How did a leafy tract on the rural fringe of Washington a century ago become home to a world-class think tank for scientific research? Join us for an evening of history and science as Carnegie librarian Shaun Hardy recounts the fascinating story of the Broad Branch Road campus – from its inception in 1914 as a “mission control center” for magnetic survey expeditions and sailing ships that crisscrossed the globe to its present role as an interdisciplinary research center for the Earth and planetary sciences.

Using historic photos from Carnegie’s archives we’ll explore the atom-smashers, radio telescopes, and other cutting-edge facilities erected “on the hill” over the past 100 years. We’ll also highlight some of the most significant breakthroughs by DTM and Geophysical Laboratory scientists, including the discovery of dark matter in the universe and top-secret research that helped shorten World War II. 

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