Bidding Farewell to Naomi Rosenkranz

We have all had our fair share of “crappy” first-day stories whether it is an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction or a silly misunderstanding with a higher-up. However, our long-time Associate Director Naomi Rosenkranz took the phrase a little too literally when it came to her first day at the Center for Science and Society’s Making and Knowing Project (M&K). As Naomi prepares to depart Columbia (and New York City!), she takes a look back at her first day:

I was a physics major at Barnard, but unlike many of my peers and professors, I wasn’t interested in astrophysics and astronomy. Instead, I gravitated towards material science. So, in 2015, I began working as an undergraduate researcher at Columbia’s Ancient Ink Lab. It was a place for art conservators, scientists, and historians to come together and understand and analyze ancient black inks. I felt like an investigator, of sorts, using chemistry to unlock the secrets of the past. 2015 also happened to be the inaugural year of the Making and Knowing Project, which is an interdisciplinary investigation of a 16th-century French manuscript to illuminate how artisanal knowledge and scientific innovation came together and evolved in historical craft workshops. So when my boss Alexis Hagadorn proposed that I should get involved with M&K, I felt as if it was fated. I mustered the courage to email Project Director Pamela Smith (also the Seth Low Professor of History and the Center's Founding Director) expressing my interest. Our first meeting lasted hours as we chatted about her work on the manuscript. Pamela shared how the Project analyzed the manuscript’s artisanal recipes by reconstructing them in a laboratory. I was enthralled. It was like all my interests collided, from art to material science to history, and created a perfect niche for me. 

Later that summer, I joined the Making and Knowing Project as the Project Manager. My first day was fairly routine until Pamela approached me with a special task: “Naomi, I need you to find horse manure for the lab.” I was a little dumbfounded at the request. But Pamela explained that horse manure was frequently mentioned in the manuscript’s recipes (often for its ability to insulate and produce a reliable source of low constant heat). So, in the name of research, we needed to procure horse manure.

I marched to Central Park with a bucket and spoon in hand. But hours later, my bucket was still empty. My luck turned when I came across the horses and carriages lined up along 59th Street. I sheepishly approached the carriage driver with my peculiar request. Fortunately, he was receptive and used his expertise to help me quickly find what I wanted. With the manure sealed into my bucket, I went back to Columbia’s campus and wondered what my second day would have in store for me. 

On that day, I experienced firsthand what makes the Making and Knowing Project and the Center for Science and Society so unique. It’s rare in academia to see historians and scientists break bread over their shared research, especially on something as unconventional as the properties of horse manure. The Center stands out by actively breaking down departmental walls and encouraging collaboration between seemingly unrelated disciplines in order to mutually enrich their research. Coming in as a physics undergraduate, I did not foresee many opportunities where I could explore all my interests without being pigeonholed into a narrow specialization. However, my time at M&K and the Center has made me reassess my personal strengths and unique perspective. I've come to realize not only that there is a place for me and my many interests, but also that academia is actively shifting towards embracing interdisciplinary studies.

This evolving landscape makes me particularly excited to pursue a PhD in Conservation of Material Culture at the UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program of Cultural Heritage. Similar to my first time learning about the Making and Knowing Project, this is another opportunity to explore the ways that art, material science, and history ​​​can intersect and complement each other. I believe my experience as the Center’s Associate Director has provided me with a valuable social science perspective that I might not have gained if I had followed a traditional path as a physics student. Although I will be sad to leave, I am deeply grateful for the lessons and experiences the Center for Science and Society and the Making and Knowing Project have given me.

While we will miss her and her many contributions to our community, let’s all wish Naomi another “crappy” first day at UCLA.