage unattended.

Dr Mats Fridlund studies the political and cultural history of science, technology and innovation, and is currently Associate Professor in the History of Industrialization at Aalto University, Finland. He is currently working on the project “Infernal Machines: A Global History of the Science and Technology of Terrorism, 1793-2010”, which focuses on the role of scientific and technological expertise, innovation, and appropriation in the emergence of terrorism, and is built around a number of historical and contemporary case studies.
Free booking available at www.bit.ly/mhs-events.
Doors open at 6.30pm.
POSTER

14 May 2016 at 14:00

Drawing with Camera Obscuras

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the secrets of Renaissance art and how to use a camera obscura to draw in perfect perspective.
Drop-in. Suitable for ages 9+.

13 May 2016 at 14:00

Superstitions

Activity Day

Join us as we investigate superstition and luck on Friday 13th!
Drop-in.
POSTER

09 May 2016 at 12:00

Mercury in Transit

Activity Day

A dozen times each century the planet Mercury passes between the Earth and the Sun.
Celebrate this astronomical rarity by joining the Museum of the History of Science and Hanwell Community Observatory for a special event in the University Parks as we watch Mercury appear as a tiny dot on the surface of the Sun!

As Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system its transit cannot be seen with the naked eye, and so experts from the Observatory will be providing specially adapted telescopes for us to use. This includes projection telescopes, which will project an image of the Sun and Mercury onto a board on the ground. There will also be a selection of telescopes with professional filters, allowing us to look through the telescopes at the Sun. It important to stress that the Sun is a dangerous object to observe, and viewing it without specialised equipment can cause permanent damage or blindness.
This event will take place on the public play area by Keble Gate, University Parks, Parks Road, Oxford.
Drop-in. Suitable for all the family.
POSTER

05 May 2016 at 19:00

Public Health and Private Pain: A night of medical history and drama

Special Event

Enter the Museum for a unique evening of performance and drama. Drawing from a rich variety of medical plays and historical material, the event will illuminate, provoke, and dramatize developments which have shaped ideas of the body from the 18th century to the present day. Join academics from across the University of Oxford, professional actors from Pegasus Theatre and staff of the Museum of the History of Science as they show how these developments have been mapped not just by medical writing but by theatre, which has a long history of engaging with science and medicine.

Scenes and readings to include:

- Shelagh Stephenson, An Experiment with an Air-pump (1998)

- George Bernard Shaw, The Doctor’s Dilemma (1906)

- Henrik Ibsen, Ghosts (1881)

- A selection from the WWI poetry collection at Oxford by Sassoon and Owen

- An historical anti-vaccination song

- Joe Penhall, Blue/Orange (2000)

Book a free ticket at www.bit.ly/mhs-events.
POSTER

23 April 2016 at 12:00

Marconi Day

Family-Friendly Drop In

Help us celebrate the birthday of Guglielmo Marconi and experience the world of radio with Oxford and District Amateur Radio Society. Visit the Museum to see how our building can be turned into an amateur radio station for the day and contact other radio enthusiasts across the world! There will also be object handling with historic and replica wireless equipment, and talks about Marconi and wireless.

Drop-in. Suitable for all the family.
POSTER

08 April 2016 at 14:00

Fabulous Fundials

Family-Friendly Drop In

Design and make your own decorative Easter sundial.

Drop-in. Suitable for ages 5-11.

05 April 2016 at 19:00

Richard Owen: Sea Serpent Killer

Lecture

Join Professor Brian Regal (Kean University, United States) at the Museum as he illuminates the Victorian fascination with the monstrous through the career of the major naturalist Richard Owen.
The well-known naturalist, Richard Owen (1804 – 1892), had a career long engagement with monstrous creatures. He investigated fossil marine reptiles as well as the giant moa, and in the 1830s he famously christened large fossil reptiles ‘Dinosauria’.
Owen also researched sea-serpents and monsters, which captivated the public’s attention in the 19th century just as they do today. During this period a number of high-profile naturalists investigated reports of these monsters, and Owen’s own work is key to understanding the scepticism over sea-serpents and monsters held by modern science.
Free booking available at www.bit.ly/mhs-events

Doors open at 6.30pm.

POSTER

26 March 2016 at

Einstein's Easter Trail (drop-in)

Family-Friendly Drop In

Challenge yourself to Einstein's Easter Mystery Trail. Help yourself from the Entrance Gallery.

Drop-in suitable for children aged 7 upwards.

20 March 2016 at 12:00

Brain Aware

Family-Friendly Drop In

An afternoon of interactive activities with Oxford researchers and students from Oxford University Cortex Club as part of Brain Awareness Week.

Drop-in suitable for children aged 6 upwards.

POSTER

19 March 2016 at 12:00

Light Fantastic!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Join us for a celebration of light through experiments, talks and hands-on activities. British Science Week event.

Drop-in suitable for all the family.
POSTER

17 March 2016 at 19:00

Gastrophysics

Lecture

Professor Charles Spence from the Department of Experimental Psychology researches the science behind “multisensory illusions” and “multisensory perception”. In this fascinating talk he explores the rapidly developing field of gastrophysics; how soundscapes and music come together with taste to make the whole experience more stimulating, more enjoyable and possibly even more memorable.

** This event is now fully booked on Eventbrite. We will be releasing more tickets closer to the date, and there will be number of tickets available on the door on a first-come, first-served basis. **

Free booking at www.bit.ly/mhs-events

Doors open at 18:30.
POSTER

17 March 2016 at 11:00

Sensing Culture Touch Tour

Gallery Talk

Join us for a hands-on tour of the museum for visitors who are blind or partially sighted.

Part of our HLF-funded Sensing Culture partner project with the RNIB.

Spaces for this tour are limited, for more information or to book contact 01865 282456 or outreach@museums.ox&#x2#x2e;ac.uk

08 March 2016 at 19:00

Recycling the Astrolabe

Lecture

To mark the acquisition of a new and important astrolabe in the collection, Dr Stephen Johnston (MHS) and Dr Koenraad van Cleempoel (Hasselt University, Belgium) present the first research results on its story. The Museum's new acquisition is an example of a medieval device that has been adapted and reworked in the 16th century: it tells a story of the Renaissance recycling rather than rejecting the Middle Ages. Read more about the donation on our blog here.

Free booking at www.bit.ly/mhs-events

Doors open at 18:30.

Part of the programme of events for the Museum's entrance gallery exhibition: New Acquisitions

POSTER

05 March 2016 at 12:00

Making Micrographia

Family-Friendly Drop In

Use microscopes and lenses to draw insects and other tiny things, then make magical monoprints.

Drop-in suitable for children aged 7 upwards.

28 February 2016 at 14:00

Calendar Curiosities

Special Event

2016 is a leap year and just before 29 February we present an afternoon of calendrical conundrums – with talks and object handling.

POSTER

18 February 2016 at 13:00

Chinese Dragon Fire-Clocks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a working Chinese dragon fire-clock to celebrate Chinese New Year. Try it out at home!

Drop-in suitable for children aged 7 upwards.

Materials £2.

POSTER

09 February 2016 at 19:00

Beyond the Archive *CANCELLED*

Special Event

Due to unforeseen circumstances this event has been cancelled. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.

A conversation with collector Ron Bristow, who has donated a painstakingly assembled group of instruments to complement the Museum’s existing Elliott Brothers archive. The Elliott Brothers were an innovative British firm founded in the mid-19th century, who produced instruments for navigation, calculating, telegraphy, optics, and mechanical and electrical engineering, for clients including the British Admiralty and War Office and the East India Company.

Free booking at www.bit.ly/mhs-events

Doors open at 18:30.

Part of the programme of events for the Museum’s new entrance gallery exhibition: New Acquisitions (Open 19 January 2016)

06 February 2016 at 14:00

Rainbows and Kaleidoscopes

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out what makes a rainbow; make and take your own kaleidoscope.

Drop-in suitable for children aged 6 upwards.

19 January 2016 at 19:00

Reclimbing Moseley’s Staircase

Lecture

Henry Moseley’s work brought X-ray physics to bear on the chemists’ periodic table. Professor Russ Egdell (Chemistry) and Professor Justin Wark (Physics) reveal both the history and rich contemporary legacy of Moseley’s scientific work.

Free booking at www.bit.ly/mhs-events

Doors open at 18:30.

Part of the programme of events for the Museum's special exhibition: ‘Dear Harry…’ Henry Moseley: A Scientist Lost to War

12 January 2016 at 19:00

Alphabet of Our Universe SOLD OUT

Lecture

Award winning poet and scientist Rachel McCarthy takes us on a sociological journey through the Periodic Table; from its early formation to the chemistry of the present day. This part-lecture and part-poetry reading from her book 'Element' questions not only the relationship between science and poetry, but how we as a society engage with one of the greatest developments of our age – the Periodic Table.

Free booking at www.bit.ly/mhs-events

Doors open at 18:30.

Part of the programme of events for the Museum's special exhibition: ‘Dear Harry…’ Henry Moseley: A Scientist Lost to War

02 January 2016 at 13:00

Magical Movies

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did the Victorians know about the moving image? Find out and make your own magical movie toy.

Drop-in suitable for children aged 6 upwards.

05 December 2015 at 14:00

Lightning Strikes!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out about the story of electricity and Benjamin Franklin’s life-saving invention. Hands-on electrostatic experiments and demonstrations! Suitable for children aged 7 upwards.

22 November 2015 at 14:00

'Following in Harry's footsteps' walking tour

Special Event

Join our 'Dear Harry' curator for a free two-hour walking tour of Oxford following in the footsteps of Henry 'Harry' Moseley including visits to Trinity College, St Giles’ Church, the Moseley family home on Woodstock Road as well as the Physics Department. Suitable for 6+. Limited availability so register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/following-in-harrys-footsteps-tickets-19329556223 to reserve a place!

22 November 2015 at 12:00

Shining a Light on World War One

Family-Friendly Drop In

Come to our museum for World War One arts and crafts activities, hands-on activities related to battlefield communications in WW1 including telegraphy, radio communication, signals and semaphores from the Royal Signals Museum, and replica World War One uniforms and equipment. Suitable for ages 6+

21 November 2015 at 12:00

Shining a Light on World War One

Family-Friendly Drop In

Come to our museum for World War One arts and crafts activities, hands-on activities related to battlefield communications in WW1 including telegraphy, radio communication, signals and semaphores from the Royal Signals Museum, and replica World War One uniforms and equipment. Suitable for ages 6+

20 November 2015 at 18:00

Light Fantastic

Special Event

Celebrating the Oxford Christmas Light Festival parade finale in Broad Street, our late-night opening offers music, activities and special tours all themed around the pure and mysterious energy that is light!

14 November 2015 at 12:00

Periodic Table of Elements Day

Family-Friendly Drop In

The periodic table brings order to information about the chemical elements and helps scientists understand the world around us. At this free event find out more about the periodic table, see hands-on exciting demonstrations of elemental science, and print your periodic element to make up a truly unique periodic table of elements!

07 November 2015 at 12:00

Eyeballs and Other Things

Family-Friendly Drop In

Dissection of eyeballs and some curious visual experiments will help you understand what it is to see. Drop-in suitable for age 9 upwards.

29 October 2015 at 13:00

Shifting Shapes and Shadows

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make 3D structures inspired by objects from the Museum and contribute to a magical animated montage of shadow drawings. Drop-in suitable for all.

13 October 2015 at 19:00

'Too valuable to die?': the ethics of science and scientists going to war

Special Event

Evening debate

When Henry Moseley was killed on the battlefield at Gallipoli, newspapers on all sides of the conflict denounced his tragic death, with one English headline proclaiming that Moseley was “too valuable to die”. Moseley’s death contributed to changing attitudes toward science in war, and scientists and engineers were subsequently kept away from the frontline. Their work is now used to meet military goals, with scientific research increasingly relying on military funding.

Join us to discuss the ethics of scientific research for military purposes, and address the vital moral question raised by those newspaper headlines: If scientists are ‘too valuable to die’, then what of those who serve and die in their place?

10 October 2015 at 10:00

CANCELLED: World War One: Local Connections, Global Conflict

Adult Workshop

Adult Study Day.

Due to low ticket sales, we have cancelled this event. We may run it later this year or early in 2016 so check back to the MHS website for details.

08 October 2015 at 19:00

Harry Moseley: "…meteor of a summer night…"

Special Event

Poets from the group Oxford Stanza 2 will present a programme of original poetry inspired by the “Dear

Harry…” special exhibition at the Museum.

The group will be joined by younger students performing work created at a poetry workshop led by members of Oxford Stanza 2 at the Museum.

Free booking at www.bit.ly/mhs-events

06 October 2015 at 19:00

Sacrifice of a Genius: Henry Moseley, scientist and soldier

Lecture

Derek Stacey, Department of Physics, and Elizabeth Bruton, from the Museum, discuss Harry’s life as a scientist and a solider, and the legacy he left behind. At the end of the lecture we will reflect on the impact of Harry’s death upon his family, in particular Amabel Moseley, his mother, but also the international scientific community, as well as the influence his work had on future scientific research.

See EventBrite for full details and to register a place for this FREE event.

03 October 2015 at 14:00

Globe-makers

Family-Friendly Drop In

Explore the museum’s collection of globes and make your own pocket globe. Suitable for ages 9-13. Drop-in. Materials £2.

26 September 2015 at 13:00

Remembering the Great War

Special Event

A reminiscence day inviting the public to share family memories, papers and objects from World War One.

26 September 2015 at 13:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find unusual objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for children aged 5-11.

19 September 2015 at 12:00

Big Draw: X-ray Line

Special Event

Join artists from Oxford Brookes University and others to experiment with 3-D drawing inspired by Henry Moseley's world of X-ray vision and atomic structure. Part of the national launch event for the 2015 Big Draw festival of drawing. Open to all.

12 September 2015 at 14:00

Beam Me Up Harry!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the story of Harry Moseley and make a simple spectroscope to detect an element from a beam of light. Children aged 9 upwards. Materials charge £2.

28 August 2015 at 13:00

Lino-Block Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Try out an amazing printing press; make a linocut design for your favourite element and help us reinvent the periodic table! Suitable for age 7 upwards.

27 August 2015 at 13:00

Lino-Block Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Try out an amazing printing press; make a linocut design for your favourite element and help us reinvent the periodic table! Suitable for age 7 upwards.

25 August 2015 at 19:00

Harry’s Nobel Prize

Lecture

Distinguished historian of science Professor John Heilbron published the definitive “life and letters” biography of Henry Moseley in 1974. Forty years on, he returns to Harry to consider whether death prevented him from winning a Nobel Prize.

Free, but book a place at: www.bit.ly/MHSnobel

15 August 2015 at 13:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Experiment with Morse code and use the museum’s telegraphic apparatus to unravel the mystery message. Suitable for all aged 7 upwards.

09 August 2015 at 12:00

Signals and Semaphores

Family-Friendly Drop In

Public event with Royal Signals Museum

Join staff from the Royal Signals Museum for an afternoon of indoor and outdoor activities. Try your hand at WW1 battlefield communications including telegraphy, radio communication, signals and semaphores. Suitable for ages 6+.

08 August 2015 at 12:00

Signals and Semaphores

Family-Friendly Drop In

Public event with Royal Signals Museum

Join staff from the Royal Signals Museum for an afternoon of indoor and outdoor activities. Try your hand at WW1 battlefield communications including telegraphy, radio communication, signals and semaphores. Suitable for ages 6+.

04 August 2015 at 19:00

Revisiting Gallipoli

Special Event

Dr Silke Ackermann shares personal impressions from her recent pilgrimage to Gallipoli, ahead of a screening of Gelibolu, the 2005 documentary by Turkish filmmaker Tolga Örnek. Presenting viewpoints from both sides of the conflict, the film is narrated by Jeremy Irons and Sam Neill.

01 August 2015 at 14:30

From Semaphore Flags to Telephone

Table Talk

Dr Elizabeth Bruton discusses communication systems and the vital nature of signalling at Gallipoli during World War One.

28 July 2015 at 19:00

Picturing the Enemy

Lecture

Art historian Gizem Tongo (Oxford) explores how the Gallipoli campaign was pictured by artists of the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic that followed, and aims to understand the representation of the “other side” in Ottoman and Turkish painters’ palette of imagery.

Free, but book a place at: www.bit.ly/MHSpicturing

21 July 2015 at 19:00

Oxfordshire on the Home Front, 1914-18

Lecture

Dr Stephen Barker, an independent Heritage Advisor currently working with Oxfordshire Museum Services, richly illustrates the impact of the war in Oxfordshire’s towns and countryside: fundraising and charitable events, munitions production, recruitment, the effects on women and children, the fear of invasion, the influx of Belgian refugees and many other themes.

Free, but book a place at: www.bit.ly/MHShomefront

18 July 2015 at 14:00

Is There a Doctor in the House?

Family-Friendly Drop In

Explore the art of medicine through objects, stories and activities. Suitable for children aged 9 upwards.

16 July 2015 at 19:00

Gloves for Gallipoli

Lecture

During World War One, children and women at home were encouraged to help the war effort by sewing and knitting socks, scarves, and gloves for soldiers to keep warm. Heidi Kurtz uncovers this remarkable story and shows how, over the cold winter of 1915, soldiers at Gallipoli were reminded that people back home were thinking of them.

Free, but book places at www.bit.ly/MHSgloves

12 July 2015 at 14:30

Amabel's Diaries

Table Talk

The pocket diaries of Henry Moseley’s mother provide revealing glimpses of a family in peace and war. Presented by Dr Stephen Johnston.

