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Crosson Lake Crayfish, July/August 1979, 2016.zoo.55 The crayfish in this jar were collected from an acidic lake in Ontario during the summer of 1979. They represented one small part of the broad-ranging set of research interests of Dr. Harold Harvey, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto. Harvey brought to [Read More...]
Tube Worms, Ridgeia sp., July 26, 1994 Thanks to Professor Steven D. Scott for his generous loan of this and other objects from his exploration of deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites. In 1979, geologist Steven Scott saw an image in a National Geographic of hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, spewing hot black clouds into the [Read More...]
“Complete Test Material for Revised Stanford-Binet Scales (Form L)”, 1937, 2013.psy.141 In the U of T Department of Psychology’s vast psychology collection, there is one test that is more numerous and prominent than any other: the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale. This test was, and still is, used to provide neuropsychological assessments, assist in educational planning and [Read More...]
The Kirschmann Episcotister, c. 1905, 2016.psy.161 Imagine looking at the wall of a room through the rapidly spinning blades of a fan. Under most conditions, the space beyond the blades will be visible as if through a semi-transparent field. This phenomenon is the basis for the episcotister, an instrument used by experimental psychologists in the 19th [Read More...]
MANOMETRIC PIPES, 1878, 2016.ph.716.1-5 The bulk of research upon which I have gratefully relied for this post was completed by Dr. David Pantalony for his PhD, which was published in 2009 under the title Altered Sensations: Rudolph Koenig’s Acoustical Workshop in Nineteenth Century Paris. Now at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Pantalony is also [Read More...]
By Emma Hoffman Before conducting research on this series of three objects, the idea of a radiation detector was so foreign to me that it almost seemed like an imaginary instrument created for science fiction movies like “Blade Runner” or “The Matrix.” I was intrigued by the radiation detector’s box that read: “nuclear-chicago Radiation Detector”; [Read More...]
by Erich Weidenhammer, in memory of Professor Douglas Creelman (1933-2014). The University Of Toronto Department Of Psychology’s collection of scientific material includes a humble-looking object whose purpose is not obvious. It consists of a metal frame supported by a wooden base. The frame houses a rigid pendulum whose period can be adjusted using a brass weight and [Read More...]
by Erich Weidenhammer In 1891, the University of Toronto equipped a psychology laboratory, the earliest in the British Empire. The Zimmerman colour variator, a precision instrument made in Leipzig , survives in the Department of Psychology’s collection as evidence of the extensive research into colour vision carried out during the lab’s early years. The colour [Read More...]
General UTSIC Collections Policy Acquiring Instruments from U of T Science Departments Private Donations Deaccessioning Instruments General UTSIC Collections Policy The primary goal of the UTSIC is to preserve a material record of research done at the University of Toronto. The collection seeks instruments and documents, either originating at the University of Toronto, or directly [Read More...]
UTSIC graciously welcomes donations, whether they be financial or of relevant historic scientific instruments. For more information on how to donate instruments to UTSIC, please contact UTSIC directly at: utsic [at] utoronto [dot] ca. If you are considering a donation, please first consult our collections policy. For more information on how to make a financial [Read More...]