What Thomas Jefferson's hidden lab teaches about US science education
History and science collided at the University of Virginia on Friday, when the school announced the discovery of a hidden chemistry lab amid ongoing renovations of its historic Rotunda building.
The room offers a glimpse into the way science was taught in the mid-19th century, as well as to the role of Thomas Jefferson 鈥� who founded the university in 1819 鈥� in facilitating the shift from religion to science as a central principle of higher education in the United States.
鈥淚t really is the beginning of the teaching of science鈥� as fundamental, said Jody Lahendro, a supervisory historic preservation architect for UVA. 鈥淭he Enlightenment, changing the viewpoint of the world.鈥�
Workers examining cavities in the Rotunda鈥檚 walls found a chemical hearth, designed for laboratory experiments, sealed in one of the lower floors, protecting the room from a fire that struck the building in 1895.
The room 鈥� which includes the hearth, fireboxes that provided heat, and five workstations cut into countertops, 鈥� was modeled after a laboratory in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, a lab run by William J. MacNeven, who mentored the university鈥檚 first professor of natural history, John Emmet.
Correspondence between Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Emmet suggests the lab was first equipped and used as part of their then-unusual idea to have students participate in rather than simply observe experiments.
The endeavor is emblematic of Jefferson鈥檚 emphasis on designing the campus in a way that reflected his vision for education at the university: for instance, the 10 pavilions erected along the open courtyard known as the Lawn 鈥渨ere to be centers of learning where professors both taught and lived with their families,鈥� the Associated Press reported.
The chemical hearth may have been closed up in the mid-1840s, according to UVA, when the chemistry lab was transferred to the Rotunda鈥檚 southwest wing. Today, the university鈥檚 chemistry department has its own building and modern facilities, but the newfound hearth highlights a key period of UVA鈥檚 history.
鈥淭he hearth is significant as something of the University鈥檚 early academic years,鈥� Mark Kutney, an architectural conservator in the University Architect鈥檚 office, said in the university release. 鈥淸W]e hope to present the remainder of the hearth as essentially unrestored, preserving its evidence of use.鈥�
The chemical hearth will remain on permanent display once the Rotunda鈥檚 renovations 鈥� a $50 million project that is the building鈥檚 first major revamp since 1976 鈥� are completed in spring 2016.
鈥淭his may be the oldest intact example of early chemical education in this country,鈥� said Brian Hogg, senior historic preservation planner in the Office of the Architect for the University.
