History of microbiology
Dr. Lesley Robertson recently started a blog, where she writes on all the curious things she and her team of volunteers encouter while digitising and cataloguing the collection of the Beijerinck museum, a small museum dedicated to the history of microbiology and biotechnology.
Former participants of our Advanced Course on Microbial Physiology and Fermentation Technology will surely remember Dr. Lesley Robertson. She is fascinated by the history of microbiology and not only teaches on this subject in the course, but is also the curator of the Beijerinck museum. This museum is located in the attic of the Biotechnology building and has an amazing collection, including the archives (labjournals, letters and many of the experimental tools) of three famous professors of Delft University of Technology: Martinus Willem Beijerinck, Gerrit van Iterson jr. and Albert Jan Kluyver. Moreover, the collection includes a glass negative collection (about 27,000 pieces) dating from the mid-1880s to the 1960s, and teaching aids, such as models of microorganisms and plants.
Some links worth checking:
- The blog
- A complete overview of the collection and info on our famous professors and the Delft School of Microbiology can be found on the museum website.
- Dr. Robertson won the FEMS Image Contest with her movie of microorganisms she encountered using a Van Leeuwenhoek microscope.