04 July 2015 at 13:00

Alice’s Discoveries

Family-Friendly Drop In

On Alice's Day, discover early photography, follow the trail and add your choice object to Alice’s album of curiosities! Age 7 upwards.

27 June 2015 at 14:30

Ancient and Modern

Gallery Talk

Our new modern collections curator Dr Sophie Waring picks out highlights from the distant and more recent past.

20 June 2015 at 14:00

Beam me up, Harry!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the story of Harry Moseley and make a simple spectroscope to detect an element from a beam of light. Children aged 9 upwards. Materials charge £2.

Part of our ‘Dear Harry…’ exhibition programme.

18 June 2015 at 19:00

Gallipoli Film Programme

Special Event

Our season of Gallipoli films begins with All the King's Men (1999), a feature-length BBC television drama starring David Jason about the mystery of Sandringham Company of the Norfolk Regiment, which disappeared in action at Gallipoli in 1915. Part of the Dear Harry exhibition programme.

17 June 2015 at 18:00

Oxford in the Great War Bike Ride

Special Event

Come hear about the history of Oxford in World War I, from explosive research to dashing pilots as well as the Oxford connections of Henry Moseley and more! Twelve-mile bicycle ride with some off-road sections and regular stops included. Meet outside the Museum on Broad Street.

Led by ‘Dear Harry…’ co-curator Dr Elizabeth Bruton as part of Oxford Bike Week.

07 June 2015 at 14:30

From Crystals to Atoms

Table Talk

How did Henry Moseley investigate atoms using x-rays and crystals? Dr Stephen Johnston attempts to reveal the secret.

02 June 2015 at 19:00

Moseley and Manchester Science

Lecture

Henry Moseley moved from Oxford to Manchester in 1910, leaving behind a small scientific community tied to the traditions of college life. He joined the dynamic research team around Ernest Rutherford and quickly reached the forefront of contemporary physics. Dr Neil Todd (University of Manchester) illuminates Moseley’s life and work in Manchester, and his rapid transformation from student to leading researcher.

Part of our ‘Dear Harry…’ exhibition programme.

30 May 2015 at 14:30

From Semaphore Flags to Telephones

Table Talk

As part of the ‘Dear Harry…’ programme, Dr Elizabeth Bruton discusses communication systems and the vital nature of signalling at Gallipoli during World War One.

29 May 2015 at 13:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover Morse code and use the Museum’s telegraphic apparatus to unravel the mystery message. Suitable for all aged 7 upwards.

28 May 2015 at 13:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover Morse code and use the Museum’s telegraphic apparatus to unravel the mystery message. Suitable for all aged 7 upwards.

16 May 2015 at 14:00

Drawing with Camera Obscuras

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the secrets of Renaissance art and how to use a camera obscura to draw in perfect perspective. Ages 9+.

15 May 2015 at 19:00

Elemental

Special Event

An evening of the elements, with music, film, tours and trails. Part of our ‘Dear Harry…’ exhibition programme and to coincide with the annual international Museums at Night celebration.

10 May 2015 at 15:00

Light

Special Event

Free promenade concert

Opus Anglicanum are an all-male group of five unaccompanied singers and a narrator. As 2015 is the International Year of Light they return to the Museum with their beautiful and thought-provoking performance of readings and music about light, from ancient philosophers and medieval composers to new settings of the words of Einstein.

03 May 2015 at 12:00

My Memories of Science

Special Event

Come to the museum to learn about amateur science in the past, and to listen to fond memories of science in our everyday lives. Bring along your favourite scientific object, and share your memories with us as we attempt to give life to the long history of amateur science.

Led by students from the University of Oxford’s MSc in History of Science, Technology and Medicine.

02 May 2015 at 12:00

My Memories of Science

Special Event

Come to the museum to learn about amateur science in the past, and to listen to fond memories of science in our everyday lives. Bring along your favourite scientific object, and share your memories with us as we attempt to give life to the long history of amateur science.

Led by students from the University of Oxford’s MSc in History of Science, Technology and Medicine.

25 April 2015 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars, make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Suitable for ages 7-13.

25 April 2015 at 12:00

Marconi Day

Special Event

Oxford & District Amateur Radio Society celebrate the birthday of Guglielmo Marconi by operating radio station GB4MHS. See who they can contact across the globe by the power of wireless.

10 April 2015 at 14:00

Fabulous Fundials

Family-Friendly Drop In

Design and make your own decorative Easter sundial. Suitable for ages 5-11.

28 March 2015 at 12:00

Making Micrographia

Family-Friendly Drop In

Use microscopes and lenses to draw insects and other tiny things, and then make magical monoprints. Suitable for children aged 7+.

22 March 2015 at 12:00

Inside the Brain

Special Event

To coincide with International Brain Awareness week a series of interactive activities will investigate fascinating questions about the brain. Come and try for yourself a series of fun and illuminating experiments and get up close and personal with Oxford neuroscientists from a range of scientific fields. There will be something for all ages from 6 upwards.

21 March 2015 at 12:00

Inside the Brain

Special Event

To coincide with International Brain Awareness week a series of interactive activities will investigate fascinating questions about the brain. Come and try for yourself a series of fun and illuminating experiments and get up close and personal with Oxford neuroscientists from a range of scientific fields. There will be something for all ages from 6 upwards.

20 March 2015 at 12:00

Inside the Brain

Special Event

To coincide with International Brain Awareness week a series of interactive activities will investigate fascinating questions about the brain. Come and try for yourself a series of fun and illuminating experiments and get up close and personal with Oxford neuroscientists from a range of scientific fields. There will be something for all ages from 6 upwards.

19 March 2015 at 19:00

Neuroscience in Oxford: Four Centuries of Discovery

Lecture

Professor Zoltán Molnár (University of Oxford) is a leading expert in brain development. In this lively and engaging talk he uses original material to explore the colourful history of neuroscience research in Oxford, where the field of neurology was actually founded. Learn about the characters and developments that have shaped over 400 years of innovation and how these discoveries are relevant today.

15 March 2015 at 14:30

Laboratory Life

Gallery Talk

The Museum’s Basement Gallery was once a chemical laboratory. Discover its story and the material displayed in our Alchemy and the Laboratory exhibition.

14 March 2015 at 10:00

Hooked on Invention!

Family-Friendly Drop In

An extended day of talks, demonstrations and hands-on activities celebrating the 350th anniversary of the remarkable Robert Hooke. Discover curious facts and ingenious objects, from 17th-century experiments with microscopes and the air-pump to present-day challenges of science and engineering. Suitable for all the family.

28 February 2015 at 14:30

Stairway to Heaven

Gallery Talk

To complement the Bodleian Library’s Remembering Radcliffe exhibition, Stephen Johnston presents an astronomical tour focusing on the large instruments from Oxford’s Radcliffe

Observatory on our staircase.

28 February 2015 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars, make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Suitable for ages 7-13.

24 February 2015 at 19:00

Returning To The Moon

Lecture

The Google Lunar XPRIZE is a $30 million competition to land a privately-funded robot on the Moon. Professor Alan Wells is one of the XPRIZE judges and here provides an insight into the prize, the competing teams and their proposed missions to the Moon. Professor Wells is Emeritus Professor of the University of Leicester where he was Founding Director of the Space Research Centre. Doors open at 6.30pm – first come, first seated. Capacity is approximately 70 people.

20 February 2015 at 13:00

Chinese Dragon Fire-Clocks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a working Chinese dragon fireclock to celebrate Chinese New Year and try out at home! Drop-in suitable for ages 7+. Suggested materials donation £3.

19 February 2015 at 13:00

Chinese Dragon Fire-Clocks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a working Chinese dragon fireclock to celebrate Chinese New Year and try out at home! Drop-in suitable for ages 7+. Suggested materials donation £3.

18 February 2015 at 13:00

Chinese Dragon Fire-Clocks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a working Chinese dragon fire-clock to celebrate Chinese New Year. Try it out at home!

Drop-in suitable for children aged 7 upwards.

Materials £2.fe

08 February 2015 at 14:30

Table-Top Universe

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston demonstrates the workings of the solar system with a table orrery from around 1800.

31 January 2015 at 14:00

Clever Kaleidoscopes

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a clever kaleidoscope and create amazing symmetrical patterns! Suitable for age 6+.

27 January 2015 at 19:00

Where Did The Moon Come From?

Lecture

After hundreds of years of scientific study it’s easy to imagine that the Moon is well-understood. However, we still know surprisingly little about its origin. Professor

Alex Halliday (University of Oxford) discusses the many competing theories being debated today about how the Moon was formed.

17 January 2015 at 14:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects in the Museum and add them to your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for children aged 5-11.

11 January 2015 at 14:30

Trains, Zeppelins and X-Rays

Table Talk

A behind-the-scenes look at preparations for our next major exhibition, with the ingenious physics apparatus of Henry Moseley.

03 January 2015 at 13:00

Magical Movies

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did the Victorians know about the moving image? Find out and make your own magical movie toy. Suitable for children aged 6+.

20 December 2014 at 14:30

Moon Dial

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston shows how a sundial can be used to tell the time by the light of the Moon.

13 December 2014 at 14:00

Creatures of the Zodiac

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the Zodiac and make decorative hanging stars or a magical celestial dial. Suitable for ages 5 upwards.

07 December 2014 at 15:00

Director’s Choice

Gallery Talk

Museum director Silke Ackermann picks out highlights from the Museum’s displays.

06 December 2014 at

Geek Out!

Special Event

The Geek is Good exhibition may have gone, but it’s not forgotten. Join us for a day of retro-gaming with the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and the BBC Micro. The finale of the day will be Matt Westcott ’s fulfi llment of a 32-year computing challenge – to recreate Mahler’s First Symphony for an orchestra of Spectrums!

29 November 2014 at 14:00

Pick a Pocket Sundial

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover ingenious pocket sundials and make beautiful replicas based on ones from the Museum’s amazing collection. Suitable for children aged 7-13.

21 November 2014 at 19:00

Supermoon

Special Event

Waxing, waning, gibbous and new
A night of the Moon we present to you
Opening late from seven till ten
To the dark side we’ll go, then back again

Join us for a night of all things lunar to celebrate Christmas Light Festival in Oxford!

See the full programme.

20 November 2014 at 19:00

People Power

Special Event

A ‘museum late’ showcasing the dynamic world of citizen science. Through short talks, quizzes and interactive sessions with Oxford researchers, come and discover how members of the public participate in science today, how they have done so in the past, and how citizen science is changing the humanities.

Admission is free but tickets are required. Book online at www.bit.ly/mhspeoplepower.

Part of Being Human, the UK’s first national festival of the humanities, led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

08 November 2014 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars, make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Drop-in suitable for ages 7-13.

02 November 2014 at 15:00

Geek is Good Tour

Gallery Talk

A free curator-led tour to close the current special exhibition, from the Raspberry Pi to the astrolabe.

31 October 2014 at 13:00

Animate It!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Join us for the Big Draw and contribute to an animated collage inspired by objects from the Museum and a magical installation for the Christmas Light Festival in Oxford. Suitable for all.

30 October 2014 at 13:00

Animate It!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Join us for the Big Draw and contribute to an animated collage inspired by objects from the Museum and a magical installation for the Christmas Light Festival in Oxford. Suitable for all.

21 October 2014 at 19:00

From Code-breaking to Cake-making

Lecture

Georgina Ferry, author of A Computer Called LEO, reveals the early history of British computing, from the wartime cracking of codes to the remarkable story of how Lyons Tea-shops created the world’s first office computer.

18 October 2014 at 14:30

The Robot Telescope

Table Talk

Peter Ells presents the extraordinary family story of an amateur astronomer and his robotic telescope – all computer-controlled by a 1980s BBC Micro.

11 October 2014 at 14:00

Drawing with Camera Obscuras

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the secrets of Renaissance art and how to use a camera obscura to draw in perfect perspective. Suitable for children aged 9 upwards.

28 September 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

27 September 2014 at 14:30

School of Hard Sums

Gallery Talk

Stephen Johnston demonstrates the giant slide rule in the Geek is Good exhibition.

27 September 2014 at 12:00

Eyeballs and Other Things

Family-Friendly Drop In

Dissection of eyeballs and some curious visual experiments will help you understand what it is to see.

Suitable for age 9 upwards.

21 September 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

20 September 2014 at 14:00

The Iron Genie

Art@MHS

Artist Anita Chowdry demonstrates her sculptural installation, The Iron Genie, currently on show in the Top Gallery. The Iron Genie is inspired by the harmonograph, a 19th-century drawing device that created beautiful curves by combining the motions of pendulums. At 3pm Anita will also give a 30-minute talk about the piece.

Find out more at www.anitachowdry.com.

14 September 2014 at 15:00

Geek is Good exhibition tour

Gallery Talk

Curator-led tour of the current special exhibition, from the Raspberry Pi to the astrolabe.

14 September 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

13 September 2014 at 13:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities.

Suitable for children aged 5-11.

07 September 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

06 September 2014 at 14:30

Chaucer and the Astrolabe

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston presents astronomy-loving Geoffrey Chaucer as the original English geek.

31 August 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

30 August 2014 at 14:30

Crystal Sets and Radio Hams

Table Talk

Elizabeth Bruton talks about the enthusiastic early history of amateur radio.

29 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A 20-minute demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph, will take place on the half hour between 1.30pm and 4pm. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

29 August 2014 at 13:00

Calling all Geeks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Check out geeky activities with our special exhibition, and enter the geek competition.

Suitable for age 7 upwards.

28 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A 20-minute demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph, will take place on the half hour between 1.30pm and 4pm. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

28 August 2014 at 13:00

Calling all Geeks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Check out geeky activities with our special exhibition, and enter the geek competition.

Suitable for age 7 upwards.

27 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A 20-minute demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph, will take place on the half hour between 1.30pm and 4pm. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

26 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

Due to illness, unfortunately, there will be no demonstration of the Iron Genie this week. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

24 August 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

23 August 2014 at 14:30

Mysteries of the Almanac

Table Talk

Almanacs were once crucial documents for predicting the calendar, holy days, and astronomical events. Using MHS examples, librarian Jennifer Dumbelton presents their history and significance.

20 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A 20-minute demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph, will take place on the half hour between 1.30pm and 4pm. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

19 August 2014 at 19:00

Longitude Found

Lecture

In July 1714 parliament passed the Longitude Act, sparking a competition to solve the greatest maritime problem of the age – how to find position at sea. Fresh from curating the new exhibition “Ships, Clocks & Stars: The Quest for Longitude” at the National Maritime Museum, Dr Richard Dunn (Royal Museums Greenwich) offers a new interpretation of this remarkable 18th-century story.

19 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A 20-minute demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph, will take place on the half hour between 1.30pm and 4pm. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

17 August 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

16 August 2014 at 14:00

The Iron Genie

Art@MHS

Artist Anita Chowdry demonstrates her sculptural installation, The Iron Genie, currently on show in the Top Gallery. The Iron Genie is inspired by the harmonograph, a 19th-century drawing device that created beautiful curves by combining the motions of pendulums. At 3pm Anita will also give a 30-minute talk about the piece.

Find out more at www.anitachowdry.com.

16 August 2014 at 13:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover Morse code and use the Museum’s telegraphic apparatus to unravel the mystery message.

Suitable for all aged 7 upwards.

15 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A 20-minute demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph, will take place on the half hour between 1.30pm and 4pm. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

13 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A 20-minute demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph, will take place on the half hour between 1.30pm and 4pm. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

12 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A 20-minute demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph, will take place on the half hour between 1.30pm and 4pm. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

10 August 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

06 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

05 August 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

03 August 2014 at 14:30

Let’s Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

02 August 2014 at 10:00

What is an Astrolabe?

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the beauty of the astrolabe, make one and find out how it works. Suitable for children aged 9 upwards. Booking required – call 01865 277280.

31 July 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

27 July 2014 at 15:00

Geek is Good exhibition tour

Gallery Talk

Curator-led tour of the current special exhibition, Geek is Good, from the Raspberry Pi to the astrolabe.

27 July 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

25 July 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

24 July 2014 at 15:30

Stardome Planetarium: Discover the Universe

Special Event

Enter the astrodome to explore the Universe – the Sun, the Solar system, and the night time sky, from myths and legends to the life and death of stars. Presenters from Explorerdome, Bristol, and Techniquest Glyndwr, Wrexham.
Shows last approximately 30 minutes. 25 places unreserved, first come first served.
FREE event.

24 July 2014 at 14:00

Stardome Planetarium: Discover the Universe

Special Event

Enter the astrodome to explore the Universe – the Sun, the Solar system, and the night time sky, from myths and legends to the life and death of stars. Presenters from Explorerdome, Bristol, and Techniquest Glyndwr, Wrexham.
Shows last approximately 30 minutes. 25 places unreserved, first come first served.
FREE event.

24 July 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

23 July 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

22 July 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

20 July 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

19 July 2014 at 14:00

Is There a Doctor in the House?

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the art of medicine through objects, stories and activities.

Suitable for children aged 9 upwards.

19 July 2014 at 14:00

The Iron Genie

Art@MHS

Artist Anita Chowdry demonstrates her sculptural installation, The Iron Genie, currently on show in the Top Gallery. The Iron Genie is inspired by the harmonograph, a 19th-century drawing device that created beautiful curves by combining the motions of pendulums. At 3pm Anita will also give a 30-minute talk about the piece.

