The Image of Chemistry

THE IMAGE OF CHEMISTRY PRESENTED BY THE SCIENCE MUSEUM, LONDON IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY ... 

Before we examine the image of chemistry that has been presented by the Science Museum during the twentieth century, it is worth asking if science and technology museums have any influence on the public s perception of chemistry. While the impact of museums is inevitably less than, say, the mass media, they do attract large audiences the Science Museum had 1.2 million visitors in the 1930s, a peak of 4.2 million visitors in 1980 and 2.6 million visitors in 2004. It is also clear that such... 

The Image of Chemistry Presented by Science Museum Galleries... 

It would be desirable, and indeed logical, to compare the image of chemistry presented by the Science Museum with leading science and technology museums in other countries. In practice, however, it is only possible to make a proper comparison with the Deutsches Museum in Munich. This is partly a matter of available sources, I only have access to an adequate number of guides for the period from 1930 to the present in the case of the Deutsches Museum, but also a reflection of the amount of space devoted to chemistry in other major museums. The Smithsonian only gave over a small amount of its exhibition space to chemistry, as opposed to materials, until the opening of Science in American Life in April 1994. The Conservatoire national des arts et metiers in Paris has... 

Morris, P.J.T. 2006, The Image of Chemistry Presented by the Science Museum, London in the Twentieth Century An International Perspective , Hyle, 12 (2), 215-239. 

Racheli I recall that one of the referees of the book proposal wrote Maybe the chemical industry would use this as a tool to improve the image of chemistry. ... 

Let me turn finally to some of the societal challenges we face. First and foremost is the image of chemistry. 

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