Manhattan Room display in MUC gallery

In an effort to gather more attention for the different departments in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), a new project was proposed by Associate Dean Larry LaFond, according to Denise DeGarmo, associate professor and chair of political science.

“Larry LaFond had this brilliant idea to have departments put up displays to get them more attention,” said DeGarmo.

The idea LaFond came up with, according to DeGarmo, was to use the MUC Gallery to put up displays from different CAS departments. The gallery would then be open to students and the public to view.

DeGarmo said she was interested in the idea because it is a perfect opportunity to attract attention to The Arthur V. DeGarmo, Jr. Research Room for the Study and Preservation of the Manhattan Project Legacies that was recently completed. Although the room was opened last year, it has been temporarily closed due to the ongoing remodeling of Peck Hall.

“With all the renovations in Peck Hall, we haven’t been able to do much with the Atomic Room. It’s been torn up with the furniture being replaced and we had to move down there to set up our offices temporarily,” said DeGarmo.

DeGarmo stated that the MUC Gallery would be set up chronologically to give viewers an opportunity to learn the timeline of the Manhattan Project. When viewers walk into the gallery, they will find a basic introduction to the Manhattan Project in St Louis, where  it started, according to DeGarmo.

A Russian poster from the World War II era about atomic energy, one of numerous examples of era specific information in the Manhattan Project Research Room.

There will be displays about the different component pieces from Chicago, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos, as well as a display about the work that DeGarmo’s father, whom the research room is named for, and his connection with the Nike Missile Project. DeGarmo said there will be displays about the explosions of the atomic bombs, and a section on pop culture and the Manhattan Project.

The displays have been put together with the help of John Hansen, a 2010 SIUE graduate who is now pursuing his master’s in political science at Eastern Illinois University. DeGarmo stated that Hansen had worked with her for nearly three years on the Manhattan Project research while he was a student.

“This has been a collection that has been decades in the making and it’s nice that it can finally be displayed and made available to the public,” said Hansen. “It’s nice that SIUE can facilitate that.”

DeGarmo stated the display will be set up until January 25, when the display will be pulled down and put back into the research room.

“Once this is over, we’ll reset the room in the basement from the stuff we pulled out for this, and reopen for business,” said DeGarmo.

Be Sociable, Share!

Filed Under: General CAS StoriesPolitical Science

Tags: , , , , , ,

Comments are closed.

Switch to our mobile site