Collections and Collecting

Jesse Smith (Science History Institute), "'Lunchtime' at Lunchtime"
 
Description: In this meeting, I'll give the group a tour of the Science History Institute's newest exhibition, "Lunchtime: The History of Science on the School Food Tray." The exhibition explores how knowledge generated about agriculture, food, and bodies has shaped efforts to feed children in U.S. schools since the late 1800s. "Lunchtime" begins with 19th-century food science, grounded in militaristic and capitalist interests, and proceeds through to 2024, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its updated nutritional standards for federally reimbursable school lunches. I'll discuss our exhibition development process and how we've attempted to use traditional history of science collections to do more socially-engaged public history.  And I hope to foster a collection conversation about the challenges and opportunities of such efforts, especially regarding concerns over the reproduction of conventional notions of what counts as "science."