The Mechanical Properties of Cultural Materials
Dr. Marion Mecklenburg
Senior Research Scientist
Museum Conservation Institute
Smithsonian Institution
July 15, 2010
About the Lecture:
Senior Research Scientist Marion Mecklenburg discussed the role that mechanical testing plays in determining the effects of temperature, relative humidity, conservation treatments and chemical degradation on the long term stability of cultural collections.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Mecklenburg has published extensively on the mechanical properties of cultural heritage materials, particularly in relation to their environment. He has been at the Smithsonian Institution for over two decades, as Senior Research Scientist and Assistant Director for Conservation Research of the Conservation Analytical Laboratory. He has held faculty positions at the University of Delaware Art Conservation Program, the University of Maryland Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Johns Hopkins University Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and served as Coordinator for the Smithsonian-Johns Hopkins Graduate Program for Material Science.