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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Attributed to Bernard of Chartres by John of Salisbury,\u00a0Metalogicon<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The idea of “standing on the shoulders of giants,” (first attributed to the medieval theologian Bernard of Chartres and later employed by Sir Isaac Newton), aptly describes the progression of scientific discovery. Each generation of scientists “sees” further, lifted up by the stature of the scientists from the previous generation. And so, our greater knowledge advances forward, from the first articulation of the scientific method to space exploration to whatever the future will hold.<\/p>\n
Since October, the Special Collections Research Center has been displaying numerous rare books, archival material, and photographs relating to the history of science outside Room 2400 in Fenwick Library. The exhibit “Advances in Science, 1586-1999: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” closes at the end of January, which gives you one last chance to check it out!<\/p>\n
Calculation of the sun’s mass (1881) from Young, C.A., The Sun,\u00a0QB521 .Y68 1881<\/a><\/span>, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n
Included in the exhibit are works by Euclid, Sir Francis Bacon, Louis Pasteur, Carl Linnaeus, Lazzaro Spallanzani, Charles Darwin, Rachel Carson, and Harold Morowitz. Fields covered include biology, chemistry, astronomy, physics, engineering, geometry, and early computing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Telescope from the 1876 volume by the South Kensington Museum,\u00a0Handbook to the special loan collection of scientific apparatus,\u00a0<\/em>Q185 .V54 1876a<\/a><\/span>, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries<\/p><\/div>\n
This is a snapshot of some of the materials relating to the history of science in the Special Collections Research Center. For more information or to view some of these materials in person, come visit the Special Collections Research Center in Room 2400 of Fenwick Library.<\/em><\/p>\n
Follow Special Collections Research Center on Social Media at our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,<\/span> and\u00a0Twitter<\/a><\/span>\u00a0accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to\u00a0schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions. Appointments are not necessary to request and view collections.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours. Attributed to Bernard of Chartres […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,326,121],"tags":[455,567,421,65,170],"class_list":["post-7181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exhibits","category-rare-books-2","category-scrc-picks","tag-archives","tag-astronomy","tag-history","tag-rare-books","tag-science"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/science_book_shelfie-1.jpg?fit=4220%2C3060&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1RP","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6995,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6995","url_meta":{"origin":7181,"position":0},"title":"Advances in Science Exhibit Reception","author":"admin","date":"November 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Please join Special Collections Research Center for our exhibition reception on Tuesday. We will also have a guest speaker, Dr. James Trefil. We are showcasing a variety of materials, such as rare books, photographs and documents that touch on areas such as bioscience, information technology, engineering, and space exploration. If\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ScienceExhibitReception.800.SocialMedia-1.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ScienceExhibitReception.800.SocialMedia-1.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ScienceExhibitReception.800.SocialMedia-1.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/ScienceExhibitReception.800.SocialMedia-1.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6959,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6959","url_meta":{"origin":7181,"position":1},"title":"New Exhibit: Advances in Science, 1586-1999","author":"admin","date":"October 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bioscience. Space Exploration. Engineering. Information Technology. These are but a few of the rapidly advancing fields of science which affect our modern lives. Achievements in these disciplines have built, and continue to build upon discoveries made by preceding generations of scientists. As Sir Isaac Newton famously wrote, \u201cIf I have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/aldrinonMoon.jpg?fit=931%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/aldrinonMoon.jpg?fit=931%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/aldrinonMoon.jpg?fit=931%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/aldrinonMoon.jpg?fit=931%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7091,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7091","url_meta":{"origin":7181,"position":2},"title":"The Natural Sciences: The Second Half of Advances in Science!","author":"admin","date":"December 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Michael Rynearson, Research Services Assistant. Natural Science is the research and study of organisms in their environment, including animals, plants, and fungi. Historically, natural science was comprised with what we now call biology and geology. Natural scientists learned about the world around them through observation,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "exhibits"","block_context":{"text":"exhibits","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/20171204_114609.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6464,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6464","url_meta":{"origin":7181,"position":3},"title":"New Rare Books in the Spotlight","author":"admin","date":"May 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"For a brief period Wednesday, normal activity came to a halt in the Special Collections Research Center. Our fabulous Cataloging & Metadata Librarian, Friedgard Cowan, brought down a cart packed with\u00a0recently cataloged rare books from Technical Services. When a rare book is donated or acquired, it is first cataloged in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "miscellaneous"","block_context":{"text":"miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=93"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/fourflapfolders.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6848,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6848","url_meta":{"origin":7181,"position":4},"title":"Bound with Care: Rare Book Bindings","author":"admin","date":"September 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"When researching with rare books, it is important to remember that rare books contain so much more information than just the words found on the page! In the General Collections, the focus of a book is usually the text and the information contained therein. While this continues to be an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "miscellaneous"","block_context":{"text":"miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=93"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/shelfie.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/shelfie.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/shelfie.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/shelfie.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/shelfie.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4816,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=4816","url_meta":{"origin":7181,"position":5},"title":"Rare Book Conservation","author":"admin","date":"January 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"George Mason University Libraries' Special Collections & Archives (SC&A) was the proud recipient in December 2012 of an NEH Preservation Assistance grant.\u00a0 Grant activities included working with a preservation consultant to assess preservation of collections here, creating a preservation plan, and prioritizing preservation actions.\u00a0 We identified one important priority as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Rare Books"","block_context":{"text":"Rare Books","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=326"},"img":{"alt_text":"JK3925_1829A13_1830_before2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/JK3925_1829A13_1830_before2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7181"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7193,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7181\/revisions\/7193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7182"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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