Follow
As the University of Oklahoma prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary, a special campus-wide exhibit called Galileo’s World has been created to explore connections between the sciences and humanities. OU Libraries is sponsoring the exhibition. Its History of Science collections include all 12 first editions by Galileo published in his lifetime. Four of those editions bare Galileo’s handwriting.
A total of 20 exhibits across the Norman, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa campuses are open to the public during the year-long celebration according to Galileo’s World Project Coordinator Chelsea Julian.
“Each of the 20 exhibits highlights a unique theme that connect disciplines and ideas illustrated in over 300 works from OU Libraries’ history of science collections to modern research and technology available at OU. Faculty and students across campus have come together to explore connections that illustrate the ideas and themes that unite the campus in a collaborative and creative sense of discovery,” Julian says.
A major highlight of the exhibit collection is the construction of a 1/10th scale replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The OU Tower of Pisa is now on display at the Bizzell Memorial Library on the Norman Campus.
“Each college was invited to provide an exhibit illustrating how the work of Galileo impacts their respective disciplines. In this way, the interdisciplinary studies of Galileo are brought to life in the context of our modern life. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was actually a collaborative project between the OU Library and the College of Engineering. Since the Leaning Tower of Pisa has always been associated with Galileo, it was a necessary component to the overall exhibit,” says Assistant Dean of Academic Student Services Theresa Marks. “The College of Engineering wanted to focus upon numerical mapping which is what Galileo did in many of his experiments, and is exactly what engineers use on a daily basis to problem solve and create solutions. The College of Engineering used machinery that used, essentially, coordinates and numerical mapping to cut the pieces and components of the tower. Moreover, they also included an Archimedes screw in the center of the tower that transports two spheres of different weight to the top of the tower where they will drop simultaneously to illustrate Galileo’s discovery that spheres of similar size, but different masses fall at the same rate; Galileo’s law of fall in other words. They have computer displays that will capture the rate of fall as part of the Pisa Tower exhibit. It is a very interactive and instructive display.”
A 3D computer rendering was created in order to construct the Tower of Pisa. A programmable router was used with the rendering to accurately depict the external structure of the Tower.
Students worked alongside their professors to create not just the Tower of Pisa exhibit, but many of the others exhibits as well.
“Students are an essential component in bringing this project together and many students were involved from our collaborating organizations. Additionally, a major goal of the exhibition is to encourage and facilitate student research. Supplementary to all of the physical displays and events, each book on display will be digitized in completion and will be accessible for free through galileo.ou.edu,” says Julian.
The digitized works include the 12 works published by Galileo in his lifetime. OU owns first editions of all the works. Galileo’s World will mark the first time the dozen works will be on display in one exhibition. A total of 300 books will be on display. All of them will be digitized.
Part of the impressive collection of works in the OU Libraries was made possible by the OU Athletics Department. Galileo’s World was a way for to the University to show its appreciation for the program.
“What started as a ‘thank you’ for a series of acquisitions funded by the OU Athletics Department became a way to open the doors of the university to the public in celebration of OU’s 125th anniversary,” says OU Libraries Dean Rick Luce. “Paired with the innovations happening across campus, we wanted to take this opportunity to bring the world of Galileo to OU and beyond.”
“The exhibition is much more than books in cases, as the OU Tower of Pisa brings to life. It is a presentation of the nature of research that thrives with collaborative and innovative approaches to exploration,” adds Julian.
Other parts of the Galileo’s World exhibition are Through the Eyes of the Lynx: Galileo, Natural History and the Americas at the Sam Noble Museum on the Norman Campus, Oklahomans in Space, as well as, Copernicus and Meteorology and Galileo and Experimentation at the National Weather Center. While parts of the exhibition are already open, the first major event is a game day open house at the Bizzell Library on September 5, the first home game for Sooners Football.
“The idea of the exhibition is to illustrate connections across disciplines, across campus and across time. With 20 exhibits in seven locations, on three campuses along with a full year of events and programs, there will absolutely be something for everyone. We hope that this exhibition will show that the search for discovery and innovation that characterized the Scientific Revolution, is well and alive at OU Today,” says Julian.
The University of Oklahoma’s president certainly approves of how the school’s 125th anniversary is being observed by faculty and students.
“I can think of no better way to celebrate the University’s 125th anniversary than the showcasing of our internationally recognized collection of first editions and items related to Galileo,” says OU President David L. Boren.
For exhibition and event information on Galileo’s World—galileo.ou.edu
By Jason Doyle Oden | Photos Provided By the University of Oklahoma
Follow
