Lunchtime Talk: 'Einstein and the Refugee Scholars in Oxford'

How did the ‘Einstein Blackboard’ come to be a prize possession of Oxford’s Museum of the History of Science?

This is the story of Einstein’s visits to Oxford in the 1930s, his reception and significance. Discover the role played by Oxford University, its departments and colleges and the Society for the Protection of Science and Learning in saving scholars fleeing from the Nazis. Finally, find out about the lives, contributions and legacies of the refugee scholars themselves.

Tickets cost £6 and are available online via Plinth or at the Museum shop. Tickets for this event also include access to our Galleries.

Further information

Complimentary tea and coffee will be available to enjoy during the talk. We recommend arriving before the start of the talk if you would like to grab a refreshment.

Sales from tickets help support our work to deliver fun and accessible family activities, community engagement projects, schools workshops, exhibitions and special events for Oxford’s people in our Museum spaces.

Victoria Bentata is an Oxford Green Badge Guide and member of the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides. She has an Oxford University degree in Modern Languages and an Oxford Brookes University MA in History. Her dissertation focused on the Inter Services Topographical Department at Manchester College Oxford during WWII. She is the author of Oxford City Walks, a book of 15 walks with guiding commentary, and regularly leads specialist tours of Oxford including Oxford in the History of Medicine. 

Access

There is step-free, level entry access to the Town Hall via the entrance closest to Carfax Tower (to the left of the main steps as you face the Town Hall). Inside the Museum, Museum Makers is accessible via a platform lift to the Galleries and then a lift to the basement.

Accessible toilets are available in the Museum (close to Museum Makers) and in the Town Hall on the ground floor, before entering the Museum. Please contact the Museum team if you’d like to talk to a member of staff about your access requirements. Further access information can be found on our page dedicated to access at the museum.

Photo consent

Please be aware that photographs will be taken at this event for use in marketing. If you (or a member of your group) would prefer not to be photographed, please let a member of staff know during the event.