Wright Lab summer undergraduate researchers explore scientific treasures of Yale Beinecke Library

people at seminar table with open books on them looking at presenter.
July 14, 2022

Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library (Beinecke) and the Medical Historical Library together house early editions of many milestones of achievements in physics, including those from Copernicus, du Châtelet, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and other scientists from the 16th-18th centuries, with topics ranging from early materials science, astronomy and cosmology, physics, and mathematics.

Undergraduate students working at Wright Lab, the department of Physics, and the department of Astronomy for the summer were invited to experience and read fifteen of these works on July 13 as part of the 2022 Wright Lab programming for summer undergraduate researchers.

The program was held in a classroom at the Beinecke, and was curated and led by Science Research Support Librarian Kayleigh Bohémier.  The 15 works were by the following authors:

  • Nicolaus Copernicus. 1473-1543
  • Galileo Galilei. 1564-1642
  • Johannes Kepler. 1571-1630
  • Robert Boyle. 1627-1691
  • Isaac Newton. 1643-1727
  • John Lodge Cowley. 1719-1797
  • George Horne. 1730-1792
  • Isabella Cortese. 16th century
  • Margaret Cavendish Newcastle. 1623-1673
  • Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet (Émilie du Châtelet). 1706-1749
  • Caroline Lucretia Herschel. 1750-1848

Pictures of the enrichment session can be seen on our Flickr page here.

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