History of Science Lecture Series

History of Science Lecture Series Schedule (FY 2025)

"The History of Science Through an 'Astronomical Observation Race': Focusing on the Islamic Cultural Sphere" Why was there a competition for astronomical observation in the Islamic cultural sphere?

Lecturer : Taro Mimura (Professor, The University of Tokyo)

Date & Time	September 27, 2025 (Sat) 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Venue	Japan Gallery, 2F Lecture Hall
Co-Organizer	History of Science Society of Japan

"Who Created Quantum Mechanics? The Revolution in Physics and the Year 1925" Looking back at the history of quantum physics a century ago on the occasion of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

Lecturer : Kenji Ito (Professor, Kyoto University)

Date & Time	November 8, 2025 (Sat) 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Venue	Japan Gallery, 2F Lecture Hall
Co-Organizer	History of Science Society of Japan

"What The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Teaches Us" Introducing how Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" changed the way we view science.

Lecture : Tetsuji Iseda (Professor, Kyoto University)

Date & Time	January 24, 2026 (Sat) 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Venue	Japan Gallery, 2F Lecture Hall
Co-Organizer	History of Science Society of Japan

"Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems and Galileo's Challenge" Was supporting the heliocentric theory the same as fighting against religion?

Lecturer : Ichiro Tanaka (Professor Emeritus, Kanazawa University)

Date & Time	January 24, 2026 (Sat) 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Venue	Japan Gallery, 2F Lecture Hall
Co-Organizer	History of Science Society of Japan

*Details for each session will be available on the Event Calendar in the month of the lecture (usually published one month in advance).

Past History of Science Courses

FY 2024 (Reiwa 6)

July 6, 2024(Sat)	"Edmund Naumann, Father of Japanese Geology" The foreign hired teacher, Naumann, took on the challenge of the Fossa Magna! Lecturer :Michiko Yajima (Part-time Lecturer, Tokyo Metropolitan University)
November 30, 2024(Sat)	"Science History of Star Names" Introducing star names from Mesopotamia, Greece, and Arabia, where astronomy flourished. Lecturer :Takanori Suzuki (Former Professor, Tokai University)
January 25, 2025 (Sat)	"'Night Country'—Scientific Knowledge and Imagination" World maps from the Edo period show countries with strange names. What is their origin?   Lecturer :Hiroyuki Kobayashi (Professor, Chubu University)
March 8, 2025 (Sat)	"Deciphering the History of Science from Iconography" How did scientists observe nature and represent it visually?  Lecturer :Takehiko Hashimoto (Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo)

FY 2023 (Reiwa 5)

November 25, 2023 (Sat)	"About the Dictionary of the History of Science Compiled by the History of Science Society of Japan"  Lecturer :Ken Saito (Professor Emeritus, Osaka Prefecture University / Researcher, Yokkaichi University)
January 27, 2024 (Sat)	"Japan's Galileo: Zenbei Iwahashi's Telescope"  Lecturer :Norihisa Kabumoto (Associate Professor, Mukogawa Women's University)
March 9, 2024 (Sat)	"The Life of Umeko Tsuda: From the Perspective of Science History and Gender"  Lecturer :Yasushi Furukawa (Visiting Researcher, SOKENDAI, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)

FY 2022 (Reiwa 4)

"The Progression of Physics Seen Through Experimentation"

Physics textbooks are filled with various formulas and laws. Much of this systematic knowledge about the structure and mechanisms of nature was discovered through dialogue with nature via "experimentation." This four-part course traced the progression of physics through the lens of various experiments.

June 18, 2022 (Sat)	"History of Physics Experiments Learned from KAHAKU Exhibits"  Lecturer :Hiroto Kono (Department of Physical Sciences)
July 30, 2022 (Sat)	"Did Galileo Conduct the Falling Body Experiment at the Leaning Tower of Pisa?" Lecturer :Satomi Takuwa (Tokyo Institute of Technology)
September 3, 2022 (Sat)	"Science History of Giant Experiments: From Accelerators to Kamiokande" Lecturer :Nobumichi Aruga (Hitotsubashi University)
October 1, 2022 (Sat)	"The Mysteries of Light and the Beginning of Modern Physics" Lecturer :Hiroto Kono (Department of Physical Sciences)

Inquiries