Find out more at www.anitachowdry.com.

18 July 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

17 July 2014 at 13:30

The Iron Genie – Demonstration

Art@MHS

A demonstration of Anita Chowdry‘s Iron Genie, a kinetic sculpture inspired by 19th-century drawing machine the harmonograph. Make your own unique pattern of curves to take home.

13 July 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

12 July 2014 at 12:00

Objects in the Field: Sophy Rickett in Conversation

Special Event

Artist Sophy Rickett in conversation with photography writer Paul Tebbs.
An informal discussion exploring the connections and discontinuities between art and science, looking at appropriation, interpretation, and different forms of collaboration.

06 July 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

05 July 2014 at 13:00

Alice’s Discoveries

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early photography, explore the Museum, and help us animate Alice’s adventures on Alice Day!
Age 7 upwards.

29 June 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

28 June 2014 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars, make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Suitable for ages 7-13.

22 June 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

15 June 2014 at 15:00

Geek is Good

Gallery Talk

Curator-led tours of the current special exhibition.

15 June 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

14 June 2014 at 14:00

Globe-makers

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the museum’s collection of globes, how globes used to be made and make your own model globe. Suitable for ages 9-13. Booking required. Voluntary materials donation £5.

11 June 2014 at 19:00

Oxford Geek Night #36

Special Event

From the pub to the museum, the geeks have taken over. Oxford’s regular Geek Night gathering comes to MHS for a special evening of inspirational and intriguing talks.

Free admission but tickets must be booked; see the Geek is Good website for more information.

10 June 2014 at 17:30

Time and Emotion

Lecture

The Byrne-Bussey Marconi Lecture
Michael Weatherburn: ‘Time and Emotion Study: Anne Shaw, Metropolitan Vickers, and Work Experiments on the Twentieth Century British Factory Floor’
Book free tickets

08 June 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

07 June 2014 at 14:30

Numbers by Machine

Table Talk

Discover the workings of the first successful calculator – the desktop arithmometer.

01 June 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

30 May 2014 at 13:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early voyages of exploration with maps, globes, and hands-on navigational instruments. Suitable for ages 7-13.

29 May 2014 at 13:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early voyages of exploration with maps, globes, and hands-on navigational instruments. Suitable for ages 7-13.

25 May 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

24 May 2014 at 14:30

Cancelled: Chaucer and the Astrolabe

Table Talk

Was Geoffrey Chaucer really a geek? Come and find out what he wrote about the most universal of medieval scientific instruments.

The table talk on “Chaucer and the Astrolabe”, due to take place on Saturday 24 May at 2.30pm has had to be cancelled for family reasons. Our apologies to anyone hoping to attend. It will be rescheduled in our next quarterly programme.

18 May 2014 at 15:00

Geek is Good

Gallery Talk

Curator-led tours of the current special exhibition.

18 May 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

17 May 2014 at 13:00

Tech Specs

Family-Friendly Drop In

Be inspired by the special exhibition Geek is Good and make your own geeky glasses! Suitable for age 6 upwards.

16 May 2014 at 19:00

Geek for All

Special Event

Release your inner geek at this special Museums at Night event. Games with Thirsty Meeples, as well as talks and activities. Dare you try the geek confession booth?

11 May 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

04 May 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

27 April 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

26 April 2014 at 14:00

Galileo’s Telescope

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Galileo’s invention and make your own working telescope. Children aged 9 upwards. Booking required. Voluntary materials donation £5.

26 April 2014 at 10:00

Marconi Day

Special Event

Oxford & District Amateur Radio Society celebrate the birthday of Guglielmo Marconi by operating radio station GB4MHS. See who they can contact across the globe by the power of wireless.

13 April 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

12 April 2014 at 13:00

Easter Fundials

Family-Friendly Drop In

Design and make your own decorative Easter sundial. Suitable for ages 5-11.

06 April 2014 at 14:30

Let's Get Geeky

Family-Friendly Drop In

Get your hands on some geek gadget history as part of the programme for our Geek is Good exhibition. Volunteer-led handling sessions every Sunday.

02 April 2014 at 19:00

OPTOGENETICS: A NEUROSCIENTIST'S ADVENTURES IN MIND CONTROL

Lecture

Optogenetics – combining genetics and optics – uses light to turn brain cells on and off. This revolutionary new technique helps scientists understand the brain in health and disease. Optogenetics pioneer Professor Gero Miesenboeck (University of Oxford) explains what it can do.

29 March 2014 at 12:00

MAKING MICROGRAPHIA

Family-Friendly Drop In

Use microscopes and lenses to observe tiny things; make drawings and magical monoprints. Suitable for ages 7+. No need to book – just drop in!

29 March 2014 at

EASTER TRAIL

Family-Friendly Drop In

Challenge yourself to the Mathematical Mystery Trail. Help yourself in the Entrance Gallery during opening hours. Suitable for ages 7+.

19 March 2014 at 19:00

HIDDEN WAVES

Lecture

Sound artist Ray Lee talks about his fascination with the hidden world of electromagnetic radiation and sound waves, demonstrating the science and philosophy behind his unique installations and strange instruments. Part of the Reactions festival.

18 March 2014 at 19:00

SYMMETRY AND THE DOUBLE HELIX

Lecture

The discovery of the double helical structure of DNA is one of the most celebrated episodes of 20th-century science. Professor Brian Sutton of King’s College London reveals the crucial role of crystallography in the story, and shows how an understanding of symmetry provided a vital clue that led to the structure.

16 March 2014 at 14:30

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF ALBRECHT DURER

Gallery Talk

Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer is best known for his exceptional printmaking and engraving, but MHS Librarian Jennifer Howard explores why he is of interest to artists and scientists alike. Part of the Reactions festival.

16 March 2014 at

UNLOCKING THE BRAIN

Family-Friendly Drop In

Try some fun brain games and interactive experiments with University of Oxford neuroscientists.

15 March 2014 at 10:00

CRYSTALS DAY

Special Event

Discover the art and science of crystals, in a special all-day event. Hands-on activities, demonstrations and challenges suitable for all. No need to book – just drop in! Part of the Reactions festival.

13 March 2014 at 19:00

LEFT AND RIGHT BRAIN: MYTHS AND REALITY

Lecture

Is the left side of the brain really analytical and the right side intuitive? How do scientists test such claims? Professor Dorothy Bishop (University of Oxford) asks how our brains vary, and whether it matters.

11 March 2014 at

UNLOCKING THE BRAIN

Family-Friendly Drop In

Try some fun brain games and interactive experiments with University of Oxford neuroscientists.

08 March 2014 at 15:30

LIGHT AND SOUND

Special Event

Join Opus Anglicanum, a group of five singers and a narrator, for a performance of classical music, specially-commissioned pieces and readings, all inspired by the changing understanding of the nature of light. Doors open 3pm; arrive early to guarantee admission.

02 March 2014 at 14:30

CRYSTALLINE, NATURALLY

Table Talk

Minerals are nature’s crystals and they make up the rocks of the Earth. Monica Price (Museum of Natural History) demonstrates some of the surprising and remarkable properties of natural crystals.

UPDATE Due to illness, this table talk will be replaced by a gallery tour of the current special exhibition Crystals.

01 March 2014 at 14:00

STARS AND PLANETS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars, make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book – just drop in!

21 February 2014 at 13:00

CRAZY KALEIDOSCOPES

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make an incredible kaleidoscope and create colourful symmetrical patterns! Suitable for ages 6+. No need to book – just drop in!

20 February 2014 at 13:00

CRAZY KALEIDOSCOPES

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make an incredible kaleidoscope and create colourful symmetrical patterns! Suitable for ages 6+. No need to book – just drop in!

15 February 2014 at 14:00

THE MECHANICAL CABARET

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover gears, levers and cams, and make a mechanical toy. Suitable for ages 7+, voluntary donation £5. No need to book – just drop in!

(Note: this event replaces the “Pick a Pocket Sundial” workshop listed in the Museum’s printed quarterly programme.)

08 February 2014 at 10:00

DIAMOND DAY

Family-Friendly Drop In

Meet researchers from the UK’s largest particle accelerator, Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire. Find out what crystallography is and learn how it’s used in everything from drug-discovery to archaeology.

04 February 2014 at 19:00

HIDDEN GLORY: DOROTHY HODGKIN IN HER OWN WORDS

Special Event

A screening of a one-woman play about the life and work of the Nobel Prize-winning crystallographer, directed by Abbey Wright and featuring Miranda Cook as Dorothy. Followed by Q&A with the playwright, Hodgkin’s biographer Georgina Ferry.

01 February 2014 at 14:00

CHINESE DRAGON FIRE-CLOCKS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Celebrate Chinese New Year; make a colourful Chinese dragon fire-clock and try it out at home! Suitable for ages 7-13, voluntary materials donation £3. No need to book – just drop in!

01 February 2014 at 14:00

CRYSTALS

Gallery Talk

Curator-led tour of the current special exhibition.

26 January 2014 at 14:30

FOR THE LOVE OF ANGLES

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston explores the angle-measuring passion of early crystallographers.

25 January 2014 at 14:00

CRYSTALS

Gallery Talk

Curator-led tour of the current special exhibition.

23 January 2014 at 19:00

PATRIOTISM AND PROFIT DURING WORLD WAR ONE

Lecture

Professor Graeme Gooday of the University of Leeds and Dr Elizabeth Bruton talk about the motivations of scientists, the military, and industry for innovation and research in World War One. Was it patriotism, profit, or both?

Part of the Innovating in Combat project at the University of Leeds and Museum of the History of Science, Oxford. Funded by AHRC.

21 January 2014 at 19:00

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE OF TUBERCULOSIS

Lecture

Crystal-growing can be very challenging indeed. In this talk Professor Elspeth Garman of the University of Oxford will relate the history and outcome of efforts to produce crystals of a tuberculosis protein whose structure, once revealed, could help in the discovery of new drugs.

18 January 2014 at 14:00

CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover exciting objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for ages 5-11. No need to book – just drop in!

11 January 2014 at 13:00

THE STORY MAKERS CELEBRATION

Family-Friendly Drop In

Activities for all celebrating the work of children taking part in the Museum’s ‘Story Makers’ project. All ages, no need to book – just drop in!

04 January 2014 at 13:00

MAGICAL MOVIES

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did the Victorians know about the moving image? Find out and make your own magical movie toy. Suitable for ages 6+. No need to book – just drop in!

03 January 2014 at 13:00

Magical Movies

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did the Victorians know about the moving image? Find out and make your own magical movie toy. Suitable for children aged 6+.

14 December 2013 at 13:00

SNOWFLAKE

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the wonderful symmetries in snowflake crystals and make snowflake Christmas decorations. Suitable for ages 5+. No need to book – just drop in!

07 December 2013 at 14:00

CRYSTALS

Gallery Talk

Find out about the ideas behind the current special exhibition in this curator-led tour.

03 December 2013 at 19:00

THE TWO BRAGGS

Lecture

2013 is the centenary of the first determination of a crystal structure by x-ray diffraction, a technique which would transform 20th-century science. This Nobel Prize winning work was the result of a remarkable collaboration between father and son physicists William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg.

Mike Glazer, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, presents both the scientific and personal story of the Two Braggs.

30 November 2013 at 14:00

GLOBE MAKERS

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the MHS collection of globes, and make your own model globe. Suitable for age 9+, voluntary materials donation £5. Booking: 01865 277280 / museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk.

24 November 2013 at 14:30

OCEANS OF BLUE

Table Talk

Anna Atkins’ Photographs of British Algae (1843) is a book of cyanotypes, an early experimental form of photography resulting in striking blue and white images. Librarian Jennifer Howard reveals this treasure of the Museum’s collection.

22 November 2013 at 19:00

LET IT SNOW!

Special Event

Investigate the beauty of snowflakes and many other crystalline forms in an evening of fun Family Friendly activities, tours of the Crystals exhibition, talks, music and film. An Oxford Christmas Light Night event.

16 November 2013 at 14:00

CRYSTALS

Gallery Talk

Find out about the ideas behind the current special exhibition in this curator-led tour.

09 November 2013 at 14:00

STARS AND PLANETS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars, make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book – just drop in!

01 November 2013 at 13:00

SHAPES AND SHADOWS

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Big Draw: make animated drawings with shadow projections to be included in a magical installation for Christmas Light Night. Suitable for all ages. No need to book – just drop in!

31 October 2013 at 13:00

SHAPES AND SHADOWS

Family-Friendly Drop In

The Big Draw: make animated drawings with shadow projections to be included in a magical installation for Christmas Light Night. Suitable for all ages. No need to book – just drop in!

27 October 2013 at 14:30

TABLE-TOP UNIVERSE

Table Talk

To mark the appearance of a visitor-operated orrery in the Museum, Stephen Johnston presents the 200-year old original which inspired our 21st-century recreation.

19 October 2013 at 14:00

OXFORD STORIES

Gallery Talk

Stephen Johnston highlights some of the key people, places and objects from the history of science in Oxford.

12 October 2013 at 14:00

SECRET KNOWLEDGE

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of perspective and use a camera obscura to create a work of art. Suitable for ages 9+. Booking: 01865 277280 / museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk.

05 October 2013 at 14:00

EXPERIMENTS WITH PATTERNS AND SYMMETRY

Family-Friendly Drop In

Crystallographer Professor Brian Sutton of King’s College London and glass artist Shelley James invite visitors to experiment with tiling patterns and learn about types of symmetry. Shelley will also explain the process that she has developed to encapsulate structures inside hot glass forms, as shown in her Entrance Gallery exhibition ‘Crystal Symmetries’. A drop-in for all ages.

29 September 2013 at 14:30

WILLIAM BURCHELL: EXPLORER, ARTIST, AND NATURALIST

Table Talk

Nineteenth-century naturalist William John Burchell left a treasure trove of specimens from his explorations in Africa, including many species new to science. Malgosia Nowak-Kemp, Collections Manager of the Zoological Collections at the Museum of Natural History, shows specimens, maps and journals to reveal the importance of Burchell’s life and work, which was largely unrecognised during his lifetime.

28 September 2013 at 14:00

NATURAL HISTORIES

Gallery Talk

Join Natural Histories curators for an inside view of the summer exhibition.

28 September 2013 at 12:00

YELLOW MAGIC!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the amazing story of penicillin and other medical breakthroughs with stories, objects and activities. Suitable for ages 9+, no need to book – just drop in!

26 September 2013 at 19:00

HALF A CENTURY AND COUNTING: POPULATION STUDIES OF THE GREAT TIT AT WYTHAM WOODS

Lecture

Professor Ben Sheldon, Director of the Edward Grey Institute, shares the new directions for the study of the great tit at Wytham in the 21st century: social behaviour, genetics, the ecology of disease, and responses to changing environments.

17 September 2013 at 19:00

PRESSED FOR TIME: COLLECTING AND UNDERSTANDING PLANTS

Lecture

Dr Stephen Harris discusses human understanding of plants over the past 400 years, through the history of herbaria and collecting. Stephen Harris is Druce Curator of the Oxford University Herbaria and author of Planting Paradise: Cultivating the Garden, 1501-1900 (2011).

14 September 2013 at 14:00

Natural Histories

Gallery Talk

Join Natural Histories curators for an inside view of the summer exhibition.

14 September 2013 at 13:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for ages 5-11, no need to book – just drop in!

08 September 2013 at 14:30

Flying Icons

Table Talk

Kate Santry, head of archival collections at the Museum of Natural History, reveals the scientific importance of Jones’ Icones – an unpublished collection of watercolour butterflies painted by William Jones (1745-1818).

29 August 2013 at 13:00

Mysteries of the Natural World

Family-Friendly Drop In

Snakestones or salamanders? Touch, feel and discover curious objects of natural history – try our tricky quiz. Suitable for ages 6+, no need to book – just drop in!

18 August 2013 at 14:30

The Art and Science of Taxidermy

Table Talk

Professional taxidermist Derek Frampton reveals the techniques, tools and artistry of preparing animal skins for display.

17 August 2013 at 12:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover Morse code and use the Museum’s telegraphic apparatus to unravel the mystery message. Suitable for ages 7+. No need to book – just drop in!

06 August 2013 at 19:00

Robert Plot and County Natural History

Lecture

Robert Plot was Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum at its foundation in 1683 and an early exponent of county natural history. That tradition is the focus of the PhD which tonight’s speaker, David Beck is currently completing at the University of Warwick.

03 August 2013 at 14:00

What is an Astrolabe?

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the beauty of the astrolabe, make one and find out how it works. Suitable for ages 9-13, voluntary materials donation £5. Booking required – call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk.

31 July 2013 at

Summer Trails and Activities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover amazing instruments and devious devices: help yourself to trails and activities during opening hours.

20 July 2013 at 14:00

Drawing with Leonardo

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Renaissance art and how to use a camera obscura to draw in perfect perspective. Suitable for ages 9+. Booking required: call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk.

17 July 2013 at 19:00

Summer Quiz

Special Event

Quizzical creatures and all things natural history are the feature of this year’s MHS quiz. Enter a team of three or four, or come along and join a scratch team on the night. Drinks and prizes. Doors open at 6.30pm.

13 July 2013 at 14:00

Natural Histories

Gallery Talk

Join Natural Histories curators for an inside view of the summer exhibition.

06 July 2013 at 12:00

Alice's Discoveries

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early photographs, explore the Museum and help us to animate Alice’s adventures! Suitable for ages 7+, no need to book – just drop in!

