The American Philosophical Society Library and Museum recently announced that UW–Madison alumnus D.O. McCullough has received the Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellowship.
This fellowship will provide hands-on experience in curatorial work and the opportunity to pursue an independent research project, preferably one related to the collections or programs of the Society’s Library and Museum.
McCullough is a historian of educational programming in American science museums who earned his PhD from the School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction in 2020.
His dissertation, “‘Distinct from the School Experience’: The Development of Pedagogical Authority Through Teacher Programs at the American Museum of Natural History, 1880-1962,” uses the American Museum of Natural History in New York City as a historical case study to explore how museums have come to be viewed as institutions capable of supporting teachers with classroom practice.
“We are thrilled to welcome a new class of fellows to the Library and Museum,” said the Society’s librarian Patrick Spero. “Our fellows conduct cutting edge research in a wide range of fields, and every year they make new discoveries in our collections that change what we know about our past.”
The American Philosophical Society (APS), the oldest learned society in the United States, was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purposes of “promoting useful knowledge.” In the 21st century, it serves to advance knowledge and promote scholarship in the humanities and social, mathematical, life, and physical sciences. Members of the Society are elected from among the most eminent scholars and civic and cultural leaders in North America and abroad. More than 100 living APS Members are Nobel laureates.
Learn more about the 2020-21 Library and Museum Fellows, here.