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Reading Nature, Observing Science: Examining Material Practices in the Lick Observatory Archives and Kenneth S. Norris Papers

Case 2: Natural History, Pedagogy, and Echolocation

All of the objects in this case are from the papers of Kenneth S. Norris, who was a professor of natural history at UCSC's Environmental Studies Department. The objects on the first shelf showcase Norris's work in natural history, ranging from his active practice of note taking to his research on lizards and dolphins. The materials on the second shelf pertain to the Natural History Field Quarter, a popular course that Norris created, which is still offered by the Environmental Studies Department. The images, notes, and syllabus featured in the case are from various Field Quarters taught by Norris, including the course's first offering in 1973. The objects on the last shelf highlight Norris's research on dolphin echolocation and the various technologies he used for this research, such as audiotape recordings and sonographs. There are also images of Kathy the dolphin pressing a lever while blindfolded, an experiment that Norris and colleagues conducted in order to prove the existence of dolphin echolocation.

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2. Velvet Cases The velvet case contains a chest of slides from Norris's slide collection. This chest has a handwritten inventory, although there is a notable discrepancy between the actual slides in the chest and the titles listed on the inventory sheet. Twelve of the slides from the chest are featured in the listed images. They document various species of lizards, snakes, frogs, and toads, as well as desert habitats throughout California and New Mexico. As the majority of these slides are dated 1948, they are representative of Norris's work in desert ecology during his studies at UCLA. These velvet cases also contain atlases from UCSC Special Collections that pertain to the theme of Reading Nature.
4. Case 2: Natural History, Pedagogy, and Echolocation
6. Case 4: Eclipse Expeditions in Context

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