This event is part of the city-wide Alice’s Day celebrations, coordinated by the Story Museum. More details…

30 June 2013 at 14:30

Rogue Traders

Table Talk

Monica Price, assistant curator of Mineralogy at the Museum of Natural History presents some of the fakes and forgeries from the University’s collection of minerals.

29 June 2013 at 14:00

Natural Histories

Gallery Talk

Dr Stephen Johnston introduces the current exhibition, Natural Histories.

29 June 2013 at 14:00

Natural Histories

Gallery Talk

Join Natural Histories curators for an inside view of the summer exhibition.

25 June 2013 at 19:00

Virtuoso Naturalist

Lecture

Public Lecture by Dr Anna Marie Roos.

Natural history was one of the many interests that could catch the curious eye of a 17th-century intellectual. Anna Marie Roos, biographer of just such a virtuoso figure, Martin Lister, will talk about his life and science, and the recent discoveries that she has made about him in Oxford.

22 June 2013 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow your stars, make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book, just drop in!

09 June 2013 at 14:30

William Smith and the First Geological Maps

Table Talk

Professor Paul Smith, Director of the Museum of Natural History, will show how these early maps give insights into the 3-dimensional structure of the Earth.

08 June 2013 at 14:00

Globe- Makers

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the Museum’s collection of globes, how they used to be made and make your own model globe. Suitable for ages 9-13. Booking required (museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk/01865 277280), voluntary materials donation £5.

01 June 2013 at 14:00

Natural Histories

Gallery Talk

Dr Stephen Johnston gives a curator tour of the current exhibition ‘Natural Histories’.

30 May 2013 at 14:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early voyages of exploration with maps, globes and hands-on navigational instruments. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book – just drop in!

29 May 2013 at 14:00

Real / Non-Real

Family-Friendly Drop In

Artist-led workshop for children fashioning objects of optical illusion with collage and assemblage. Lled by Stephanie Douet. Places limited, booking required.

23 May 2013 at 19:00

In Conversation

Lecture

Artist Stephanie Douet creates work which explores vision and the deception of the eye. Oxford neuroscientist Professor Andrew Parker researches binocular and 3D vision. Hear them in conversation prompted by optical devices in the Museum’s collection.

19 May 2013 at 14:30

Real/Non-Real

Adult Workshop

Artist-led workshop for adults, fashioning objects of optical illusion with collage and assemblage. Led by Stephanie Douet. Places limited, booking required (museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk / 01865 277280).

18 May 2013 at 14:00

Linocut Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Be inspired by strange beasts and weird monsters, make linocut designs and try out a mechanical printing press. Suitable for ages 6+. No need to book – just drop in!

17 May 2013 at 18:00

Museums at Night: Creatures of the Night

Special Event

Discover creatures of the night, from flourescent scorpions and wise owls to animals in the stars and scary vampires! Take a tour of the new exhibition ‘Natural Histories’, meet nocturnal animals, make a star dial and spook yourself with 1922 horror classic ‘Nosferatu’ with live piano accompaniment. In collaboration with the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

11 May 2013 at 13:00

Memory Makers

Family-Friendly Drop In

Where are our memories stored? See images of the brain on a microscopic scale and add your own memory to our artwork of neurons. No need to book – just drop in!

04 May 2013 at 13:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for children aged 5-11, no need to book – just drop in!

27 April 2013 at 13:00

Build a Brain

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out what’s inside your head and create a brainy sculpture. No need to book – just drop in!

20 April 2013 at 14:00

Galileo's Telescope

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Galileo’s invention and make your own working telescope. Suitable for children aged 9+. Booking required (museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk / 01865 277280), voluntary materials donation £5.

20 April 2013 at

Marconi Day

Special Event

Celebrating the birth of Guglielmo Marconi, we host the Oxford and District Amateur Radio Society and radio station GB4MHS. Come along and see who and where they can contact across the globe by the magic of wireless.

11 April 2013 at 12:00

Brain Teaser

Family-Friendly Drop In

Puzzles, experiments and illusions accompanying the temporary exhibition ‘Revealing the Brain’. Suitable for ages 5+.

06 April 2013 at 10:00

Whatever the Weather Day

Family-Friendly Drop In

Join us to celebrate the final weekend of the ‘Atmospheres’ exhibition, for a day of activities, storytelling, talks and tours for weather-watchers of all ages! Click here to see the PDF programme for this event.

02 April 2013 at 19:00

Who's to Blame for the Weather?

Lecture

Public lecture by Professor Myles Allen

If science can disentangle the causes of climate change and - more dramatically - of extreme weather events, does it make sense to blame people, industries or countries for some weather-related harms? Professor Allen reports from the front line of climate science on one of its most topical issues. Myles Allen is Professor of Geosystem Science at Oxford and leads the Environmental Change Institute’s Climate Research Programme.

30 March 2013 at 12:00

Making Micrographia

Family-Friendly Drop In

Use microscopes and lenses to observe tiny things. Then make drawings and magical monoprints. Suitable for ages 7+. No need to book – just drop in!

23 March 2013 at 14:00

Poetry and Science

Family-Friendly Workshop

Write poems inspired by the Atmospheres exhibition with poet-in-residence Lesley Saunders. Lesley’s most recent collection of poems ‘Cloud Camera’ investigates the poetry of science. A workshop for budding writers aged 9-15.

22 March 2013 at

Easter Trail

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover exciting objects in the Museum’s collection in this fun-tastic self-guided trail. Collect a trail from the Entrance Gallery on your way into the Museum. Suitable for ages 7+.

During opening hours.

19 March 2013 at 13:30

Poetry and Science

Adult Workshop

Write science-inspired poetry with expert advice from our poet-in-residence Lesley Saunders. Lesley’s most recent collection ‘Cloud Camera’ (Two Rivers Press) draws its inspiration from History and Science. Suitable for adults (ages 16+).

16 March 2013 at

Sleep and the Brain

Special Event

As part of the international Brain Awareness Week, join scientists from Oxford University to explore the mysterious world of sleep. See your own brain activity and investigate the links between sleep, health and diet. Wellcome Trust funded researchers present a series of interactive experiments suitable for all aged 6+.

14 March 2013 at 19:00

Body Clocks, Sleep and Light

Lecture

Professor Russell Foster (University of Oxford) is an expert in chronobiology – the study of the circadian rhythms that govern our waking and sleeping patterns. In this public lecture he explains the role of light in regulating our bodies, and discusses the implications of today’s almost constant exposure to illumination.

12 March 2013 at

Sleep and the Brain

Special Event

As part of the international Brain Awareness Week, join scientists from Oxford University to explore the mysterious world of sleep. See your own brain activity and investigate the links between sleep, health and diet. Wellcome Trust funded researchers present a series of interactive experiments suitable for all aged 6+.

09 March 2013 at 10:00

Invention!

Family-Friendly Drop In

A team of young engineers will show you wonders of design and invention. Hands-on activities, demonstrations and challenges for all! No need to book – just drop in!

02 March 2013 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow the stars and make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book – just drop in!

28 February 2013 at 20:00

Live Music in the Museum

Special Event

Singer/songwriter Keaton Henson brings his intimate acoustic sound to the Museum in a rare live performance. Both performances now sold out.

26 February 2013 at 19:00

Stormy Weather: Exploring Atmospheres in the Outer Solar System

Lecture

Public Lecture by Dr Leigh Fletcher (Royal Society Research Fellow in Atmospheric, Oceanic & Planetary Physics, University of Oxford)

A chance to hear about current research on the weather of other planets. Leigh Fletcher studies the gas giants of our solar system and his most recent work uses instruments on NASA’s Cassini orbiter that also appear in the Atmospheres exhibition.

23 February 2013 at 11:30

Poetry and Science

Adult Workshop

Write science-inspired poetry with expert advice from our poet-in-residence Lesley Saunders. Lesley’s most recent collection ‘Cloud Camera’ (Two Rivers Press) draws its inspiration from History and Science. Suitable for adults (ages 16+).

16 February 2013 at 14:00

Pick a Pocket Sundial

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover amazing pocket sundials and make beautiful replicas. Suitable for ages 7-13. Suggested materials donation £5.

14 February 2013 at 13:00

Crazy Kaleidoscopes

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make an ingenious kaleidoscope to create colourful symmetrical patterns! Suitable for ages 6+. No need to book – just drop in!

12 February 2013 at 14:30

Poetry and Science – Workshop Cancelled

Family-Friendly Workshop

This workshop has been cancelled. If you would like to book a place on the same workshop on 23rd March, 2-4pm, please call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk. Write poems inspired by the Atmospheres exhibition with poet-in-residence Lesley Saunders. Lesley’s most recent collection of poems ‘Cloud Camera’ investigates the poetry of science. A workshop for budding writers aged 9-15.

02 February 2013 at 14:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for ages 5-11. No need to book – just drop in!

02 February 2013 at 14:00

Atmospheres

Gallery Talk

See the Atmospheres exhibition through the eyes of its curator in this gallery tour.

26 January 2013 at 14:00

Physics Illustrated

Gallery Talk

Guest curator Inga Elmqvist Söderlund connects the current display of illustrated books with physics apparatus on display in this gallery talk.

20 January 2013 at 14:30

A Patented Astrolabe

Table Talk

Dr Stephen Johnston presents perhaps the most surprising ‘patent’ device in the Museum’s collection.

19 January 2013 at 14:00

Chinese Dragon Fire-Clocks

Family-Friendly Workshop

Make a colourful Chinese dragon fire-clock and try it out at home! Suitable for ages 7+, suggested materials donation £3. Booking required (call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk).

07 January 2013 at 10:00

Climate and Weather: Science as Public Culture

Special Event

An international academic conference coinciding with the Atmospheres exhibition. Full details and registration on the website of the Maison Française d’Oxford…

05 January 2013 at 13:00

Magical Movies

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out what the Victorians knew about the moving image and make your own magical movie toy. Suitable for ages 6+. No need to book – just drop in!

09 December 2012 at 14:30

Feeling the Heat

Table Talk

Think a thermometer is simple and straightforward? History reveals otherwise. Find out more in this Table Talk.

08 December 2012 at 14:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for children aged 5-11. No need to book – just drop in!

08 December 2012 at 11:00

Making and Using an Astrolabe

Adult Workshop

The Museum has the finest collection of Astrolabes in the world, and at one time they were used for everything from navigation and complex calculations, to simple time-telling. Find out about how they work, and make your own model astrolabe in this workshop for adults. Booking essential (01865 277280 / museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk). Voluntary materials donation £5.

04 December 2012 at 19:00

The Invention of Clouds

Lecture

Dr Richard Hamblyn, revisits his book ‘The Invention of Clouds’ which tells the story of the amateur meteorologist Luke Howard who, in 1802, gave clouds the names we use today. The book was winner of the 2002 Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

01 December 2012 at 14:00

Atmospheres

Gallery Talk

Join the ‘Atmospheres’ curator Dr Stephen Johnston for a guided tour of the special exhibition.

24 November 2012 at 12:00

Lightning Strikes!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover electricity and the story of Benjamin Franklin’s life-saving invention, with hands-on electrostatic experiments! Suitable for ages 7+. No need to book – just drop in!

23 November 2012 at 18:00

Christmas Light Night – Snowflake

Special Event

Learn fascinating facts and enjoy icy activities for all the family on

the theme of ‘snowflake’. Create your own symmetrical snowflakes, enjoy

music, hear about the science and history of snow, and watch films with

snowy themes:

Talks
In the Basement Gallery:

- 6.30 Dr J.V. Field (Birkbeck College, London), “When Stars of Snow Fell on Kepler’s Coat”

- 7.00 Dr Amber Thompson (Chemistry, University of Oxford), “Why Is Snow So Beautiful?”

Activities
Throughout the evening in the Top Gallery:

- Mirror Snowflakes
Create an infinite variety of symmetrical snowflakes with the help of a pair of mirrors.

- Paper Crystals
Make your own snowflake decorations for Christmas.

Music
Seasonal Songs with “Joined-up Singing”
Basement stairwell
7.30

Films
Some short films on a wintry theme, from 8.15 in the Basement Gallery

Tours
A curator’s introduction to the current special exhibition “Atmospheres”

8.15 and 9.00

17 November 2012 at

Stairway to Heaven

Gallery Talk

Dr Stephen Johnston gives a Gallery Talk showcasing objects from the history of astronomy displayed on the Museum’s staircase.

10 November 2012 at 14:00

Stars and Planets

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow the stars and make an amazing star dial or paper plate planetarium. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book – just drop in!

02 November 2012 at 13:00

Drawing and Invention

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make drawings of mechanical inventions using line and collage techniques. A Big Draw event for all ages!

01 November 2012 at 13:00

Drawing and Invention

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make drawings of mechanical inventions using line and collage techniques. A Big Draw event for all ages!

27 October 2012 at 13:00

Drawing and Invention

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make drawings of mechanical inventions using line and collage techniques. A Big Draw event for all. No need to book – just drop in!

25 October 2012 at 19:00

From microscopes to cloud cameras: the poetry of science

Special Event

The many connections between science and contemporary poetry are explored in a talk by author Dr John Holmes (University of Reading), and readings by poet Lesley Saunders from her new science-inspired collection ‘Cloud Camera’ (Two Rivers Press).

21 October 2012 at 14:30

Table Orrery

Table Talk

Discover how a 200-year old machine demonstrated the solar system in motion in this Table Talk.

13 October 2012 at 14:00

Globe Makers

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the Museum’s collection of globes and make your own model globe. Suitable for children aged 8-13. Booking required. Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book.

13 October 2012 at 14:00

Oxford Stories Gallery Tour

Gallery Talk

A tour of the Museum and its collection spanning seven centuries of science in Oxford.

29 September 2012 at 12:00

Eyeballs and Other Things

Family-Friendly Drop In

Dissection of eyeballs and some curious visual experiments will help you understand what it is to see. Suitable for children aged 9+ with a strong stomach… No need to book – just drop in!

15 September 2012 at 13:00

Globe Makers

Family-Friendly Drop In

Add your stories to the large globe in the Museum’s Top Gallery and be part of ‘The Renaissance Globe Project’. For all ages.

More details about the Globe Project…

15 September 2012 at 13:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects in the Museum’s collection and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for children aged 5-11, no need to book – just drop in!

09 September 2012 at 14:30

The Astronomy of the Caesars

Table Talk

A look at one of the most extraordinary astronomical books ever printed and ‘fabricated’; Peter Apian’s Astronomicum Caesareum, 1540.

08 September 2012 at 14:00

The Renaissance in Astronomy

Gallery Talk

A guided tour of the new special exhibition given by its curator Professor Jim Bennett.

04 September 2012 at 19:00

Thoughts and Things: The Role of Craft in 16th-Century Astronomy and Cosmography

Lecture

In this public lecture, the curator of the Renaissance in Astronomy exhibition, Professor Jim Bennett, explains that one of its aims is to draw attention to the objects made within the discipline of 16th-century astronomy. Books, globes and instruments were fabricated by craftsmen in workshops and print-shops that were valued as sites of astronomical practice.

01 September 2012 at 14:00

Madman Magellan

Family-Friendly Drop In

Maps, globes, instruments and activities to discover early voyages of exploration that influenced cosmographers. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book. Part of the MHS Renaissance Globe Project.

01 September 2012 at 11:00

Making and Using a Globe

Special Event

In this adult workshop, participants will discover early methods of globe making and make their own model globe. Booking is essential for this workshop, voluntary materials donation £5. Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book.

31 August 2012 at 14:00

Madman Magellan

Family-Friendly Drop In

Maps, globes, instruments and activities to discover early voyages of exploration that influenced cosmographers. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book. Part of the MHS Renaissance Globe Project.

30 August 2012 at 14:00

Madman Magellan

Family-Friendly Drop In

Maps, globes, instruments and activities to discover early voyages of exploration that influenced cosmographers. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book. Part of the MHS Renaissance Globe Project.

26 August 2012 at 14:30

Slave of Time

Table Talk

A Renaissance dyptich dial tells a story of astronomy and global trade in this Table Talk with Stephen Johnston. Objects are taken out of their cases and used to illustrate this talk.

25 August 2012 at 14:30

Study Afternoon: Astronomy in 16th-Century England

Special Event

During the course of the exhibition the Museum will announce an important gift: a 16th-century pocket sundial by an English maker. The acquisition of an Elizabethan instrument creates a very special occasion, which will be marked by a study afternoon on astronomy in England in the 16th century. Speakers include Jim Bennett, Louise Devoy, Stephen Johnston, Stephen Pumfrey and Katie Taylor. Further details and booking information…

25 August 2012 at 14:00

Hidden Creatures

Gallery Talk

Dr Stephen Johnston shows how animals can crop up in surprising places in this Gallery Tour.

18 August 2012 at 12:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover Morse code and use the Museum’s telegraphic apparatus to unravel the mystery message in this ever-popular Family Friendly drop-in. Suitable for children (and adults!) aged 7+.

04 August 2012 at 14:00

What is an Astrolabe?

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the beauty of the astrolabe, make one and find out how it works and what it was used for. Suitable for ages 9+. Booking required. Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book a space.

04 August 2012 at 11:00

Making and Using an Astrolabe

Special Event

In this workshop for adults, participants will make their own model astrolabe and discover how to use it. Booking is essential, voluntary materials donation: £5. Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to reserve a space.

27 July 2012 at

Summer Trails and Activities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover amazing instruments and devious devices amongst the objects in the Museum’s collection. Help yourself to trails and activities in the Entrance Gallery.

