NOTE: The Travel to Collections Awards
program will remain active and will accept rolling applications
during the Museum's renovation, but some collections may
not be accessible. For further information please contact
Alison Oswald at oswalda@si.edu
The Travel to Collections Awards Program supports research
on the history of invention and innovation based on
the holdings of the Museum's Archives Center and curatorial
divisions. The Archives Center holds more than 12,000 feet
of archival materials. The collections are particularly
strong in personal papers and business records documenting
the history of American enterprise and technology.
Since 1995 the Lemelson Center has supported oral and video documentation of contemporary inventors and inventions such as the SmartLevel, a high-tech electronic level, the Gerber Cutter, a computer controlled fabric cutter invented by H. Joseph Gerber, the Sendzimir "Z" Mill for cold rolling steel invented by Tadeusz Sendzimir, and the windsurfer invented by S. Newman Darby.
Other invention-related materials include: George H. Clark Radioana Collection, William J. Hammer Collection (electric light and central power stations), Western Union Telegraph Company Records, Parke, Davis and Co. Research Laboratory Records, the United Shoe Machinery Records, and the Allen B. Du Mont Collection (television). Individual inventors are documented in the Leo H. Baekeland Papers (Bakelite) and the Earl S. Tupper Papers (Tupperware). More information about the holdings is found at the Archives Center Web site.
To encourage use of its invention-related collections,
the Lemelson Center offers awards to cover transportation
costs and daily expenses up to $100 a day for a maximum
of 21 days. Scholars, graduate students, and independent
researchers not residing or attending school within commuting
distance of the National Museum of American History may
apply for this program. Awards may not be used to extend
other Smithsonian appointments. Only one award can be offered
to a visitor within a twelve-month period. Decisions are
made on the basis of recommendation and review by the Smithsonian
staff.
Applicants should submit a completed application, a
current curriculum vitae, bibliography, and a statement
of purpose of the visit. Awards will be announced within
two weeks of receiving the application materials. To request
information about the Archives Center's invention-related
holdings contact the Archives Center reference desk at (202)
633-3270.
To request an application, contact:
Travel to Collections Awards Program
Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
National Museum of American History, Room 1016, MRC 604
Smithsonian Institution
P.O. Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012
Tel: (202) 633-3450
Fax: (202) 357-4517
E-mail: lemcen@si.edu
or download
the application now
Meet past Travel
to Collections award recipients »
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