Renowned historian Charlotte Bigg opens the iHC academic year with two lectures showing the value of knowledge at the intersection of science and the humanities
What does the intertwined history of photography and astronomy tell us about our understanding of the universe and humanity's place within it? How does a science museum evolve when it includes the social sciences and humanities perspectives?
The iHC academic year is off to a strong start: Charlotte Bigg—a historian of science and director of research at the Centre Alexandre Koyré (CNRS) in Paris—will inaugurate the 2026–2027 academic year for the bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, and Humanities (UAB-UAM-UC3M) and the new interuniversity master’s degree in the History of Science: History, Heritage and Scientific Communication (UAB-UB-UPF-CSIC).
Trained in history at Oxford University and in history and philosophy of science at Cambridge University, Bigg has also worked at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin and at the ETH Zurich. She is an expert in the social and cultural history of science (especially 19th- and 20th-century chemistry, physics, and astronomy) and has published several works exploring the visual and material cultures of science and technology. She collaborates with informative publications such as Pour la Science and is the curator responsible for the humanities and social sciences in the new museographic programme of the Palais de la Découverte, one of the main science museums in Paris. During his visit to the UAB, he will offer two keynote lectures:
On October 19 at 11:30 a.m., in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Room 501), Bigg will inaugurate the bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, and Humanities with a talk inviting reflection on the social and cultural dimensions of astronomy. In "Imaging the universe. A scientific, technical and cultural history" we will see how photography and astronomy have co-evolved over the last two centuries—from daguerreotypes of the moon to colorful vistas of nebulae from space telescopes—thereby shaping our vision of the cosmos.
On October 20 at 11:30 a.m., in the iHC Seminar Room, Bigg will inaugurate the new interuniversity master’s degree in the History of Science: History, Heritage and Scientific Communication, with an increased focus on museology and science communication. She will deliver a lecture titled "The Palais de la découverte 1937-2027. A participant-observer's perspective" discussing her involvement in the major renovation project of this iconic Parisian museum. Set to reopen in March 2027, the project has seen Bigg lead the effort to incorporate perspectives from the history of science and Science, Technology, and Society (STS) studies.
Although primarily aimed at students, both lectures are open to the entire academic community and the general public.