21 July 2012 at 14:00

Drawing with Leonardo

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Renaissance art and how to use a camera obscura to draw in perfect perspective. Suitable for ages 9+. Booking required: email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk or call 01865 277280 to book a space.

21 July 2012 at 14:00

Globe Makers

Family-Friendly Drop In

Add your stories to the large globe in the Museum’s Top Gallery and be part of ‘The Renaissance Globe Project’. For all ages.

More details about the Globe Project…

21 July 2012 at 11:00

Making and Using a Globe

Special Event

In this adult workshop, participants will discover early methods of globe making and make their own model globe. Booking is essential for this workshop, voluntary materials donation £5. Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk

07 July 2012 at 14:00

The Renaissance in Astronomy

Gallery Talk

A guided tour of the new special exhibition given by its curator Professor Jim Bennett.

07 July 2012 at 13:00

Alice's Album

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover early photography, explore the Museum with a camera, and help us create Alice’s anniversary album. Children ages 7+, no need to book – just drop in!

Part of the city-wide Alice’s Day celebrations: http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/the-story-museum/alice/Alice2012

07 July 2012 at 13:00

Globe Makers

Family-Friendly Drop In

Add your stories to the large globe in the Museum’s Top Gallery and be part of ‘The Renaissance Globe Project’. For all ages.

More details about the Globe Project…

06 July 2012 at 19:00

Stellar Summer Quiz

Special Event

Test your scientific knowledge with the Museum’s annual adaptation of the pub quiz format. This year’s quiz has an astronomical theme to fit the current Special Exhibition. Enter a team of three or four, or come along and join a scratch team on the night… Drinks and prizes!

27 June 2012 at 18:30

Paradox: An Evening with Professor Jim Al Khalili

Lecture

Join us for an evening with one of our greatest minds, the hugely popular Professor and TV presenter Professor Jim Al Khalili. He will be talking about his new book Paradox, which unravels some of the greatest enigmas and mysteries in Science. The doors will open at 6pm; Jim will be signing books after his talk.

Tickets exclusive to Waterstones Oxford on sale Soon £4 or £2 with a Waterstones loyalty card. Further details: 01865 790212

24 June 2012 at 14:30

How does the astrolabe work?

Table Talk

Jim Bennett answers one of the questions most frequently heard in the Museum.

23 June 2012 at 14:00

The Renaissance in Astronomy

Gallery Talk

A guide to the special exhibition led by curator Jim Bennett.

23 June 2012 at 14:00

Globe Makers

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the Museum’s collection of globes, how they were made, and make your own model globe. Suitable for ages 9-13, suggested materials donation £5. Booking required – email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk or call 01865 277280 to book a space.

12 June 2012 at 19:00

Mercator: the Man who Mapped the Planet

Lecture

Nicholas Crane, geographer, explorer, writer and broadcaster will talk about his book on Gerard Mercator. An event not to be missed by fans of ‘Coast’ and his many other television programmes. A lecture in the ‘Between the Lines’ series.

09 June 2012 at 12:00

Lino-block Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make linocut designs inspired by the Museum’s collection and try out a mechanical printing press. Suitable for ages 6+. No need to book, just drop in!

08 June 2012 at 14:00

Madman Magellan

Family-Friendly Drop In

Maps, globes, instruments and activities to discover the adventurous Magellan’s early voyages of exploration. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book, just drop in!

07 June 2012 at 14:00

Madman Magellan

Family-Friendly Drop In

Maps, globes, instruments and activities to discover the adventurous Magellan’s early voyages of exploration. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book, just drop in!

31 May 2012 at 17:00

“The whole earth, a present for a Prince.”

Lecture

VENUE: CHAMPNEYS ROOM, ORIEL COLLEGE

The Harriot Lecture for 2012 will be given by Dr Lesley B. Cormack, Professor of History and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta. Dr Cormack will talk about Molyneux’s English globes and the creation of a global vision.

26 May 2012 at 14:00

Globe Makers

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the Museum’s collection of globes, how they were made, and make your own model globe. Suitable for ages 9-13, suggested materials donation £5. Booking required – email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk or call 01865 277280 to book a space.

18 May 2012 at 19:00

The Night of Museums: the Astronomical Workshop

Special Event

A special late-night opening for the Museum’s new exhibition, ‘The Renaissance in Astronomy’, with tours throughout the evening. The exhibition emphasises the importance of craft in 16th-century astronomy, and in this very special event there will be a printer, a globe-maker and an instrument-maker at work in the Basement Gallery.

13 May 2012 at 14:30

The Armillary Animated

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston presents an iconic object of Renaissance astronomy.

12 May 2012 at 14:00

Paper Plate Planetarium

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the revolution of Copernicus and make a colourful paper planetarium to take home. Suitable for ages 7-13. No need to book, just drop in!

11 May 2012 at 17:30

Owning and Disowning Wireless

Lecture

Dr Efstathios Arapostathis, University of Athens, will give the Douglas Byrne Marconi Lecture for 2012, talking about Marconi as an expert inventor and his brushes with the law courts between the years 1890 and 1930.

02 May 2012 at 15:00

Chemistry in 17th-century Oxford

Lecture

The Basement Gallery was created as a chemical laboratory in the 17th Century. On this very special occasion, two research papers discussing original work carried out in the laboratory will be presented in the room itself (which will be closed except for those attending the event):

Dr Marcos Martinon-Torres, ‘Dr Plot’s Pots: an archaeological insight into the Ashmolean Officina Chymica‘

Dr Anna Marie Roos, ‘The learned Dr Plot (1690-96), philosophical wine and the Oxford Philosophical Society’

28 April 2012 at 14:00

Galileo's Telescope

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Galileo’s invention and make your own working telescope. Suitable for ages 9+, suggested materials donation £5. Booking is required for this workshop – email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk or call 01865 277280 to book a space.

21 April 2012 at 10:00

Marconi Day

Special Event

A special programme for Marconi Day 2012 will mark the centenary of the Titanic disaster and the important part played by the wireless telegraph. Programme:

10am-5pm: Radio Station GB4MHS

A radio station will be operated by the Oxford and District Amateur Radio Society.

11am-1pm: Send a Message SOS (Family Friendly Drop In)

Send telegraph messages with Morse code.

2pm: Wireless at the time of the Titanic

A talk by Dr Brian Hawes

2.30pm: Who was Guglielmo Marconi?

Three dramatised presentations of the wireless wizard: you decide which is the truth.

3pm: Wireless Wares Auction

Bid at the auction of the ‘Wireless Wares’ exhibition (on display from 3 April) and take home a Marconi memento.

All activities free.

15 April 2012 at 14:30

Time Machines

Gallery Talk

A last chance to see our winter special exhibition, with Stephen Johnston.

01 April 2012 at 14:30

Time by the Stars

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston on the nocturnal.

31 March 2012 at 14:00

Making Micrographia

Family-Friendly Drop In

Use microscopes and lenses to observe tiny things; make drawings and magical monoprints. Suitable for ages 7+.

View previous artworks created in the Making Micrographia session on our website.

24 March 2012 at 14:00

Time Machines

Gallery Talk

A guided tour of the current special exhibition led by its curator Stephen Johnston.

17 March 2012 at 10:00

About Time!

Special Event

Discover the story of time in a day of activities, talks, trails and entertainment all about time! Activities to include stop-frame animation film-making, model-making, a time trail, fun demonstrations, object handling, tours of the special exhibition Time Machines, and much more… View the a programme of activities here.

Suitable for all the family.

06 March 2012 at 19:00

Decimalising Time: Calendar and Clocks in the French Revolution

Lecture

Extraordinary revisions of time measurement were adopted during the French Revolution. Matthew Shaw, Curator of North American History at the British Library, will talk about this new way of seeing time, and the French Republican Calendar.

03 March 2012 at 12:00

Euclid You Can!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out about the famous mathematician Euclid and make exciting 3D geometric shapes out of coloured card. Suitable for ages 7 upwards.

26 February 2012 at 14:30

The Armillary Animated

Table Talk

The Museum contains some very special armillary spheres. Stephen Johnston uses examples from the collection to explain how these fascinating instruments were used.

18 February 2012 at 14:00

Pick a Pocket Sundial

Family-Friendly Workshop

Our apologies, this event has been cancelled.
Discover ingenious pocket sundials and make beautiful replicas based on instruments from the Museum’s special collection. Suitable for ages 7-13, suggested materials contribution £5.

18 February 2012 at 14:00

A brief history of astronomy

Gallery Talk

The staircase of the Museum tells a story of the history of astronomy. Come along to this Gallery Talk to find out more…

16 February 2012 at 14:00

Pick a Pocket Sundial

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover amazing pocket sundials and make beautiful replicas. Suitable for ages 7-13, suggested materials donation £5. Booking required (call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk).

Finishes at 4pm.

16 February 2012 at 13:00

Fabulous Fundials

Family-Friendly Drop In

Sundials come in all different shapes and sizes from a wristwatch version to dials on the sides of buildings. The Museum even owns a spoon fashioned into a sundial. Design and make your own decorative sundial in this family friendly drop-in. Suitable for ages 5-11.

07 February 2012 at 19:00

Selling Time: Science, Commerce and Dirty Tricks in the Distribution of Greenwich Mean Time

Lecture

David Rooney, Curator of Transport at the Science Museum will talk about Ruth Belville, otherwise known as the 'Greenwich Time Lady', a Victorian businesswoman who sold nothing more or less than time itself!

04 February 2012 at 12:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects from the Museum's collection and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for ages 5-11.

29 January 2012 at 14:30

Theodolite and Plane Table

Table Talk

Both instruments were essential in early geometrical surveying. Find out more in this table talk with Jim Bennett.

24 January 2012 at 19:00

Ultrafast Physics, Past, Present, Future

Lecture

In study of extremely short-duration physics, time is measured in femtoseconds and attoseconds. One attosecond is to a second what a second is to 31.7 billion years.

Ian Walmsley is Hooke Professor of Experimental Physics, University of Oxford. In this public lecture, he presents the shifting research frontier of ultrafast physics.

21 January 2012 at 14:00

Time Machines

Gallery Talk

A guide to the special exhibition 'Time Machines' led by its curator Stephen Johnson. An ideal way to find out more about the ideas behind the exhibition.

21 January 2012 at 14:00

Chinese Dragon Fire-Clocks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Celebrate the Chinese New Year; make a colourful Chinese dragon fire-clock and try it out at home! Suitable for ages 7+. Suggested materials donation £3.

07 January 2012 at 12:00

Magical Movies

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did the Victorians know about movies? Find out in this Family Friendly drop-in, and make your own magical movie toy. Suitable for ages 7+.

18 December 2011 at 14:30

Italian Hours

Table Talk

Jim Bennett looks at sundials that number the hours in a system very different from the common one today.

10 December 2011 at 14:00

Pick a Pocket Sundial

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover clever pocket sundials and make beautiful replicas based on the ones in the Museum's collection. Suitable for ages 7-13, voluntary materials donation: £5. To book a space on this workshop please email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk or call 01865 277280.

02 December 2011 at 19:00

Twelve

Special Event

The Museum’s contribution to Oxford’s ‘Christmas Light Night’, which this year takes the theme of the twelve days of Christmas. The number 12 is important in many other ways, from signs of the zodiac and months in the year to hurricanes, inches and old pennies. There will be dozens of things to learn and enjoy, with puzzles, talks, trails and film.

PROGRAMME

7 – 9pm, TOP GALLERY

Puzzles and Prizes

Test your knowledge of the number 12!

Do you know the order of the 12 Wind Forces?

Can you name the 12 apostles?

Put the 12 months of the year in order

Name the 12 signs of the Zodiac

7.30 – 8.15pm MUSEUM TRAIL

Find out all about the many uses of the number 12 – from old pennies

to highly composite numbers – in this series of talks throughout the Museum

8.30 – 10pm FILM IN THE BASEMENT

‘12 Angry Men’ starring Henry Fonda

27 November 2011 at 14:30

The Renaissance iPod?

Table Talk

A talk exploring a very special Renaissance gadget; the diptych dial, given by Stephen Johnston.

26 November 2011 at 12:00

Lightning Strikes!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the story of Benjamin Franklin's life-saving invention and have a go at some electrostatic experiments.

Suitable for ages 7+.

19 November 2011 at 14:00

Time Machines

Gallery Talk

A guide to the special exhibition 'Time Machines' led by its curator Stephen Johnson. An ideal introduction to the ideas behind the exhibtion.

15 November 2011 at 19:00

The Beginning of Time

Lecture

Public lecture by Pedro Ferreira

Pedro Ferreira is Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Oxford. To mark the opening of the Time Machines exhibition, he will talk about the origin of the Universe and the different ways it has been conceived over the last century.

12 November 2011 at 14:00

Crazy Kaleidoscopes

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make an ingenious kaleidoscope and create colourful symmetrical patterns. Suitable for ages 6+.

05 November 2011 at 14:00

Elisabetha Hevelius

Gallery Talk

Jim Bennett considers the renowned Polish astronomer, Johannes Hevelius' second wife, Elisabetha, depicted as a fellow observer in his published account of his extensive observatory in Danzig. She is regarded as one of the very first women astronomers.

29 October 2011 at 12:00

Telescopes and Spyglasses

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the Museum's wonderful collection of telescopes and spyglasses, large and small. Suitable for all ages.

28 October 2011 at 13:00

Shifting Shapes and Shadows

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make 3D constructions out of card and use them to create drawings and designs from shadows. Suitable for all ages. Part of the Big Draw!

27 October 2011 at 13:00

Shifting Shapes and Shadows

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make 3D constructions out of card and use them to create drawings and designs from shadows. Suitable for all ages. Part of the Big Draw!

25 October 2011 at 19:00

A portrait of Hevelius: the Astronomer and his Artists

Lecture

Public lecture by Inga Elmqvist

In 1679 the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius presented his portrait to Oxford University. It was painted by Andreas Stech, one of the many painters and engravers who cooperated with Hevelius to create some of the finest illustrated books on astronomy ever made. This talk focuses on the portrait and the illustrations in Hevelius’s books. Dr Elmqvist is an art historian and Director of the Observatory Museum in Stockholm.

22 October 2011 at 14:00

Johannes Hevelius

Gallery Talk

Jim Bennett places the renowned Polish astronomer Hevelius among the arguments and rivalries of 17th-century astronomy.

16 October 2011 at 19:00

The Eccentricity Debate

Special Event

To close the 'Eccentricity' exhibition, the Museum has invited Bill Heine of Radio Oxford to gather a group of celebrities – eccentrics included – to consider the nature and role, whether creative or disruptive, of eccentricity. Participants will include 'Legs' Larry Smith of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Bill Heine's book 'The Hunting of the Shark' has just been published by oxfordfolio

15 October 2011 at 14:00

Drawing with Leonardo

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Renaissance art and learn how to use a camera obscura to draw in perfect perspective.

Suitable for ages 9+.

11 October 2011 at 19:00

The Eccentric Turner

Lecture

Public lecture by Michael Wright

This is the final lecture in the series linked to the ‘Eccentricity’ exhibition, which includes some of the turning equipment used by lathe enthusiast and eccentric botanist Ellen Willmott. Michael Wright was formerly Curator of Mechanical Engineering at the Science Museum, London, and studies the history of tools. As an experienced turner, he uses his own antique lathes every day.

08 October 2011 at 14:00

Eccentric Mathematics

Gallery Talk

A set of objects on the Eccentricity Fourth Plinth is intended to show that the multiplication of negative numbers is best understood, not though algebra, but by using wooden blocks. Mathematical volunteers will be on hand to explain.

08 October 2011 at 11:00

Eccentricity

Gallery Talk

A guided tour of the special exhibition led by its co-curator, Dr Jim Bennett.

01 October 2011 at 12:00

Accessories for Eccentrics

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a hat, badge or keyring device inspired by the 'Eccentricity' exhibition.

Also a chance to draw an eccentric invention and enter it into the Drawing Competition.

27 September 2011 at 19:00

Simon Forman: Astrology, Medicine and Quackery in Elizabethan England

Lecture

This public lecture is given by Dr Lauren Kassell, senior lecturer in the history of science at the University of Cambridge. Her lecture marks the launch of a website for the medical casebooks of Simon Forman and coincides with the 400th anniversary of Forman's death.

17 September 2011 at 14:00

Balloons and Barometers

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the dreams and ambitions of the eighteenth-century pioneers of ballooning and make a model. Suitable for ages 9-13. Booking is required for this session and a voluntary materials contribution of £3 is requested. To book a space, please call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk.

17 September 2011 at 11:00

Eccentricity

Gallery Talk

A guide to the summer special exhibition led by curator Jim Bennett.

10 September 2011 at

Museum tours for Oxford Open Doors

Gallery Talk

Discover the story of the oldest museum building in the world, and the unique collection of scientific instruments it holds in these special gallery tours. Part of Oxford Open Doors weekend.

Saturday 10th September: 11.15am & 12 noon

Sunday 11th September: 2.15 & 3pm

03 September 2011 at 14:00

Chinese Fire-Clocks

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a model of a Chinese fire-clock and try it out at home! Suitable for ages 7-13. This workshop is free, but booking is required. Please call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book a space.

03 September 2011 at 14:00

Hidden Creatures

Gallery Talk

Discover unexpected animals within the permanent collection in this gallery tour led by Stephen Johnston.

30 August 2011 at 14:00

Accessories for Eccentrics

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make an eccentric hat, badge or key-ring inspired by 'Eccentricity' and the Museum's collection. Suitable for all ages.

