Behind the Scenes at the MIT Museum

Ever wonder what the Institute's attic looks like? Deborah Douglas, science and technology curator of the MIT Museum, gave alumni a peek at the museum's newly renovated storage areas during reunion weekend.

Douglas started the tour by unveiling a strain gauge denture tenderometer, which looks like a pair of dentures attached to gears, that Aaron Brody '51, PhD '57, designed in 1956 to study food textures. In one brightly lit basement room, telephones, globes and student projects, each with its own call number, lined metal shelves protected by plastic sheets. Douglas also pointed out a vase from the 7th century B.C.E., the museum's oldest item.

Douglas cherishes items that capture students' experiences. "We use these objects to figure out what people were learning."

Bruce Blanchard '57, SM '64, recognized the original wooden chairs from 10-250. "If you sit in them, you still fall asleep," Douglas said.