MSA is now an affiliate of the Science History Institute

The Science History Institute (SHI) is a prestigious and well-funded institution. One of their interests is the history of microscopy. They hold occasional lectures and conferences, and they produce on-line and hard-copy publications. They yearly fund 12 scholars to carry out on-site science history research. MAS has also joined as an affiliate, and each Society has a seat on the Heritage Committee, as does member-at-large Charles Lyman. The MSA Archivist also has a seat on the Instrumentation and Artifacts Committee. SHI will be the repository for the Archives of both MSA and MAS. SHI is also interested in collecting the papers of scientists whose careers have ended. MSA recommends deeding such papers directly to SHI, rather than first to MSA. In addition to books and papers, SHI accepts significant instruments for display in their museum. The SHI is also interested in historically significant whole laboratories or instruments that are too large to display; they hope to develop "virtual tours" of these before they are dismantled. The current MSA Archivist (Mike Marko) has a collection of early microscopes (TEMs and LMs) and accessories, which will eventually be transferred to SHI. These instruments can be viewed by appointment, and a "virtual tour" website of the MSA instruments is planned. For more information, contact the MSA Archivist (mike.marko.em@gmail.com).