23 August 2011 at 19:00

From Aligator Wrestling to Fossil Skeletons

Lecture

Whether searching for fossil skeletons or wrestling alligators, scientists in the early 19th century earned their reputation as eccentrics! Dr Vicky Carroll, manager of the William Morris Gallery and Vestry House Museum will give a public lecture about scientific eccentricity in the early 19th century, drawing on her book Science and Eccentricity: Collecting, Writing and Performing Science for Early Nineteenth-Century Audiences.

20 August 2011 at 12:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover Morse code and use the museum's telegraphic apparatus to unravel a mystery message. Suitable for ages 7+.

See photo gallery.

14 August 2011 at 14:30

New Discoveries in Pneumatics!

Table Talk

Jim Bennett talks about James Gillray's satirical etching of an 'Experimental Lecture on the Powers of Air' featured in the Eccentricity exhibition.

13 August 2011 at 14:00

Eccentricity

Gallery Talk

A guide to the summer special exhibition led by curator Jim Bennett.

06 August 2011 at 13:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for children aged 5-11.

05 August 2011 at 19:00

Eccentricity Summer Quiz!

Special Event

An eccentric adaptation of the pub quiz format, with questions on science and oddities past and present. Expect the unexpected! Enter a team of three or four, or come along and join a scratch team on the night. Drinks and Prizes.

23 July 2011 at 14:00

Elliott Brothers

Gallery Talk

Join Stephen Johnston for an introduction to the Elliott Collection, currently featured in an Entrance Gallery display.

23 July 2011 at 12:00

Lino-block printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make linocut designs inspired by the museum's collection and try out a mechanical printing press. Suitable for ages 6+.

23 July 2011 at

Summer Trails and Activities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover amazing instruments and devious devices this summer! Help yourself to trails and activities in the Entrance Gallery throughout the summer.

19 July 2011 at 19:00

Crackpots and Eggheads: Eccentricity in Natural History

Lecture

This public lecture is given by Dr Brian Regal, Assistant Professor of the History of Science, Kean University, New Jersey. He will explore his most recent book Searching for Sasquatch: Crackpots, Eggheads and Cryptozoology. An ECCENTRICITY event.

10 July 2011 at 14:30

Charles Babbage and the Difference Engine

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston talks about Babbage's famous invention, often seen as a precursor to the computer.

09 July 2011 at 14:00

Alice's Day

Family-Friendly Drop In

Alice’s Album

Discover early photography, explore the museum with a camera, and help us create Alice’s album.

Children age 7 upwards.

The Animated Tea Party (For more information visit: www.stopmogo.com)

Alice, the Mad Hatter and the March Hare invite you to film your own stop motion animation at their wondrous tea party. You will make teacups appear to dance, bizarre teapots pour in unusual ways, or make scrumptious sandwiches and cakes as if by magic!

25 June 2011 at 12:00

Eyeballs and Other Things

Family-Friendly Drop In

Dissection of eyeballs and some curious visual experiments will help you understand what it is to see. This drop-in session is suitable for ages 9+, and there is no need to book.

18 June 2011 at 14:00

Eccentricity

Gallery Talk

A guided tour of the Museum's new exhibition, Eccentricity, led by Stephen Johnston.

11 June 2011 at 14:00

Travellers' Tales

Family-Friendly Drop In

Listen to tales of travel and discovery, and handle old navigational instruments. Suitable for children aged 7-13. No need to book, just drop in!

11 June 2011 at 14:00

Tales of Eccentricity

Special Event

A tour of the special exhibition, 'Eccentricity', will be followed by a series of gallery talks illustrating stories of eccentricity in the permanent collection, where there are objects owned by some notorious scientific eccentrics from the 19th Century, such as Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), James South, Charles Daubeny and Charles Babbage.

05 June 2011 at 14:30

Queen Elizabeth's Astrolabe

Table Talk

The jewel in the crown of our astrolabe collection is the one created for and owned by Queen Elizabeth I. Stephen Johnston talks about this exceptional astrolabe in a Table Talk.

02 June 2011 at 12:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Art & craft activities, gallery trails and object handling with a nautical theme.

01 June 2011 at 13:00

Ahoy There!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Art & craft activities, gallery trails and object handling with a nautical theme.

28 May 2011 at 14:00

Drawing with Leonardo

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Renaissance art and how to use a camera obscura to draw in perfect perspective. Suitable for children aged 9+.

Booking is required – call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to reserve a space.

21 May 2011 at 14:00

The Body in Question

Gallery Talk

A gallery tour looking at medicine and medical apparatus in the Museum let by Stephen Johnston. An insight into the Museum's medical collection.

14 May 2011 at 19:00

Night of Museums

Special Event

The Museum's annual contribution to the European Night of Museums. This year's late-opening will include tours of the new special exhibition, Eccentricity, and the final two demonstrations of Ray Lee's 'The Ethometric Museum'.

14 May 2011 at 14:00

Crazy Kaleidescope

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a crazy kaleidescope and discover beautiful patterns. Suitable for ages 6+. No need to book – just drop in!

10 May 2011 at 19:00

Between the Lines

Lecture

Public Lecture by author Graham Farmelo

The latest in the Museum's occasional series of lectures by authors of successful books in the history of science has been chosen to suit the opening of the special exhibition 'Eccentricity'. In this lecture, Graham Farmelo will talk about his award-winning biography of Paul Dirac, The Strangest Man, winner of the 209 Costa Biography Prize and the 2010 Los Angeles Times Science Book Prize.

30 April 2011 at 14:00

Galileo's Telescope

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Galileo's invention and make your own working telescope. This ever-popular workshop is suitable for children aged 9+. Voluntary materials donation £5.

Booking is required – call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to reserve a place.

30 April 2011 at 14:00

From Alchemy to Chemistry

Gallery Talk

Stephen Johnston explains how alchemy and chemistry have special relevance to the Museum of the History of Science and its famous building.

30 April 2011 at 14:00

Marconi Day

Special Event

The Oxford and District Amateur Radio Society will once again celebrate the annual Marconi Day, setting up a temporary radio station in the Museum and making radio contact with as many distant radio enthusiasts as possible. They will attempt to include the ham radio station at St John's, Newfoundland, where Marconi's first messages were received from across the Atlantic! Come and see them in action and share the experience of this international event.

17 April 2011 at 14:30

Talking to Angels

Table Talk

John Dee's fascinating 'Holy Table' (one of the Museum's prize objects) is explained in this Table Talk with Stephen Johnston.

02 April 2011 at 13:00

Euclid You Can!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out about Euclid (the 'father of geometry') and make exciting 3-D geometric shapes out of coloured card. Suitable for children aged 7+. No need to book – just drop in!

02 April 2011 at

Angel's Delight

Family-Friendly Drop In

Number, shape and pattern reveal a universe fit for angels in this self-guided trail. Suitable for ages 7+.

19 March 2011 at 14:00

Globe-Makers

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the Museum's collection of globes, how globes used to be made and make your own model globe. Suitable for ages 9-13, booking required. Voluntary materials donation £5.

Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book.

06 March 2011 at 14:30

How does the astrolabe work?

Table Talk

Jim Bennett gives a table talk on one of the most often asked questions by Museum visitors: “How does the astrolabe work?”

05 March 2011 at 14:00

18th-century Astronomy

Exhibition

Jim Bennett gives a talk about the instruments on the staircase and how they illustrate the story of 18th-century astronomy.

05 March 2011 at 12:00

Making Micrographia

Family-Friendly Drop In

Use lenses and microscopes to discover tiny things; draw and make magical monoprints. Suitable for children aged 7 upwards.

01 March 2011 at 17:30

Radio Manufacturing in the Interwar Years

Lecture

A public lecture by Professor Peter Scott (University of Reading)

Saskatchewan Lecture Theatre, Exeter College

The inaugural Douglas Byrne Marconi Lecture: a collaboration between the Trustees of the Wireless Preservation Society, the Bodleian Library and the Museum of the History of Science.

26 February 2011 at 14:00

Islamic Pattern Workshop

Special Event

A workshop for adults led by Eric Broug, author of 'Islamic Geometric Patterns'.

This afternoon workshop will explore the beauty of Islamic pattern and participants will create their own drawings. Suitable for beginners, all materials provided. Cost: £10. To book your place, please call 01865 277280.

24 February 2011 at 13:00

Discover Islamic Tile Patterns

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover symmetry, geometry and colour and create your own patterns inspired by Islamic tile designs. Suitable for ages 7-13.

19 February 2011 at 14:00

Finding Mecca

Family-Friendly Workshop

The city of Mecca is the centre of the Islamic faith and the most important place of pilgrimage for Muslims, so the word 'mecca' has come to mean a centre of activity or interest. Find out what early Islamic scholars knew about geography, discover the qibla indicator, and make a personal place finder. Suitable for ages 9-13, booking required. Voluntary materials donation £5.

Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book.

15 February 2011 at 19:00

The Power of the Word: Amulets in Islam

Lecture

Venetia Porter is Curator of Islamic Art in the Middle East Department at the British Museum.

06 February 2011 at 19:00

Reflections in a Field of Heaven

Special Event

An evening of poetry and performance to mark the close of the exhibition, 'Anvilled Stars'. With Kirsten Norrie, Holly Slingsby, Jack Catling, D. Gwalia, Nancy Campbell, Brian Catling and others.

05 February 2011 at 12:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover unusual objects and put together your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for ages 5-11.

01 February 2011 at 19:00

Astronomy and Poetry

Lecture

An illustrated talk by Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

A professional astronomer with an interest in poetry looks at how poets have engaged with the sciences; illustrated with readings of selected poems. Professor Bell Burnell is famous for her discovery of pulsars in 1967.

This lecture is open to everyone.

01 February 2011 at

Parallel Universe

Exhibition

The winning ten poems from a science poetry competition organised by the Radcliffe Science Library and Kellogg College are on display. Visitors can also listen to recordings of the poets reading their own work. The readings are also available as a podcast at www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/universe. The poets are Oxford University staff, students and alumni.

25 January 2011 at 19:00

Mapping the Earth in Medieval Islam

Lecture

A public lecture by Professor Emilie Savage-Smith, FBA

Emilie Savage-Smith is Emeritus Professor of the History of Islamic Science, University of Oxford.

22 January 2011 at 14:00

What is this thing called an Astrolabe?

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover how astronomers created an extraordinary astronomical calculator, make a model and learn how to use it. Suitable for ages 9-13. A voluntary materials donation of £5 is suggested.

To book a space on this workshop, call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk.

22 January 2011 at 14:00

Al-Mizan

Gallery Talk

A guide to the current special exhibition led by the Museum Director, Jim Bennett.

21 January 2011 at 14:00

Time Machines

Gallery Talk

A guided tour of the current special exhibition led by its curator Stephen Johnston.

08 January 2011 at 12:00

Magical Movies

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did the Victorians know about the moving image? Find out by making your own magical movie toy. Suitable for ages 7-13.

22 December 2010 at 13:00

My Favourite Star

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make magical stars and discover the Zodiac amongst the Museum's collection of astronomical instruments. Suitable for ages 5+.

18 December 2010 at 13:00

My Favourite Star

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make magical stars and discover the Zodiac amongst the Museum's collection of astronomical instruments. Suitable for ages 5+.

11 December 2010 at 14:00

Al-Mizan

Gallery Talk

A guide to the special exhibition led by its curator, Stephen Johnston.

07 December 2010 at 19:00

Meteorites in Science and Culture

Lecture

Monica Grady is Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University and is a world authority on meteorites. She gave the televised Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2003 and has had an asteroid named in her honour. Here she gives a lecture about meteorites to celebrate our exhibition of meteorite art – Anvilled Stars.

05 December 2010 at 14:30

Qibla

Table Talk

Finding the direction of Mecca, with Stephen Johnston.

04 December 2010 at 14:00

Armillary Spheres

Family-Friendly Workshop

Find out how an armillary sphere works and make your own working model in one of the Museum's most popular Family Friendly Workshops. Suitable for ages 9+. A voluntary materials donation of £5 is suggested. To book spaces on this workshop, call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk.

28 November 2010 at 14:30

How Does the Astrolabe Work?

Table Talk

Jim Bennett gives a crash-course in how Astrolabes work, using examples from the Museum's collection.

27 November 2010 at 14:00

Al-Mizan

Gallery Talk

A guide to the special exhibition led by its curator, Stephen Johnston.

26 November 2010 at 19:00

Stars and Starlight

Special Event

Come and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the beginnings of a revolution in astronomy! In 1860 spectroscopy made it possible to find out what stars are made of. Discover spectroscopy and its history, see our exhibition of meteors and create a spectrum that shows who you are. Suitable for all the family.

The Museum's contribution to Oxford's 'Christmas Light Night'.

Admission free

Full programme for the evening:

EXHIBITIONS

There are two exhibitions featuring stars, open throughout the evening.

'Anvilled Stars: the Meteoric Mirrors of Matthew Luck Galpin'

Top Gallery

'Al-Mizan: Sciences and Arts in the Islamic World'

Special Exhibition Gallery

(Look for the stars, constellations and zodiacal signs on the globes and

astrolabes.)

MUSIC:

Skeleton Crew

Renaissance – Medieval – Folk – Baroque: our favourite local band

returns with their unique mix of music.

In the Basement

8 to 10 pm

FAMILY FRIENDLY:

In the Top Gallery from 7 to 9 pm

'My Spectrum'

Make a spectrum that shows who you are.

'My Spectroscope'

Make a spectroscope to take away.

Suitable for all the family.

EXHIBITION TOURS:

'Al-Mizan All-Stars'

The curator, Dr Johnston, will introduce the exhibition of sciences and

arts in Islam.

8.00 and 9.00, Special Exhibition Gallery in the basement.

OBJECT TALKS:

Very short talks on particular spectroscopes, in the Top Gallery.

7.30: 'The first spectroscope: Bunsen and Kirchhoff, 1860'

8.30: 'Sun and stars: the prism train'

9.30: 'The direct-vision spectroscope: a pocket instrument'

20 November 2010 at 12:00

Lightning Strikes

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the power of electricity and the story of Benjamin Franklin's invention of the lightning conductor. This drop-in session is free and is suitable for children aged 7+.
No need to book.

13 November 2010 at 14:00

The Natural History of Oxfordshire

Special Event

Robert Plot's 'Oxfordshire' of 1677 is a fascinating collection of facts and anecdotes about the county, which, with the help of local historians and other residents, we compare with our knowledge of Oxfordshire today.

A special event in our programme marking the 350th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Society.

Download the leaflet for the full programme of talks.

06 November 2010 at 14:00

Finding Mecca

Family-Friendly Workshop

The city of Mecca is the centre of the Islamic faith and the most important place of pilgrimage for Muslims, so the word 'mecca' has come to mean a centre of activity or interest. Find out what early Islamic scholars knew about geography, discover the qibla indicator, and make your own personalised place finder.

This workshop is suitable for ages 9-13 and a voluntary materials donation of £5 is requested. Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book a space.

29 October 2010 at 13:00

Discover Islamic Tile Patterns

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover symmetry, geometry and colour and create your own patterns inspired by islamic tile designs. Suitable for ages 7-13, no need to book – just drop in!

28 October 2010 at 13:00

Discover Islamic Tile Patterns

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover symmetry, geometry and colour and create your own patterns inspired by islamic tile designs. Suitable for ages 7-13, no need to book – just drop in!

26 October 2010 at 19:00

The Oxford Philosophical Society and the Royal Society: a meeting of minds?

Lecture

In the last of the three public lectures in our programme 'Oxford and the Early Royal Society', Dr Roos will describe the formation of the Oxford Society, the work done under the direction of Robert Plot, and its relationship with the Royal Society: sometimes one of collaboration, sometimes one of rivalry.

25 October 2010 at 13:00

The Camera Obscura

Special Event

Talk, demonstration and tour with Roger Smith in the Bodleian Library and MHS.

An introduction to this popular optical instrument by Roger Smith, a maker and an authority on the camera obscura. This is a collaboration between the Museum and the Bodleian Library: meet at 1pm in the Convocation House, entered via the Divinity School, Old Bodleian Library.

23 October 2010 at 12:00

The Big Draw: Dancing with Atoms

Family-Friendly Drop In

Drawing and collage inspired by the motion of atoms and X-ray patterns. Suitable for all ages, no need to book – just drop in!

16 October 2010 at 14:00

Museum Secrets

Gallery Talk

Stephen Johnston reveals some of the unexpected discoveries made during the redevelopment of c.1999 – some beneath the ground, others beneath the floorboards.

12 October 2010 at 19:00

Between the Lines

Lecture

In the latest in our occasional series of lectures by authors on the history of science, Celina Fox will talk about her outstanding new book The Arts of Industry in the Age of Enlightenment.

Simon Schama said of her book: “Celina Fox's brilliant and beautifully illustrated opus restores the connection between drawing and technology originally embedded in the very word “art”, before the Romantics turned it into a mystical effusion of genius.”

09 October 2010 at 14:00

Meet the Royals

Family-Friendly Workshop

Find out about the strange goings on in the first professional scientific society: peculiar pumps and a double-bottomed ship! This workshop is suitable for ages 9-13 and spaces are limited, so booking is required. Call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book.

25 September 2010 at 14:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out how Morse code works and have fun sending messages with the Museum's irresistable telegraphic apparatus. Suitable for ages 7+, no need to book – just drop in!

