April 21 - CE Evening Lecture
Join this lecture discussing scale up challenges with Tim Bell
The Science History Institute’s most-trafficked webpage was not expected to be popular. It’s an essay surveying the history and future of plastic, written more than a decade ago for a high school role-playing game. Many people, apparently, want to understand how we came to live in a world awash in plastic. This talk outlines key historical insights that can help us make sense of plastics’ complicated and contentious place in the world of today. We’ll examine some unusual objects in the Institute’s collections, including a Bakelizer from 1909, an ironic Shel Silverstein song unironically distributed by Monsanto, a LEGO dragon lost at sea, and a piece of Astroturf commemorating Veterans’ Stadium. We’ll conclude by thinking like museum curators, as we discuss what do people need to know about plastics today to make wise choices for the future?
Our speaker, Roger Turner is the curator of instruments and artifacts at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia. Over the last five years, he’s been seeking out surprising objects to tell richer stories about the history of plastic. His recent exhibits include “Astroturf: Surface of Contention” and “Is the Plastic Bag History?” He earned a Ph.D. in history and sociology of science from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026 (EDT)
5:30pm-6:30pm – Presentation
6:30pm-6:45pm – Q&A Session + Closing Remarks
Location: Online only
Price:
$15 Virtual Option Only
Virtual information will be provided to virtual attendees the morning of the event.
PDH Potential: 1 Credit
Lecture Details:
Info & Registration Page
Register by noon on Tuesday, April 21st to save your spot! |