Cummings Center for the History of Psychology

09/03/2026

Heads up that the Cummings Center, including the National Museum of Psychology, will be closed to the public this Saturday, September 5 in observance of Labor Day. We’ll return to our regular hours on Tuesday. Wishing you all a restful holiday weekend!

[Image description: A dimly lit museum gallery with displays on mental health care. Text overlay reads “Museum closed Saturday, September 5.”]

09/01/2026

Applications are now open for the 2027 Baker Fellowship! The Fellowship supports student research in the Archives of the History of American Psychology, covering travel expenses for one graduate or undergraduate student whose research will benefit from research in our collections.

Application materials must be submitted by December 18, 2026. Learn more at https://www.uakron.edu/chp/research/fellowship/

[Image description: A researcher in an archival reading room. They are pulling a bound report out of an archival box. Text reads “Baker Fellowship Applications Now Open.”]

08/20/2026

The International Society for Research on Emotion (ISRE) Records are a recent addition to the Cummings Center’s Archives. The ISRE focuses on research and discussion on emotions, moods, and other affective phenomena. Since last year, ISRE has deposited paper and digital records including conference materials, newsletters, directories, and more dating from its founding in 1984 to 2009.

Through collections like these, our Archives spotlight the ways that psychologists have organized, shared ideas, and found community in their areas of interest.

[Image descriptions:
1: An archivist seated at a table, looking at a variety of ISRE organizational records, including newsletters, photos, and directories.
2: A large crowd of conference attendees gathered together on the steps of a building. A sign above reads ISRE ’98: 10th Conference on the International Society for Research on Emotions.]

08/17/2026

Join us in-person at Peg’s Gallery or online this Thursday, Aug. 20 at 5:30 PM ET as we examine our changing understandings of mental illness. Learn more and RSVP for the free event at https://pegs.org/event/looking-back-thinking-forward-women-and-mental-health/

Some of the most important voices in mental health history are the ones we hear about the least.

This Thursday, August 20, Dr. Jennifer Bazar will join artist Kimberly Chapman, Dr. Doug Smith, and Jonas Thom for a community conversation exploring the people, policies, and histories that continue to shape mental health today.

We invite you to register at ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/t35cz4fy.

07/29/2026

Attending the American Psychological Association Annual Convention in Washington, DC next week? Stop by Booth #520 to say hello to the Cummings Center team! In honor of the 50th anniversary of Robert V. Guthrie's landmark book, “Even the Rat Was White,” we'll be sharing original materials from the Guthrie Papers.

Our booth is located in the Solutions Center at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, exhibit hours are 10am to 6pm on August 6, and 9am to 5pm on August 7 and 8. See you there!

[Image description: A convention booth for the Cummings Center’s National Museum of Psychology, featuring a wall of t-shirt to the left, two display cases full of artifacts and documents in the center, and a visitor examining the display cases to the right.]

07/16/2026

Earlier this week, we had the honor of interviewing Dr. Martha Banks for the Cummings Center’s oral history program. Dr. Banks is a clinical psychologist and research neuropsychologist with expertise in the psychology of race, gender, and disability. She helped to found the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues (later Division 45) and has served in a wide range of leadership roles throughout her career.

The Cummings Center oral history program began in 1965 under the leadership of our founding Director, Dr. John Popplestone. We’ve recently re-launched the program, bringing new first-person perspectives into the historical record.

Dr. Banks’ interview will be available soon via the Cummings Center website. In the meantime, you can watch our recent interview with Dr. Joseph Trimble at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auQ0uFSF7qA

[Image description: Dr. Martha Banks, a Black woman with gray hair and glasses, seated at a desk. She is smiling at two interviewers seated across from her. Audio recording equipment is set up on the desk.]

07/14/2026

Dr. Kelly Lambert’s 2026 Benjamin Lecture, “Neuroplasticity Across the Neuroverse,” is now available online! Whether you missed this year’s lecture or want to revisit the event, now’s your chance to explore Lambert’s extensive work on habitat, experience, and brain plasticity.

View the recording now at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CckIvXsQ9Os

[Image description: Dr. Kelly Lambert, a light-skinned woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. Text reads “2026 Benjamin Lecture Recording Now Available.”]

07/13/2026

The Cummings Center is proudly supported by Peg's Foundation. See original artifacts from our collection, including a rocking chair belonging to Dorothea Dix, on display now through September 5 in the Peg's Foundation Gallery!

Peg's has proudly supported the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology since its founding, helping establish what is now a Smithsonian affiliate and one of the world's leading collections dedicated to the history of psychology.

As part of our 25 Years of Impact exhibit, visitors can explore artifacts on loan from the Cummings Center that trace the evolution of mental health care in America. From the legacy of mental health reformer Dorothea Dix to objects that reflect life in state hospitals, these pieces offer a powerful reminder that understanding our past helps us build a more compassionate future.

06/30/2026

Due to scheduled HVAC outages on The University of Akron campus and the upcoming 4th of July weekend, the Cummings Center will be closed Thursday, July 2 through Saturday, July 4. We’ll return to our regular hours next Tuesday.

Stay cool and have a wonderful holiday weekend, Akron!

[Image description: A museum gallery. Text restates the message of the post.]

06/25/2026

Your eyes are constantly moving, whether you realize it or not. 👁️ And with every tiny movement, the picture you see changes ever-so-slightly.

How do we know this? In the 1950s, psychologist Lorrin Riggs developed a specialized contact lens that was equipped with a tiny mirror. When research participants wore the contact lens, Riggs reflected light off the mirror and measured the movement of the light’s reflection. Even when participants were staring at a fixed point, the reflected light continued to move.

Through further research, Riggs concluded that that these tiny movements are necessary to maintain our vision. If our retinal cells stop receiving new information, our vision will slowly fade out.

See more images from the Lorrin Riggs Papers in our online database: https://collections.uakron.edu/digital/collection/p15960coll2/search/searchterm/riggs/field/source/mode/all/conn/and/page/1

[Image descriptions:
1: Close-up of a person’s face surrounded by laboratory devices. A circle of bright light is clearly reflected off the iris of their right eye.
2: Lorrin Riggs, a light-skinned man with short hair, adjusting a device connected to the forehead, eye, and eyeglasses of another person.]