Chemical Education Today
ACS National Meeting Photo courtesy of Paul S. and Brenda H. Cohen
Discovering Boston by Paul S. Cohen and Brenda H. Cohen
What To See and Do in Boston Related to Science All these sites are in easy reach with public transportation.
Arnold Arboretum is a 265-acre park with more than 5,000 varieties of trees collected from northern temperate zones and grouped according to family and type. The gar-
The 44-gun frigate USS Constitution , built in 1797 and affectionately known as “Old Ironsides”, is the oldest commissioned warship in the world that is afloat.
dens, designed by Olmsted, have thousands of labeled specimens and are administered by Harvard University. Charlestown Navy Yard was an active navy yard from 1800 to 1974. Recently the yard completed a restoration on
Boston: Arnold Arboretum : 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130; 617/524-1718. Charles River Dam Visitors’ Center: 250 Warren Ave., Boston, MA 02127; 617/727-0488. Computer Museum: 300 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02127; 617/423-6758 or 426-2800. Franklin Park Zoo: 180 Hemenway Road, Boston, MA 02119; 617/442-4896. Museum of Science: Science Park, Boston, MA 02114; 617/723-2500 or 227-3235. New England Aquarium: Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110; 617/973-5200. Charlestown Navy Yard: Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129; 617/242-5692; USS Constitution, 617/426-1812; USS Cassin Young, 617/242-5601.
Adjacent Towns: Charles River Museum of Industry: 154 Moody Street, Waltham, MA 02154; 617/893-5410. Harvard University Museums: 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; 617/495-1910. Garden in the Woods–New England Wild Flower Society: 180 Hemenway Road, Framingham, MA 01701; 508/237-4924. Great Meadows National Wildlife Sanctuary: 293 Moose Hill Street, Sudbury, MA 01776; 508/443-4661. Kendall Whaling Museum: 27 Everett Street, Sharon, MA 02067; 617/784-5642. MIT Museum: 265 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138; 617/253-4444. Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary: Weir Hill Road, Sudbury, MA 01776; 508/443-4661. Museum of Transportation: 15 Newton Street, Brookline, MA 02146; 617/522-6140. Olmsted National Historic Site: 99 Warren Street, Brookline, MA 02146; 617/566-1689.
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 75 No. 8 August 1998 • Journal of Chemical Education
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Where To Find It in Boston
The August 1998 ACS National Convention will be in Boston, “the cradle of American history”. This city began in 1630, about the same time as the formation of what eventually became the United States of America. Only ten years after landing in Plymouth, a group of English Puritans, led by John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Company, selected the marsh-ridden Shawmut Peninsula for settlement. They named it after Boston in Lincolnshire, England, the former home of several of the immigrants. The Atlantic Ocean and the local rivers were the major resources for Boston. This dependence on water shaped the character of Boston and caused Edward Weeks, editor of the Atlantic Monthly from 1938–1966, to write “Boston is a state of mind almost entirely surrounded by water.” And so the city became an important shipbuilding center and fishing port. The hilly Shawmut Peninsula was almost entirely surrounded by water on its western side. This land and an area of mudflats and marshes (covered by water during high tides) became known as Back Bay. Overlooking the water was Trimountain, a 138-foot series of high bluffs with three peaks. The highest peak was called Sentinel Hill because it served as a lookout point. In the mid-1630s, tar pots were placed on the hill as a beacon in times of danger, and the peak became known as Beacon Hill. As the economy of Boston expanded into banking and manufacturing, the population increased, and the need for land became pressing. In the mid-19th century, many hills, including Beacon Hill, were cut down to create landfill. Beacon Hill, the only remnant of Trimountain, is now 60 feet lower than it was once. The docks and park of South Boston are on land reclaimed from the bay, and Logan International Airport is now on the much-expanded Noddle Island. The great American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed a string of parks and gardens throughout Boston in the 19th century. Commonwealth Avenue, with its treelined promenade, is part of the complex. This green space has come to be known as the “Emerald Necklace”. Olmsted saw these facilities as vital to a civilized city—the only place where the rich and poor could meet and a needed recreational facility for the poor. The second half of the 20th century has added a new dimension to Boston—high technology and education. More than 50 colleges and universities and myriad high-tech companies have fueled this growth. Medical facilities and research have also contributed to the economy of the city. This city, so rich in scientific and technological developments, has many sites related to these activities.
