"The Remarkable History of the U-505" at La Salle Public Library
On Tuesday, September 1st, at 6:00 p.m., the La Salle Public Library will host, virtually, Dr. Voula Saridakis, curator at the Museum of Science and Industry, when she presents an insightful presentation on the history of U-505 submarine.
The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) is home to the one and only U-boat of its kind (type IX-C) in the United States, and it is one of only four left in the world. In this unique virtual presentation, Dr. Voula Saridakis will share historic details on the remarkable capture of the submarine, which was kept secret for over a year, it's journey from New Hampshire and across four of the five Great Lakes to Chicago, the engineering feat of moving the 252 foot vessel into a new indoor space, and its recently completed restoration in 2019.
Dr. Voula Saridakis is a curator in the Collections department at the Museum of Science and Industry, and is part of the team that is responsible for the care of MSI's 35,000 plus artifacts. During her time at the Museum, she has been responsible for the research and development of content for several exhibits. Most recently she curated U-505's Submarine: 75 stories, an anniversary exhibit commemorating the 1944 capture of the U-505 submarine featuring 75 rarely seen photographs and artifacts.
Dr. Saridakis, a historian of science and technology by training, has 19 years of college-level teaching experience in subjects including history and science, women and gender in science, world civilizations, European history, and women's history. She has a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies (interdisciplinary history, philosophy, and sociology of of science) from Virginia Tech, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Cornwell University. She has been an invited speaker to several conferences including the History of Science Society, Society for the History of Technology, and Biennial History of Astronomy Workshop.
This program is free and open to the public. It will be presented in a live virtual format via Zoom. To receive the virtual viewing link, please register by going to: https://bit.ly/3ahiZjg. For more information, please contac Rachael at rblomquist@lasalle.lib.il.us.