This past week, I finally went to view the Davis Museum’s exhibit “The Art of Science: Object Lessons at Wellesley College, 1875-1940.” The premise behind the exhibit was to reflect the rediscovered objects and images utilized in science classrooms at Wellesley College from the time since the school was first founded. Historically, Wellesley has always provided an astonishing and brilliant curriculum for female students, especially in the forefront of science education. These women used models, instruments, and charts to achieve the highest education possible during their time.
This exhibit ties in very well to our studies today, especially as we tie in the scientific and artistic approach in our own science classes. If we think about the objects that we would leave behind to best represent our science class, we could probably leave behind an intricate prion drawing, or even one of the malleable and bendy foam-like straws used to show the primary, secondary, and tertiary structures of proteins like prions. I believe that these objects would show not only how we achieved a well-rounded, high quality liberal arts education, but also how we have connected the concepts of science and art together, rather than separate them as mutually exclusive entities.