Albert Van Helden academic papers

Albert Van Helden was born on March 7, 1940 in the The Hague, Netherlands, came to the United States in 1955 , and later became a naturalized citizen. He received a B.S. in Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1962, Master of Science from Stevens in 1964, Master of Arts in History from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1967, and a doctorate from the University of London, Imperial College in the History of Science in 1970. Dr. Van Helden came to Rice University as an Assistant Professor of History in 1970, was promoted to full professor in 1983, and served as Chairman of the Department of History in 1987. In addition to his teaching duties at Rice in the field of history of science, Dr. Van Helden has published extensively on the history of astronomy, and on the invention and development of the telescope. He is closely associated with the Galileo Project at Rice University that examines the history, art, and culture of Galileo and of science in 17th century Italy.