Presentations will take place via the video conferencing app ZOOM. Please register in advance in order to access the program.
The words “environment,” “wilderness,” and “nature” evoke images for us, whether of pristine woodlands or polluted streams. The roots of today’s environmentalism are found partly in 19th-century ideas about nature. As American explorers discovered the natural wonders of the country, writers, painters, and photographers romanticized the mighty wilderness. Scientists and inventors played a different role, developing and using a range of instruments to collect and interpret environmental data. This talk illustrates how artists, scientists, and inventors have helped to shape our changing perceptions of the environment.
Presented by Joyce Bedi, senior historian, Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, National Museum of American History
Image: NASA/Apollo 17 crew; taken by either Harrison Schmitt or Ron Evans
