MCI's Science Research and Technical Studies groups conduct imaging and materials analyses for museums, research centers, and offices across the Smithsonian to address questions that arise during scholarly research, conservation treatment, exhibition preparation, and storage monitoring. The Science Research and Technical Studies Groups, along with MCI's Conservators, combine their knowledge of materials and the history of technology with state-of-the-art instrumentation and scientific techniques to provide technical research studies and interpretation of art, as well as anthropological and historical objects. The Institute conducts studies of objects using analytical techniques, as well as develops novel tools and applications, to elucidate their provenance, composition, and cultural context and improve the Smithsonian’s conservation and collections storage capabilities, and the world’s cultural heritage.

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