Exhibits Overview

In the 1950s, the NIH's Dr. Robert Bowman developed a sensitive instrument called the spectrophotofluorometer, or “SPF”, that allowed scientists to use fluorescence as a way to identify and measure tiny amounts of substances in the body.  This exhibit explores the instrument and its use in scientific studies ranging from anti-depressant medication to AIDS research and the Human Genome Project.

Dr. Joseph Goldberger discovered the cause of pellagra, a disease that killed many poor Southerners in the early part of the 20th century.  His finding that pellagra was caused by a diet deficient in vitamin B was met by political and social resistance.

Margaret Pittman arrived at NIH in 1936, beginning a career that would span 57 years and make her an internationally renowned expert on vaccines and serums, as well as the first female laboratory chief at the NIH.

This exhibit places some examples of cutting-edge research, funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, in historical context. The virtual exhibit is under construction but you can visit the NIBIB Emerging Technology Exhibit in person in Building 31.

Who would think that coloring books would provide a glimpse at nearly 40 years of Clinical Center history, each reflecting changing times and telling their own stories about the people who created them?

Building 10

Because employees designed these patches, they reveal how people thought about their work at the Clinical Center—sometimes as a heroic struggle and sometimes with humor.

Learn about the scientists behind their microscopes and the vasy array of microscopes used at the NIH.

This Siemens 1-A Electron Microscope was used for over three decades by Dr. Albert Kapikian, NIAID. The instrument was used to detect and characterize various viruses.

The colorful glow of fluorescent chemicals can identify and measure tiny amounts of substances in the body in the spectrophotofluorometer invented by Robert Bowman.

This exhibition describes the Varian A-60 NMRDiscover the history of the home pregnancy test—developed at the NIH—and examine its place in our culture.

This snapshot of some of the computing tools used in NIH labs highlights objects that are now in the NIH Stetten Museum collectionAll sorts of viruses were visualized for the first time on this Siemens 1-A Electron Microscope used by Albert Kapikian.

A cross section of precision instruments used at NIH between 1945 and 1965 is presented.

The Varian A-60 NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectrometer was the first low-cost instrument of its kind, producing a magnetic resonance image (MRI) that NIH scientists used to study topics such as how the brain develops as children grow.

This type of balance is designed on a “seesaw” principle to measure mass precisely by placing a sample in one pan and a known weight in an opposing pan until an equilibrium was establishedsnapshot of some of the computing tools used in NIH labs highlights objects that are now in the NIH Stetten Museum collection.

The story of one of the first supercomputers from its conception in MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, through its use in biomedical research laboratoriesSee a cross-section of precision instruments from our collection used at NIH between 1945 and 1965.