This fall, Carnegie Mellon University joined the Consortium for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (CHSTM), a global network of institutions committed to advancing research, teaching, and collection development in these dynamic fields.
Membership in CHSTM offers immediate benefits for CMU faculty, students, and researchers — including increased visibility for the university’s distinctive archival collections, eligibility for cross-institutional fellowships, and new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
“This partnership brings CMU’s collections and scholarship into conversation with a global community,” said Sam Lemley, Curator of Special Collections at the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries. “It also marks a milestone in how we support and amplify research at the intersection of the sciences and humanities.”
The initiative was led by Lemley and Chris Phillips, professor and head of History, with support from Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean of the University Libraries Keith Webster and faculty in the Department of History. Together, they identified CHSTM as a venue where both the Libraries’ rare holdings and the department’s innovative scholarship could have immediate impact.
Connecting Collections to a Global Research Ecosystem
The timing of the announcement aligns with the fall 2025 reopening of the Posner Center for Special Collections following a major renovation. The Posner Center is home to foundational works in the history of science, cryptology, early computing, and robotics. CMU’s membership in CHSTM will ensure that these holdings, along with the world-renowned collections at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and the University Archives, gain greater visibility among researchers worldwide.
Through CHSTM’s aggregated portal, CMU’s collections will be listed alongside those of peer institutions, expanding discovery and research use. The partnership also elevates the Libraries’ capacity to support interdisciplinary scholarship and collaborative grant-funded initiatives in fields such as environmental science, computing, and medical history.
New Research Fellowships and Opportunities for CMU Scholars
Membership also enhances access to CHSTM’s research fellowships and seminar programs. In parallel, the Libraries is launching its own Posner and Hunt Fellowship program to support graduate students and early-career researchers working in special collections. Applications for these fellowships will be posted annually on the Libraries’ website and promoted through CHSTM channels.
“We view this as a launchpad,” Lemley said. “CHSTM helps us bring new audiences to our collections, and it opens up exciting opportunities for students and scholars to collaborate across institutions.”