On February 14-15 2013, the Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF) hosted a workshop in Washington, DC: “Transforming the Relationship between Science and Society: Interpreting the Manhattan Project.” The workshop was funded by the National Science Foundation, and brought together historians, museum experts, and representatives of the National Park Service, Department of Energy and Manhattan Project museums from across the country.
The goals of the workshop were to develop ideas for interpreting the controversial history and legacy of the Manhattan Project for a national traveling exhibit. By taking on a subject that is as complex and multifaceted as the Manhattan Project, the workshop also sought to advance interdisciplinary scholarship and informal education in the science museum field. The workshop participants represented a diversity of perspectives and disciplines and had two lively and productive days.
On July 26, 2013, AHF published a report summarizing the workshop’s discussions and recommendations. The workshop probed a broad range of topics such as the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan; the Cold War and the national security state; and scientific responsibility. A focus was how to create engaging exhibits that combine multiple disciplines from science and engineering to history, politics and sociology.
Creating an exhibit of such a controversial event as dropping the world’s first atomic bombs on Japan will not be easy, the participants agreed. While public interest in these momentous developments remains high, appreciation of the facts and their complexity is seriously lacking. No exhibition to date has treated the Manhattan Project comprehensively. Everyone agreed that such an exhibit is long overdue.
To download AHF’s report, prepared by Carla Borden and designed by AHF, please click here. To view videos of the discussions at the workshop, please visit AHF’s YouTube page.