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2018

Research and development

As the National Museum of Science, Technology and Medicine, research is conducted within the history of science, technology and medicine, in addition to museology, conservation, pedagogy and photo history. Research is conducted in several ways; based on the collections, aimed at developing new exhibitions, or in collaboration with other social actors and institutions. The museum's employees participate in several major research projects and have represented the museum at research conferences, in various national and international research networks.

Research projects and doctoral studies

From racial typology to DNA sequencing: “Race” and “ethnicity” and the science of human genetic variation 1945-2012

The research project “From racial typology to DNA sequencing” (2013–2018) examined historical, philosophical and ethical issues related to the production of knowledge about human biological variation in the period 1945-2012. The project’s historical and contemporary subprojects addressed research in Greece, Scandinavia and Easter Island. The philosophical part of the project shed light on the ethical implications of the use of concepts of race or ethnicity among researchers. The results from the project have been disseminated in peer-reviewed publications. The exhibition FOLK is the project’s most important dissemination result. The project was funded by the Research Council’s Samkul program (220741/F10). https://www.ethnicityandrace.com/

Phonograph recording

The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology and the National Library have collaborated to digitize a phonograph recording from the 1880s, which according to museum records is a Phonograph tinfoil recorded by Edison. The digitization was carried out at the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Massachusetts, with assistance from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. The digital audio files were also processed by the National Library. The project started in 2017 and in 2018, results from the digitization and further research into the history of the recording were disseminated through lectures and a research article.

The museums' topography of knowledge

The research project "Knowledge Topography of Museums" (2018 – 2020) was initiated by The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology and is carried out in collaboration with the Østfold Museums. The project also involves three Swedish museums: Malmö Museum, Gothenburg City Museum and the Technical Museum. The project's goal is to contribute to museum development by establishing a research-based language and practices for knowledge-generating processes in museums in connection with the establishment or renewal of basic exhibitions. The results of the project will be able to contribute to strengthening the societal role and position of museums as research and knowledge institutions, on the museums' own terms. The project is supported by the Norwegian Arts Council's museum development programme Research in Museums.

Norwegian fabrics - design and industrial history

The research project "Norwegian fabrics - design and industrial history" deals with the large and nationwide textile industry that spans more than a hundred years from its beginnings around 1850 to its closures at the end of the 20th century. What was produced in the factories? Who were the designers, and how were the fabrics marketed and distributed? The book project is based on collections in museums and archives that have been little discussed, in addition to reading reviews and other things that were written about these textiles in the past.

The project has led to the publication of the article Om Forsvarstøiet and participation with the presentation Hjørdis Knutsen's democratic fabrics at the seminar Modern Norwegian architecture and architectural culture, arranged by the University of Oslo by IFIKK-Kunsthistorie in collaboration with the National Museum on November 29, 2018. The project continues in 2019.

The Method of Things

The research project "The Method of Things" (2015–2018) aimed to develop methods for multidisciplinary museum work based on objects and with particular emphasis on an inclusive societal role. The project was carried out in collaboration with Oslo Museum and the Museum of Cultural History. The results of the project were six experimental exhibitions, a website and the book The Method of Things – Museums as Places of Things. The project's most important result is the great interest in applying and further developing the method nationally and in Sweden. The project was funded by the Arts Council's societal role program.

Skills development is important and in 2018 these doctoral studies were funded for employees at the museum:

Master's degree in computer science

"The Sound of Folk, Participatory Design of a Sound-Driven Museum Installation". Department of Informatics, The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo, October 2018.

Ongoing PhD at the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of Leeds

“Naturalizing The Nation: Physical Anthropology in Greece, 1880s–1950s” at the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, University of Leeds examines how anthropological research has informed and contributed to notions of Greek identity. The project explores the interconnections of national and international networks of people, institutions, ideas, scientific instruments, methods and theories. Up to 2018, preliminary results from the project have been disseminated in peer-reviewed publications, at scientific conferences and through public lectures. The research is related to the museum’s exhibition PEOPLE.

Ongoing PhD at the School of Museum Studies, Leicester University

Through a series of participatory workshops, research will be conducted on how museums can be an active part of children and young people's learning world. In 2018, the digital installation Lyden av FOLK was produced, tested, piloted and co-designed across departments and in collaboration with young people from Grorud Youth Council. In Lyden av FOLK, visitors can create their own soundscape that reflects a chosen emotion.

Research projects and doctoral studies

National and international cooperation

The museum emphasizes networking and national collaboration and is responsible for coordinating and developing the Network for Technology and Industrial History and the Medical History Museum Network. In addition, the museum participates in the Network for Knowledge Centers, the Network for Workers' Culture and Working Life History, the National Network for Photography and the Network for Music and Musical Instruments.

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    The museum leads the national museum network for technology and industrial history. The network strengthens cooperation and professional exchange between Norwegian museums working with technology and industrial history. The network consists of around 15 active museums. In 2018, the network had two collections, one at the Vest-Agder Museum at Sjølingstad Uldvarefabrik on 23-24 January, the other at The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology on 19-20 November. Both collections were arranged in collaboration with the National Network for Workers' Culture and Working Life History. 

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    The museum leads the national museum network for technology and industrial history. The network strengthens cooperation and professional exchange between Norwegian museums working with technology and industrial history. The network consists of around 15 active museums. In 2018, the network had two collections, one at the Vest-Agder Museum at Sjølingstad Uldvarefabrik on 23-24 January, the other at The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology on 19-20 November. Both collections were arranged in collaboration with the National Network for Workers' Culture and Working Life History. 

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    The Medical Museum is the responsible museum for the medical history museum network, which includes 26 health and medical history museums and initiatives. A two-day seminar was held in Trondheim in April 2018, with about 50 participants from 20 institutions, where medical history topics were discussed and how the network can best meet the needs of its members. Some of the lectures were published in a special issue of the journal Michael, called "Medical History Muster".

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    Artefacts: the museum participates in the international network Artefacts, whose goal is to promote the use of objects and material culture in technology and science history studies. Annual professional seminars are organized and a separate book series is published. 

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    HistoryLabs and Voksenåsen: the museum participates in a network for the development of methods and theories regarding the use of history in museums. Participating museums and institutions are from Sweden and Norway and are run by the Swedish HistoryLabs in collaboration with Voksenåsen.

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    The Medical Museum has been a member of the European Association of Museums of the History of the Medical Sciences (EAMHMS) for over ten years. The network's overall goal is to provide an international forum for sharing experiences in all aspects of a museum's daily operations related to health and medicine. Curator at the Medical Museum, Phil Loring, is Secretary General. The network offers conferences and courses to share research, experiences and knowledge and to create opportunities for joint projects within the field. 

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    The Norwegian History of Science Conference: This biennial international conference presents research in the history of science, medicine and technology from all periods and geographical areas. In 2018 The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology hosted the conference in collaboration with the Museum for University and Scientific History (MUV). The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology is on the program committee for 2020 and will organize the conference in collaboration with MUV.

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    Collaboration between Nordic researchers on photo history, anthology of Scandinavian fashion photography, led by Stockholm University, Department of Culture and Aesthetics.

National and international cooperation

Publications

Publications