Description: Annette A. Aiello Smithsonian Institution Archives Oral History Collection, SIA009624When she was twenty-eight years old, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) staff scientist Annette Aiello (1941-) picked up a copy of Gray’s Manual of Botany to identify plants she photographed; that book changed her life. And the rest is history.As a young girl, Aiello felt
Description: On January 24, 1925, for the first time in over a century, a total solar eclipse would be visible across the northern part of the United States. How scientists used a dirigible to observe the phenomenon.
Description: Roxie Collie Laybourne pioneered the field of forensic ornithology through her study of bird feathers, which has meant improved aviation safety.
Description: Voices from the past! A treasure trove of over 10,000 cylinder recordings of historic sounds to stream or download from the University of California, Santa Barbara. [via Hyperallergic] A powerful new VR experience; location-based storytelling from the New York Times, NYT VR. [via New York Times] Digital provenance comes to life at the Carnegie Museum: New open-source software,
Description: This summer, have a little fun with images from our collections that have been designated as open access. Anyone can now download, transform, share, and reuse millions of images as part of Smithsonian Open Access.
Description: This summer Visiting Professional Laura Wahl had the chance to learn more about how to respond to the problem of mold residues found on archival materials. The Smithsonian Affiliations’ Visiting Professionals Program allowed her to spend time at the Smithsonian Institution Archives’ conservation lab researching this topic.
Description: The Smithsonian Institution Archives YouTube channel has a new dedicated playlist for the Science Media Group Collection, which features videos from the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory program that was active from 1989 to 2013.
Description: As a laborer at the Smithsonian from 1882 until his death in 1918, Harrison Lomax served the Institution’s top leaders. A letter in our collections that he wrote to Secretary Samuel P. Langley is an example of the ways in which African American employees advocated for themselves in order to earn promotions and raises.
Description: [caption id="attachment_1319" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="AIR TRANSPORT, AIRLINES, USA., 1950s, by Rudy Arnold, National Air and Space Museum, Archives Division "][/caption] As my colleague Effie mentioned back in April, the Smithsonian has been working hard to provide the public with a way to search across the Smithsonian’s diverse digital collections. New