Chemical Education Today
Photo courtesy of Paul S. and Brenda H. Cohen
ACS National Meeting the 44-gun frigate USS Constitution, built in 1797. The ship has been affectionately known as “Old Ironsides” because it was built so well that cannon fire could not dent it. As the oldest commissioned warship in the world that is afloat, it celebrated its 200th anniversary in 1997. Old Ironsides can be boarded above and below deck. Next to her stands a three- story museum devoted to this ship and her history. The USS Cassin Young, a World War II destroyer The Computer Museum, the first museum solely devoted to this subject, at the navy yard, is also open to traces the historical development of the public. The Charles River Dam computers from the first automated Hollerith card-punch census data Visitors’ Center is within walkmachines of the 1890s to the ing distance of the navy yard. present. It has a 12-minute multimedia presentation that explains the operation and construction of the dam. Visitors can see local river fish migrate by using a fish ladder. The Computer Museum, the first museum solely devoted to this subject, traces the historical development of computers from the first automated Hollerith card-punch census data machines of the 1890s to the present. Hands-on exhibits help explain how computers work. The WalkThrough Computer exhibit allows visitors to understand the working of these machines from the inside out. The 72-acre Franklin Park Zoo has several interesting exhibits. These include a new rain forest pavilion and a free flight aviary. The Museum of Science, begun in 1830, is now located in a modern facility on the dam spanning the Charles River, which connects Cambridge and Boston. It has more than 400 hands-on exhibits ranging from astronomy to zoology. Guests can see the planetarium, the observatory, and the 2.5-million-volt van de Graaff generator as it sends sparks flying. This instrument, the world’s largest, was built in 1933 for MIT by R. J. van de Graaff who invented and built the first of these devices in 1929 – 1930 for his doctoral research. He taught at MIT from 1931 until his retirement in 1960. The museum also has an OMNI theater. The New England Aquarium, located on the Central Wharf of the bustling Boston harbor area, has more than 2,000 species of 10,000 animals, including piranhas, eels, penguins, sea horses, and sea lions. A pioneer in aquarium design, this facility had the first massive, central tank— 200,000 gallons in capacity. The Wild Flower Society, in the Jamaica Plains section of the city, has the largest landscaped collection of wildflowers in the Northeast.
Science Sites in Adjacent Towns
Brookline Brookline is one of a number of towns adjacent to Boston and so close that each seems part of the city proper. Olmsted National Historic Site is the home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, the first major landscape architect in America. He moved to the Boston area in 1880s. Visitors can walk in the garden, which has been restored to his original design. The house and office have displays of original designs and records, drawings, plans, photographs, and models of the Boston park system, equipment, and memorabilia. A 15-minute videotape introduces Olmsted’s life and work. The Museum of Transportation has exhibits related to automobiles and their effect on lifestyles. Started as the personal collection of Larz and Isabel Anderson, the museum includes the 50-year-old Anderson family mansion, the formal gardens, and the family automobile collection. Among the many vintage, classic automobiles are a 1901 Winton, a 1904 Cadillac Model B, and a 1907 Fiat. Cambridge Among the important institutions in Cambridge, just across the Charles River from Boston, are Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University. The MIT Museum has special exhibits related to research interests and the university. The Hart Nautical Gallery features nautical instruments. Harvard University has a series of science museums worthy of special note. Four of them are located in the Harvard University Museums of Cultural and Natural History, founded in 1866. The Museum of Comparative Zoology, founded in 1859, shows many of the pieces collected by Agassiz and other world-renowned paleontologists. Items range from ancient sea serpents to mounted pheasants once owned by George Washington. The Botanical Museum displays 700 species of flowers and plants from around the world—reproduced in glass. They were handmade by the Blaschkas, father and son, for teaching purposes. The Mineralogy and Geology Museum collection, begun in 1784, displays rocks, ores, and meteorites. The Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, founded in 1866, is the oldest museum of this type in the Western Hemisphere. It houses collections of artifacts from the Pacific Islands, Africa, South America, the Indians of North America, and pre-Columbian collections. In another building, called the Science Center, there is a collection of historic scientific instruments. An interesting rotating assortment of artifacts from all over the world is on exhibit. Suburban Towns within Easy Reach of Boston
Sharon This suburban town, about 30 minutes south of Boston, has several interesting sites. The Kendall Whaling Mu-
Chemical Education Today
seum exhibits items relating to whales and whaling. These artifacts and specimens span six centuries and seven continents. Two and a half miles southeast of Sharon is Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary, the oldest sanctuary maintained by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Woods, meadows, marshes, and a butterfly garden make up its 2,200 acres. Twenty-five miles of trails provide ample opportunities to see the local flora and fauna.
Sudbury Each of the two sections of The Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge provides fine opportunities to commune with nature. One section is in Sudbury where there are nature trails along the Concord River and through upland woods. There is also a visitor center. The other section, in Concord, has nature and interpretive trails. Waltham The Charles River Museum of Industry in Waltham has displays related to American industrial history, textiles, and electronics. When Paul and Brenda Cohen aren’t traveling, they can be found at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ 08628; email:
[email protected].