25 September 2010 at 14:00

Museum Secrets

Gallery Talk

Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum reveals some of the unexpected discoveries made during the Museum redevelopment in 1999 – some found beneath the ground, others beneath the floorboards.

18 September 2010 at 14:00

Words and Voices

Special Event

Although the Royal Society adopted the motto 'nullius in verba' ('take no-one's word'), words are the main record we have of its early activities, arguments and communications.

Here a programme of talks will present Oxford fellows of the Society (including John Wilkins, Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke, through their own words. They are at once memorable, amusing, poetic and moving.

11 September 2010 at 14:00

Pinhole Photography

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover how early cameras worked, the history of photography, and make some incredible pinhole photographs. Suitable for ages 9-13. A voluntary materials donation of £5 is suggested. If you would like to book a space on this workshop, call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk.

11 September 2010 at 10:30

Oxford Open Doors

Gallery Talk

A special tour focusing on the instruments from Oxford's 18th-century Radcliffe Observatory. Part of the Oxford Preservation Trust's Open Doors weekend. Free; no need to book.

05 September 2010 at 14:30

The Microscopes of Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

Table Talk

A table talk about these fascinating instruments with Stephen Johnston.

04 September 2010 at 10:00

10/10 Work

Special Event

The latest in the Museum's distinctive '10/10' days, on this occasion linked to the special exhibition 'The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work'. A programme of talks, tours, music and film, all on the theme of 'Work'. More details here.

28 August 2010 at 14:00

Euclid you Can!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out about Euclid and make some exciting 3-D geometric shapes out of coloured card. Suitable for ages 7+, no need to book – just drop in!

21 August 2010 at 12:00

Send a Message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out how Morse code works and have fun sending messages with the Museum's irresistable telegraphic apparatus. Suitable for ages 7+, no need to book – just drop in!

17 August 2010 at 19:00

Printmaking and the Early Royal Society

Lecture

The early Royal Society was much concerned with engraving and printing – both as a technical discipline and a practical tool for illustration and publication – yet we seem to know little about the artists involved. In this public lecture, Dr Jim Bennett talks about the most enduring images of the Society's early work; the plates from Robert Hooke's Micrographia.

10 August 2010 at

The Secret Life of the Museum

Exhibition

A decade after their last exhibition, this will be a rare opportunity to see a selection of the finds made beneath the floorboards of the Top Gallery during the redevelopment in 1999. All sorts of things dropped through the floorboards, whether accidentally or intentionally, form an unnoficial but revealing record of life in the Ashmoean Museum in the 18th century.

01 August 2010 at 14:30

The Universal Equinoctial Ring Dial

Table Talk

An English success in dial design with Jim Bennett.

24 July 2010 at 14:00

Cabinet of Curiosities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover strange objects in the Museum and make your own cabinet of curiosities. Suitable for ages 5-11, no need to book – just drop in!

24 July 2010 at

Summer activities

Family-Friendly Drop In

Help yourself to trails and puzzles to use on your Museum visit, or come and try out our activity back-packs for younger children.

13 July 2010 at 19:00

The MHS Summer Quiz

Special Event

Come and test your knowledge of science – past and present!

The Pub Quiz format is adapted here for a relaxed evening in the Museum with questions on science past and present. Turn up in teams of 3-6 people or come along and join a scratch team on the night.

10 July 2010 at 14:00

Block Printing

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make linocut designs inspired by the Museum's collection and try out a mechanical printing press. Suitable for ages 6+, no need to book – just drop in!

10 July 2010 at

Alice's Day

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the scientific inspiration behind the story of Alice in a special trail.

03 July 2010 at 14:00

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

Gallery Talk

A guide to the current special exhibition led by its curator, Stephen Johnston. An interesting insight into the thought-processes behind the exhibition.

26 June 2010 at 14:00

Ark-itecture

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover how ships were built in the past and make a model Ark. Part of the CIAO! Ark Festival

19 June 2010 at 14:00

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

Gallery Talk

A guide to the special exhibition led by its Curator, Dr Stephen Johnston.

08 June 2010 at 19:00

Pleasures and Sorrows – the Photographer

Lecture

Richard Baker is a documentary photographer who has worked with writer Alain de Botton on a number of occasions. Commissioned to create the images for de Botton's The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work he became both travelling companion and sounding board during the project. Here he provides an insight into both his photographs and his working process.

06 June 2010 at 14:30

Hooke's Air Pump

Table Talk

Jim Bennett will talk about Hooke's famous pump, using the Museum's fine replica to demonstrate its uses and function. Part of the Museum's Royal Society 350th birthday celebrations.

04 June 2010 at 14:00

Terrific Telescopes and Sneaky Spyglasses

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the Museum's wonderful collection of telescopes and spyglasses, large and small, in this trail for ages 7-13.

03 June 2010 at 14:00

Terrific Telescopes and Sneaky Spyglasses

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the Museum's wonderful collection of telescopes and spyglasses, large and small, in this trail for ages 7-13.

29 May 2010 at 14:00

Drawing with Leonardo

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Renaissance art and how to use a camera obscura to draw in perfect perspective. Suitable for children aged 9 upwards. Booking for this workshop is required, so call 01865 277280 or email museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk to book.

18 May 2010 at 19:00

The Great Experiment: the Early Evolution of the Royal Society

Lecture

Public Lecture by Professor Michael Hunter FBA (Birkbeck College, University of London)

The second lecture in our series on 'Oxford and the Royal Society', organised to mark the Society's 350th anniversary, will be given by the leading authority on the Society's foundation and early history. This lecture will be recorded and the resulting podcast will be available on the website from 19th May. More details of our Royal Society anniversary celebrations can be found here

15 May 2010 at 19:00

Science and Seance

Special Event

The European Night of Museums:

Science and Séance

Saturday 15th May, 7-11pm

Explore the history of science and spiritual communication – from Renaissance conversations with angels to Guglielmo Marconi’s 20th-century experiments. Full programme:

7.15 – talks:

“John Dee in conversation with angels”, Dr Stephen Johnston

“Converted by a Princess”: Marconi and the Spirits, Dr Jim Bennett

8pm – ‘The Tables Turned’ – film and dramatic discussion by The Strolling Players

9pm – Blithe Spirit – a showing of the 1945 film adaptation of Noel Coward’s play.

Admission free.

15 May 2010 at 14:00

The Mariner's Trail

Family-Friendly Drop In

Set sail with your ship on this voyage of discovery, an exciting trail and a board game. Sea legs required! Suitable for children aged 7-13.

08 May 2010 at 14:00

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

Gallery Talk

A guide to the special exhibition led by its Curator, Stephen Johnston.

01 May 2010 at 14:00

Pinhole Photography

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover cameras, the history of photography, and make incredible pinhole photographs. Suitable for ages 9-13. Voluntary materials donation £5.

01 May 2010 at 14:00

18th-century Astronomy

Gallery Talk

Jim Bennett explains the historical significance of the astronomical instruments mounted around the Museum staircase.

27 April 2010 at 19:00

Pleasures and Sorrows – the Curator

Lecture

Stephen Johnston, curator of the special exhibition The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work offers a 'behind the scenes' view of the curatorial work involved, from initial concept to final selection of images.

24 April 2010 at 14:00

Geometry at work

Gallery Talk

Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum, leads a tour introducing the instruments in the Top Gallery.

18 April 2010 at 14:30

Tobacco Time

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston presentins a 17th-century English sundial engraved on a tobacco box.

17 April 2010 at 12:00

Making Micrographia

Family-Friendly Drop In

Use lenses and microscopes to make drawings and monoprints of marvellous microscopic things. suitable for children aged 7+. Look at drawings from the last 2 Making Micrographia sessions here: http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/smallworlds/education/gallery.php

01 April 2010 at

Easter Mystery Trail

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow the clues to discover the secret signs that will help reveal the mystery of the Museum in this self-guided trail. Suitable for all the family.

28 March 2010 at 14:30

Heaven and Earth Combined

Table Talk

Investigate a geographical astrolabe in this Table Talk with Stephen Johnston – in the Basement Gallery.

14 March 2010 at 14:30

The Regiomontanus Sundial

Table Talk

Jim Bennett looks closely at a complex portable sundial from the 16th century and asks what it was really for. Table Talks take place in the Basement Gallery.

09 March 2010 at 19:00

Oxford and the Royal Society in the 17th Century

Lecture

Public Lecture by Dr William Poole. The Royal Society of London was founded in 1660, so celebrates its 350th anniversary in 2010. Oxford played an important part in its early history and the Museum occupies the only surviving building from the programme for the improvement of natural knowledge that inspired the Society's foundation.

Dr Poole of New College, who this year curates the Bodleian Library's exhibition on the life and work of John Aubrey, contributes to our year-long season of events at the Museum on the 17th-century story of Oxford and the Royal Society.

08 March 2010 at 19:00

Star Object: Astrolabes in Cultural Context

Lecture

Silke Ackerman is Curator of European and Islamic Scientific Instruments at the British Museum.

06 March 2010 at 14:00

Eyeballs and Other Things

Family-Friendly Drop In

Dissection of eyeballs and curious visual experiments will help you to understand what it is to see. Suitable for children aged 9+.

06 March 2010 at 12:00

The Old Ashmolean and the Royal Society (12, 2 and 4pm)

Gallery Talk

Discover the history of our building, the Old Ashmolean – a new building for science in 17th-century Oxford – in this Gallery Tour with Jim Bennett. Meet in the Entrance Gallery at 12.00, 2pm or 4pm for tours.

23 February 2010 at 13:00

Discover Islamic Tile Patterns

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover symmetry, geometry and colour and create your own patterns inspired by Islamic tile designs. Suitable for ages 7-13.

20 February 2010 at 14:00

Armillary Spheres

Family-Friendly Workshop

Find out how an armillary sphere works and make your own working model. Suitable for children aged 9 upwards. Help with cutting card may be required.

13 February 2010 at

10/10 STEAM

Special Event

The latest in the Museum's signature '10/10' days – open from 10am till 10pm with a programme of talks, music, film and activities on the theme of STEAM.

06 February 2010 at 14:00

Magical Movies

Family-Friendly Drop In

What did the Victorians know about the moving image? Find out by making your own magical movie toy. This Family Friendly drop-in is suitable for children aged 7-13.

06 February 2010 at 14:00

Masters of the Craft

Gallery Talk

Discover the world of early instrument makers in this Gallery Tour led by Stephen Johnston. Meet in the Entrance Gallery.

30 January 2010 at 14:30

Early Surveying Instruments

Table Talk

Jim Bennett gives a talk on the early surveying instruments in the Museum's collection.

30 January 2010 at 14:00

Steampunk Live Manikins

Special Event

An afternoon celebrating Steampunk fashion, ornament and jewellery, displayed by live manikins in the museum gallery. Come in your own steamwear – a chance to flaunt your favourite goggles.

25 January 2010 at 19:00

Mapping the Earth in Medieval Islam

Lecture

Emile Savage-Smith is Emeritus Professor of the History of Islamic Science, University of Oxford.

23 January 2010 at 14:00

Galileo's Telescope

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Galileo's invention and make your own working telescope. Suitable for children aged 9 upwards. A voluntary materials donation of £5 is suggested.

17 January 2010 at 14:30

Numbers by Machine

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston presents the arithmometer, the first commercial calculating machine, in the Table Talk.

16 January 2010 at

Makers' Day” href=””>Makers' Day

Special Event

Steampunk is for all the imaginative makers out there! This day offers ideas, materials, advice and inspiration. It includes:

- steampunk jewellery workshops with Amy Surman (booking required: museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk/01865 277280; fee for attendance and all materials £10) FULLY BOOKED

- Meccano demonstrations, displays and hands-on activities with the Henley Society of Meccano engineers

- stalls for buying makers' requisites

- an exhibition 'for sale' – one of MHS's signature events

Download a full programme of activities here

09 January 2010 at 14:00

Cabinet of Curiosity

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow a special trail around the Museum to collect your own Cabinet of Curiosities. Suitable for children aged 5-11.

02 January 2010 at 14:00

Collectors and Collections

Gallery Talk

Jim Bennett introduces some of the important collections in the Museum in this free Gallery Tour. Meet in the Entrance Gallery at 2pm.

13 December 2009 at 14:30

Sphere and astrolabe

Table Talk

The armillary sphere and astrolabe for beginners, with Jim Bennett.

Free. No need to book.

12 December 2009 at 14:00

The Marconi Collection

Gallery Talk

A gallery talk by Jim Bennett to mark the centenary of Marconi’s Nobel Prize.

Free. No need to book.

12 December 2009 at 14:00

Celestial Planisphere

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a special dial to show the stars based on a beautiful seventeenth- century map of the heavens. Suitable for children aged 7+.

09 December 2009 at 19:00

Steampunk Film Evening

Special Event

Certain classic films have been inspirational for the Steampunk movement, while in turn it has inspired some contemporary film-making.

This film evening shows a programme of cult and new Steampunk films. Full details of the films are on the poster here.

28 November 2009 at 14:00

Euclid You Can!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out about Euclid and make exciting 3D shapes out of coloured card. This Family Friendly Drop In is suitable for children aged 7+.

28 November 2009 at 11:00

Collections and Collectors

Gallery Talk

Thad Parsons introduces some of the important collections in the Museum.

Free. No need to book.

27 November 2009 at 19:00

Gaslight – late night opening

Special Event

The Museum's contribution to Oxford's annual 'Christmas Light Night' will include:

7 – 9pm: Family Friendly Trail: Make your own map of the stars!

7.30 – 9pm: Victorian & Edwardian Parlour Songs performed by Colin Baldy & Gulliver Ralston

9pm – Rare showing of Thorold Dickinson's 1940s original of the classic thriller, GASLIGHT

All evening: Museum Galleries and Steampunk exhibition open.

Admission is free, and there is no need to book for any of the activities.

15 November 2009 at 14:30

Cheap and Nasty?

Table Talk

Stephen Johnston presents a typical Augsburg sundial of the 18th-century.

Free. No need to book.

14 November 2009 at 14:00

Astronomy in the Eighteenth Century

Gallery Talk

Jim Bennett presents the History of astronomy as illustrated by the Museum’s displays.

Free. No need to book.

14 November 2009 at 14:00

Tick-Tock Clockwork

Family-Friendly Workshop

Find out how a mechanical clock works and make a clockwork mechanism. This session is suitable for children aged 9+ and must be booked in advance – either by emailing museum@mhs.ox.ac.uk or calling 01865 277280. A voluntary materials donation of £5 is suggested.

07 November 2009 at 14:00

Steam Silhouettes

Special Event

Have your visit to the Steampunk exhibition memorialised by an 'instant' silhouette portrait, the Victorian equivalent of the Polaroid. Steam Silhouettes will be created by Kathryne Beebe and Joshua Hatton.

Free. No need to book.

31 October 2009 at 11:30

Susan Philipsz in conversation

Special Event

The Berlin-based artist discusses her new installation at Oxford's Radcliffe Observatory with Michael Stanley. A collaboration with Modern Art Oxford.

30 October 2009 at 12:00

Steampunk Big Draw

Family-Friendly Drop In

Draw alongside our exhibition of Steampunk objects inspired by Victorian design, and create some Steampunk art of your own! Probably the funkiest Big Draw ever!

27 October 2009 at 19:00

Science and Technology in the History of Fashion

Lecture

A public lecture by Sue Jenkyn Jones linked to the Steampunk exhibition.

Sue Jenkyn Jones is course director for the MA in Digital Fashion Technology at the London College of Fashion. She is a consultant to the fashion industry and author of a nunber of books on fashion.

17 October 2009 at 14:00

Alchemy, Pharmacy and Photography

Gallery Talk

Stories from the history of chemistry with Stephen Johnston.

Free. No need to book.

17 October 2009 at 12:00

Lightning Strikes!

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the power of electricity, the story of lightning and make your own electric toy. This Family Friendly Drop In is suitable for children aged 7+.

13 October 2009 at 19:00

Steampunk Curator's Talk

Special Event

Art Donovan, curator of the current special exhibition gives his insider's view of the Steampunk movement and the story of the exhibition.

27 September 2009 at 14:30

Anatomical Models

Table Talk

By Anna Maerker. Free – no need to book.

12 September 2009 at 14:00

History of Astronomy: 'Gate-Crashing the Heavens'

Gallery Talk

Gallery Tour by Pedro Raposo
Free – no need to book

06 September 2009 at 14:30

Proportion in Design

Table Talk

The architectonic sector revealed.
Stephen Johnston
Free – no need to book

05 September 2009 at 14:00

Galileo's Telescope

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Galileo’s invention and make your own working telescope. Involves some theory of optics.
Suitable for ages 9-13.
Voluntary materials donation £5.
Held in the Basement Gallery
Booking is required – call 01865 277280.

05 September 2009 at 11:00

Collections and Collectors

Gallery Talk

Gallery Tour by Thad Parsons
Free – no need to book

02 September 2009 at 14:00

Walking Tour

Special Event

Curator-led tour explores the themes of the exhibition among the buildings of Oxford, from the Museum to Merton College via the Sheldonian, Bodleian and Queen’s College. A fresh view of some of Oxford’s most dramatic architectural statements, intimate library interiors and artefacts. (Duration: 1.5 hours)
Book on 01865 277280; cost £5

01 September 2009 at 19:00

Architecture as Instrument

Lecture

Public lecture by Dr Stephen Johnston, Museum of the History of Science
Dr Johnston is one of Compass and Rule’s curators. He discusses how the ingenuity of instrument makers was tied to the world of architectural design.
Free admission

29 August 2009 at 14:00

Compass and Rule Gallery Tour

Gallery Talk

Anthony Gerbino and Stephen Johnston provide a curator’s guide to the exhibition.
Free – no need to book.

