Most of Brazil’s science and technology heritage has yet to be tracked down. The knowledge amassed on the topic is still limited, and there is a real risk that Brazilian science and technology objects may already have been modernized or discarded, mostly to make way for more recent or up-to-date instruments or apparatus. A national survey was begun in 2010 to build up a picture of the current state of this heritage as a first step towards changing this picture. The survey is divided into different areas of knowledge and different time frames. As such, we are interested in sets of objects from the exact sciences, the different engineering specialties, as well as geography, geology and oceanography, which were manufactured in or before the 1960s. We assume that objects produced after this decade may still be in use and therefore fall outside the scope of the project.

This work presents an overview of Brazil’s scientific heritage and the information provided is the outcome of this survey which is being undertaken under the coordination of Museu de Astronomia e Ciências Afins (“Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences”, or MAST), which is leading teams from five Brazilian universities.

A registration form was prepared which was adapted from a form used in surveys of collections of this kind in Portugal. Sets of objects have been identified at museums, universities, military establishments and some secondary schools. The best preserved collections are at the few museums devoted to the area, but the universities hold most of the artifacts. The overwhelming majority of the objects were made in the twentieth century, primarily the second half. The objective of this initiative is to raise the awareness of the Brazilian state so that a policy is created for preserving this heritage and financing mechanisms to assure it can be researched, conserved and ultimately fulfill its mission in society.

This presentation is based on work co-authored by Ethel Handfas and Fernanda P Santos.