Virtual Tour Launch: "Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist"

Wednesday, December 16 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

Join Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellows, Janine Boldt and Emily Margolis for the launch of the virtual exhibition tour of Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist. Hear behind-the-scenes stories, learn how the tour works, and get a little more information about some of the objects “on display.” 

One attendee will have a chance to win a copy of the Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist catalogue! (Please note that the winner's copy of the catalogue will not be shipped until early 2021.)

About the Virtual Tour and Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist

This is a launch of the virtual tour for one of the Society’s National Endowment for the Humanities CARES-funded projects focused on Benjamin Franklin's American Enlightenment. Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist, considers the relationship between science and public life in the 18th-century Atlantic World. The exhibition examines the production, circulation, application, and accessibility of scientific knowledge through the life and work of Benjamin Franklin. Throughout, it highlights lesser-known contributors to the scientific enterprise and the various spaces where science was performed. The exhibition connects Franklin's scientific pursuits to contemporary issues in science and society. 

About the Curators

Dr. Janine Yorimoto Boldt is the 2018-2020 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow. She is lead curator for the forthcoming exhibition, Dr. Franklin, Citizen Scientist, and was co-curator of Mapping a Nation: Shaping the Early American Republic. Janine received her PhD in American Studies from William & Mary in 2018. Her current book project investigates the political function and development of portraiture in colonial Virginia.

Dr. Emily A. Margolis is a former Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow at the American Philosophical Society and currently serves as Curator of American Women’s History at the National Air and Space Museum and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Dr. Margolis holds a PhD in the History of Science and Technology (Johns Hopkins University, 2019), MA in the History of Science and Technology (University of Oklahoma, 2013), and BA in Physics (Princeton University, 2010). She is a native of Bucks County, PA. 

This project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this workshop do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.