Accessible Herbariums
Item: Framed plant specimen
IU has two herbariums dedicated to collecting plant specimens that are meticulously cataloged and made available to scientists and Indiana citizens via the publicly accessible Consortium of Midwest Herbaria website. Such specimens are useful in identifying Indiana plant species and monitoring regional environmental changes. (Credits: IU Herbarium & IU Southeast Herbarium)
Getting to the Core of Indiana Woodlands
Item: Tree cores
Tree core specimens from Indiana forests help researchers to learn how drought affects different wood species and to understand the larger human impact on our environment. (Credits: IU Bloomington Tree Ring/Core Collection)
Helping Us Understand Indiana Ecosystems
Indiana biological samples from IU Southeast are used regularly in classes, presentations, and public outreach across Indiana. These collections also help Indiana scientists identify specimens, track where organisms live, and maintain accurate biodiversity data on the state’s natural environment. (Credits: School of Natural Sciences, IU Southeast)
Examples: turtle, chipmunk, shells
Cutting Edge Science
Item: Tree ring
Tree ring specimens like this one from a red oak tree, which is indigenous to Indiana, allow scientists to study environmental changes in Indiana’s natural resources in different periods of our region’s history. (Credits: IU Bloomington Tree Ring/Core Collection)
Underwater Archaeological Treasures
IU’s Underwater Science researchers plumb watery depths in Indiana and worldwide in search of hidden archaeological treasures. They have uncovered hundreds of items, such as coins and platters from 18th-century vessels, which are shared in public exhibitions at institutions such as the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. (Credits: Center for Underwater Science, IU School of Public Health, Bloomington)
Example: Silver Coins before Conservation
Case Image: Roland Davis
IU’s Roland Clark Davis’s important innovation in the field of lie detector technology depended on skin responses for its readings. After IU received the patent in 1939, such detectors became a common legal tool. (Credits: IU Libraries University Archives)
Case Image: Lawrence Einhorn
More than 40 years ago, IU doctor Lawrence H. Einhorn discovered a pharmaceutical-based cure for testicular cancer. The IU School of Medicine is responsible for many advances in cancer research, polio vaccinations, and echocardiography. (Credits: IUPUI University Library Special Collections and Archives)
Case image
IU School of Medicine’s Dr. Rolla Harger in 1952 displaying his “Drunk-O-Meter,” an early example of today’s Breathalyzer. With it, Indiana became the first state to train police in testing blood alcohol content via the breath. (Credits: IU Libraries University Archives)