The Instrumental Chemist, Film Screening and Talkback

"Today there are pH meters everywhere, centrifuges are everywhere, chromographs are everywhere.… It is hard to go in a room in a laboratory, in a chemistry laboratory in any university and not see something that had its origins in an Arnold Beckman instrument." —Harry Gray

Join us for a screening of a brand-new film about the life and legacy of Caltech chemist and entrepreneur Dr. Arnold O. Beckman. Fueled by savvy business acumen and an insatiable curiosity about the world, Beckman invented scientific instruments that revolutionized entire fields of study, from air-pollution monitoring to virus research.

After the screening we'll have a lively discussion with the researchers and filmmakers who developed this documentary through a project at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia. They'll share behind-the-scenes details about filmmaking, and talk about the stories that didn't make it into the final cut.

This screening will be preceded by a panel discussion on Beckman's legacy from 4:00–5:00, and a reception from 5:00 to 6:00 on the Beckman Institute patio.