22 August 2009 at 14:00

Anarchic Architecture

Family-Friendly Drop In

Be inspired by futuristic visions and make exciting structures out of card and other materials.
Suitable for children aged 7 upwards.
To be held in the Basement Gallery
No need to book just come along.

18 August 2009 at 19:00

Compass and Rule Revealed

Special Event

Public lecture by Dr Anthony Gerbino, University of Oxford
Dr Gerbino is an architectural historian and co-curator of Compass and Rule. Here he talks about the making of the exhibition.
Free admission.

15 August 2009 at 14:00

Optics and Early Photography

Gallery Talk

Gallery Tour by Thad Parsons
Free – no need to book.

12 August 2009 at 14:30

Compass and Rule Gallery Tour

Gallery Talk

Anthony Gerbino and Stephen Johnston provide a curator’s guide to the exhibition.
Free – no need to book.

08 August 2009 at 12:00

Send a message SOS

Family-Friendly Drop In

Find out how Morse code works and have fun sending messages with the museum’s funky telegraphic apparatus.
Suitable for all aged 7 upwards.
To be held in the Basement Gallery
No need to book just come along.

25 July 2009 at 15:00

The Story House Storytelling with Vergine Gulbenkian

Family-Friendly Drop In

Supported by MLA. This event is part of the London 2012 Open Weekend supported by BP – an open invitation to get involved in the three day national celebration marking the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In association with our current special exhibition Compass and Rule.

Free to attend

25 July 2009 at 14:00

Crazy Columns and Dodgy Domes

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the mathematical secrets of Renaissance architecture, how to build a dome and draw a perfect spiral.
Suitable for ages 9-13.
Held in the Basement Gallery
Booking is required – call 01865 277280.

25 July 2009 at 14:00

The Story House Storytelling with Vergine Gulbenkian

Family-Friendly Drop In

Supported by MLA. This event is part of the London 2012 Open Weekend supported by BP – an open invitation to get involved in the three day national celebration marking the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In association with our current special exhibition Compass and Rule.

Free to attend

25 July 2009 at 12:00

The Story House Storytelling with Vergine Gulbenkian

Family-Friendly Drop In

Supported by MLA. This event is part of the London 2012 Open Weekend supported by BP – an open invitation to get involved in the three day national celebration marking the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In association with our current special exhibition Compass and Rule.

Free to attend

22 July 2009 at 14:00

Walking Tour

Special Event

Curator-led tour explores the themes of the exhibition among the buildings of Oxford, from the Museum to Merton College via the Sheldonian, Bodleian and Queen’s College. A fresh view of some of Oxford’s most dramatic architectural statements, intimate library interiors and artefacts. (Duration: 1.5 hours)
Book on 01865 277280; cost £5

21 July 2009 at 19:00

Wren and Drawing

Special Event

Public lecture by Dr Anthony Geraghty, University of York
Dr Geraghty is a leading authority on Christopher Wren. His catalogue of the Wren drawings at All Souls College, Oxford was published in 2007 and he is currently researching the history of the Sheldonian Theatre.
Free admission.

18 July 2009 at 10:00

10/10 Circle

Special Event

From morning to night, a whole day on the compass-inspired theme of ‘Circle’ – cuneiform mathematics to Stonehenge, circular railways to cyclotrons. Check the Museum website for the complete programme of talks, music, film, trails, workshops and tours.
Free admission.

15 July 2009 at 14:30

Compass and Rule Gallery Tour

Gallery Talk

Anthony Gerbino and Stephen Johnston provide a curator’s guide to the exhibition.
Free – no need to book.

11 July 2009 at 14:00

Cabinet of Curiosity

Family-Friendly Drop In

Follow a special trail and then make your own cabinet of curiosities.
Suitable for children aged 5-11.
To be held in the Basement Gallery
No need to book just come along.

05 July 2009 at 14:30

The Architecture of Print

Table Talk

Practical geometry and typography from Albrecht Durer to Joseph Moxon.
By Stephen Johnston
Free – no need to book.

04 July 2009 at 14:00

The Grinning Cheshire Cat

Family-Friendly Workshop

Cameras, microscopes and other instruments will inspire imaginative visions and role-play in this workshop for creative young story writers.

Suitable for children aged 9 upwards.
Held in the Basement Gallery
Booking is required – call 01865 277280.

04 July 2009 at 11:00

Alice's Day

Family-Friendly Drop In

A special trail and drop-in activity as part of the celebrations of Alice's Day in Oxford City Centre.
Suitable for all the family.
No need to book just come along.

27 June 2009 at 14:00

Make a book a building

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make a very special book inspired by buildings, with folded columns and other bits and bobs.
Suitable for ages 7 upwards.
This event is held in the Basement Gallery and there is no need to book in – just come along.

27 June 2009 at 14:00

Compass and Rule: The curator's guide to the special exhibition

Gallery Talk

By Stephen Johnston
Free and no need to book.

20 June 2009 at 14:00

History of Astronomy: 'Gate-crashing the Heavens'

Gallery Talk

By Pedro Raposo.

14 June 2009 at 14:30

The marine chronometer for beginners

Table Talk

By Jim Bennett
Free and no need to book
A large table in the Basement Gallery is used for informal talks and demonstrations.

13 June 2009 at 14:00

Galileo’s telescope

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of Galileo’s invention and make your own working telescope. Involves some theory of optics.
Suitable for ages 9-13.
Voluntary materials donation £5.
This event is held in the Basement Gallery and booking is required – call 01865 277280.

09 June 2009 at 19:00

Between the Lines

Special Event

In the latest in our occasional series of lectures by authors of successful books in the history of science, Rebecca Abrams will talk about her novel, Touching Distance, the story of Dr Alexander Gordon and the epidemic of childbed fever that struck Aberdeen between 1789 and 1792.
‘Fascinating – a history lesson incorporating passion, mystery, skulduggery and a moving love story … Excellent', The Times
Admission to all events is free.

29 May 2009 at 12:00

Lightning Strikes

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the power of electricity, the story of lightning, and make your own electric toy.
Suitable for children aged 7 upwards.
This event is held in the Basement Gallery and there is no need to book – just come along.

27 May 2009 at 14:00

Lightning Strikes

Family-Friendly Drop In

Discover the power of electricity, the story of lightning, and make your own electric toy.
Suitable for children aged 7 upwards.
This event is held in the Basement Gallery and there is no need to book – just come along.

16 May 2009 at 19:00

The Night of Museums: Death and Dissection

Special Event

The evening will include talks about the history of dissection and the business of anatomy in Oxford, while The Strolling Players will present ‘The Business of Bodies’: set in Liverpool in the 1820s, their courtroom drama casts the audience as jury, deciding the fate of a prisoner accused of medical grave robbing. A contribution to the annual European festival of museums, La Nuit des Musées.

16 May 2009 at 14:00

Eyeballs and other things

Family-Friendly Drop In

Dissection of eyeballs and some curious visual experiments will help you understand what it is to see.
Suitable for age 9 upwards.
This event is held in the Basement Gallery and there is no need to book, just come along.

10 May 2009 at 14:30

Art, architecture and mathematics: the mysterious Thomas Carwitham

Exhibition

By Stephen Johnston
Free and no need to book
A large table in the Basement Gallery is used for informal talks and demonstrations.

02 May 2009 at 14:00

Spice Raiders

Family-Friendly Workshop

Discover the secrets of navigation and how the early spice traders found their way to the glittering prize of the East.
Suitable for children aged 9-13.
This event is held in the Basement Gallery and booking is required – call 01865 277280.

25 April 2009 at 14:00

Hidden Creatures: animals and objects

Gallery Talk

By Stephen Johnston.

19 April 2009 at 14:30

How does an astrolabe work?

Table Talk

By Jim Bennett
Free and no need to book
A large table in the Basement Gallery is used for informal talks and demonstrations.

18 April 2009 at 14:00

The English Telescope: The curator's guide to the special exhibition

Gallery Talk

By Jim Bennett.

18 April 2009 at 12:00

Making Micrographia

Family-Friendly Drop In

Make your own drawings and prints using lenses and microscopes and submit your work to the online gallery.
Suitable for children aged 7 upwards.
This event is held in the Basement Gallery and there's no need to book – just come along.

11 April 2009 at 11:00

The History of the Early Ashmolean Museum

Gallery Talk

By Thad Parsons

04 April 2009 at 10:00

Starry Messengers

Special Event

Celebrating 2009 International Year of Astronomy, a fabulous day for all the family with children’s activities, storytelling and talks.
Suitable for adults and children.

04 April 2009 at 10:00

Starry Messenger

Family-Friendly Drop In

Family friendly activities are included in the programme of events.
Suitable for all the family.
No need to book – just come along.

01 April 2009 at 10:00

Angels' Delight

Family-Friendly Drop In

Number, shape and pattern combine to reveal a universe fit for angels.
This self-guided trail is available during opening hours until 19 April and there is no need to book in – just come along.
Suitable for children aged 7 upwards.

19 January 2009 at

Out of the Deep

Exhibition

Underwater archaeology often uncovers everyday objects rarely found in museum collections. This small display features a 17th-century carpenter's rule currently on research loan from Odyssey Marine Exploration.

19 August 2008 at

SIS 25th Anniversary Members’ Special Loan Exhibition

Special Event

SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT SOCIETY

1983 – 2008

25th Anniversary Members’ Special Loan Exhibition

The Society was founded by a very small group of enthusiasts in a house in South London in the Spring of 1983. Membership has grown considerably since then and to celebrate our 25th anniversary it is proposed that there should be an exhibition of Members’ own instruments, to be held at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford from 19 August to 26 October 2008.

We will use three exhibition cases in the entrance gallery and the remainder of the objects will be placed within the permanent displays throughout the Museum. The message is that serious collecting can complement and enhance museum work and display. Our novel approach will create a unique event in the world of scientific instruments.

Members are invited to submit suggestions for exhibits and will be encouraged to provide text for special labels. In emphasising the role of the collector, it will be particularly appropriate to communicate the personal significance and the story of each instrument. Label text may nevertheless be edited for conformity, accuracy or contextual purposes. Instruments can be exhibited with the name of the exhibitor or anonymously. Contributions need not be exclusively instrumental, and associated material such as ephemera is very welcome: the more broad-ranging the better!

It will be necessary for the exhibiting Member to arrange the transport of their objects to and from the Museum (or they can be delivered in person). In consultation with contributing Members, the Museum will establish a schedule for delivery, which must be adhered to so that objects can be safely received and checked.

If you are interested in displaying some of the items in your collection please fill in and return the preliminary form by 20 April. Please give a brief description of each item so that the Organising Committee can make a selection, should we have too many submissions, and as an aid when arranging the display. This Preliminary Form will not be disclosed outside the Organising Committee. The form is available as a Word document and the electronic submission of forms and digital images is strongly encouraged.

The Organising Committee

Peter Delehar

146 Portobello Road

London W11 2DZ

U.K.

Telephone: 020 8423 8600

Mobile: 07779 024 182

Email: peter@peterdelehar.co.uk

Dr Stephen Johnston, Assistant Keeper

Museum of the History of Science

University of Oxford

Broad Street

Oxford OX1 3AZ

U.K.

Telephone: 01865 277282

Email: stephen.johnston@mhs.ox.ac.uk

Society home

Museum home

24 July 2007 at

Alexis Lemaire broke the World Record for Mental Calculation of the 13th root of a 200 digit number

Special Event

On 24 July at 3.46pm Alexis Lemaire broke the World Record for Mental Calculation in the top gallery of the Museum of the History of Science by successfully extracting the 13th Root of a 200 digit number without using calculator, pen or paper. Lemaire managed to find the 16 digit solution in an astonishing 77.99 seconds.

The 27 year-old Artificial Intelligence researcher already holds the record for extracting the 13th Root of a 100 digit number (at a virtually unbeatable 3.62 seconds) and after four years of intense training, he now holds the record for calculating the 13th root of a 200 digit number.

School teaches us that the second (square) root of 4 is 2 and that 2 is also the third (cube) root of 8. The 13th root of a number is deemed to be the most difficult mental calculation to perform because 13 is a prime number whose roots cannot be obtained by combining those of any other number. A computer generates 200 digit numbers at random giving Lemaire up to 390 trillion possible answers to run through before reaching the 16 digit answer.

Those of us who aren’t able to perform such complex calculations are intrigued to know how he does it. Lemaire explained that it is done through mathematical skill, calculating and most importantly memory: “When I think of numbers I sometimes see a movie, sometimes sentences. I can translate the numbers into words. The art is to convert memory chunks into some kind of structure. I see images, phrases and actions. I have associations between places and numbers. Some places are imaginary; I try to vary these so I don't confuse the numbers.”

19 March 2007 at 09:00

Geometrical Objects: Architecture and the Mathematical Sciences 1400-1800

Conference

Geometrical Objects
Architecture and the Mathematical Sciences 1400-1800

Museum of the History of Science
and Worcester College, University of Oxford
19-20 March 2007

Final programme now available

Recent scholarship in the history of science has underscored the mutually reinforcing relationship between “high” and “low,” or theoretical and practical, forms of early modern mathematics. As many historians have shown, mathematicians of the period were deeply involved in problems of instrument making, surveying, engineering, gunnery, and navigation. At the same time, the practitioners of these arts were increasingly concerned with questions of higher mathematics and natural philosophy as they pertained to the advancement of their craft. In fact, practitioners appear to have provided an important intellectual and technical context for many of the period’s mathematical discoveries – an essential development, historians now maintain, in the larger history of the “scientific revolution.”

Architecture, too, was a “mathematical” art, almost wholly dependent on geometrical or arithmetic operations of some form or another. The process of design itself – insofar as it required the application of consistent proportional rules – was largely defined by them, as were many other basic tasks. Surveying, cost estimates, bookkeeping, and even the use of routine graphic techniques – perspective, scaled orthogonal drawing, and stereotomic diagrams – all entailed a certain amount of mathematical training. Nor were these skills limited to the design of buildings. Architects also used calculations in mapping cities, laying out fortifications, and planning hydraulic projects for gardens, dams, and canals. Military and civil engineering had long been part of the Vitruvian tradition.

This symposium seeks to explore issues and questions raised by this situation. To what extent can the architect be considered a “mathematical practitioner”? What role did architectural practice and building technologies play in the broader evolution of mathematics? How did architects see themselves in relation to mathematicians and scientists? What are the documented cases of contact or conflict between these groups?

Organizers

Anthony Gerbino, Worcester College, University of Oxford
Mario Carpo, École d’Architecture de Paris–La Villette
Marco Panza, CNRS and Université de Paris 7

Participants

- Kirsti Andersen, The Steno Institute, History of Science Department, Aarhus University

- “The Geometry of an Art: Architects and Perspective”

- Francesco Benelli, Dept of Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University

- “Invisible Geometry: The Palazzo Del Podestà in Bologna”

- Henk J. M. Bos, Mathematisch Institut, Universiteit Utrecht

- “When Is a Curve Known? The Reaction of 17th-century Mathematicians to the New Wealth of Hitherto Unknown Curves”

- Bernard Cache, Berlage Institute, Rotterdam and Objectile, Paris

- “Commensurability and Proportionality in the De Architectura“

- Filippo Camerota, Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza, Florence

- “Mathematical Sciences and Baroque Architecture: on the Villa Pamphilj, Oblique Architecture, and Vittone's Newtonianism”

- David Friedman, Department of Architecture, Massachussetts Institute of Technology

- “UA 4180: Survey and Urban Design in the Rome of Paul IV”

- Pascal Dubourg Glatigny, Centre Alexandre Koyré, CNRS, Paris

- “Architecture and Science in Rome, 1740: The St-Peter's Dome Collapse”

- Jacques Heyman, Faculty of Engineering (Emeritus), University of Cambridge

- “Geometry, Mechanics, and Analysis in Architecture”

- Ann Huppert, School of Architecture, University of Kansas

- “Baldassarre Peruzzi, Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, and Practical Mathematics in Renaissance Architectural Practice”

- Stephen Johnston, Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford

- “Fit for a King? Architecture, Instruments and Audience in 18th-century England”

- Jeanne Kisacky, University of Syracuse

- “Breathing Room: Measuring the Immaterial Requirements of Architecture”

- Susan Klaiber, Winterthur, Switzerland

- “Architecture and Mathematics in Early Modern Religious Orders”

Further Enquiries

The conference is sponsored by the Graham Foundation, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, Worcester College, and the John Fell Fund of the University of Oxford. Attendance is open to all without charge. However there is a limit on places available and anyone wishing to attend must register with Anthony Gerbino by 1 March 2007. He can be contacted for registration or other enquiries at: anthony.gerbino (at) worcester.oxford.ac.uk.

Note added 19 January 2007: the conference is now fully subscribed and no more registrations can be taken.

03 December 2005 at 10:00

10/10 Star

Special Event

A day of talks, tours, trails, activities, displays, music, poetry and film on the theme Star
Admission to the Museum and to all events in the programme is free.
Opens 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

To view the original programme, see 1010-star-programme or 1010-star-programme [doc]

01 January 1970 at

Time Traveller's Trail

Family-Friendly Drop In

A tick-tocking trail to discover curious clocks and terrific timepieces. Pick up this self-guided trail in the Entrance Gallery during Museum opening hours. Suitable for ages 7+.

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