What makes a person “disabled”? Is it a physical, cognitive, or emotional impairment that is manifested in that person’s body, or is it the presence of barriers and the absence of accommodations in society and the environment in which that person must live and work? Some categories of disability are contested, such as pregnancy, which may be viewed as disabling by some but not by others. Deciding what is and is not a disability is a historically and politically meaningful act. Many of the interviews included in the project are with individuals who might not self-identify as disabled, but each interview includes some discussion that sheds light on what disability, or the perception of disability, can mean and how it can affect a person’s life, education, and career in STEM.
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5 items
Oral history interview with Rory Cooper
- 2017-Jun-22
- 2017-Jun-23
Rory Cooper was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1959 and grew up in San Luis Obispo, California. His father was a model maker, in the United States Army Reserve, and later, a professor of biology and agriculture at…
- Interviewee Cooper, Rory A.
- Interviewer Martucci, Jessica L., Waters, Gregory S.
- Subject Scientists with disabilities, Engineering, Wheelchairs, Wheelchair sports, Veterans, United States. Army, University of Pittsburgh, Cooper, Rory A., People with disabilities--Civil rights, Robotics, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (United States)
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5 items
Oral history interview with Collin R. Diedrich
- 2017-Jun-19
- 2017-Jun-22
Collin R. Diedrich was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1983. His parents were originally from Kansas, and they settled in St. Louis to help Diedrich’s grandfather with his wholesale business. Diedrich grew up in a…
- Interviewee Diedrich, Collin R., 1983-
- Interviewer Waters, Gregory S., Martucci, Jessica L.
- Subject Immunology, Learning disabled, Diedrich, Collin R., 1983-, Dyslexia, HIV (Viruses)--Research, Tuberculosis vaccines, Virology, Medical scientists
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Oral history interview with Judith Summers-Gates
- 2017-Jan-20
- 2017-Feb-06
Judith Summers-Gates was born in Hazelton, Pennsylvania in 1958 and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother was a registered nurse. Her father was a hardwood floor installer. She had a younger sister and…
- Interviewer Martucci, Jessica L., Berry, Lee Sullivan
- Interviewee Summers-Gates, Judith, 1958-
- Subject Women in science, People with disabilities, People with mental disabilities, Blind, People with visual disabilities, Drexel University, United States. Department of Defense, United States. Department of Agriculture, United States. Food and Drug Administration, Engineering, Breast--Radiography, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (United States), Paratransit services, Self-help device for people with disabilities, American Chemical Society, Chemists with disabilitites, Chemistry, Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
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6 items
Oral history interview with Raymond E. March
- 2014-Oct-27
Raymond March was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. March’s childhood was shaped by World War II, and by a mysterious polio-like paralysis which caused him to miss a great deal of school. He took an apprenticeship…
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5 items
Oral history interview with Mary K. Gall
- 2012-Mar-26 (First session)
- 2012-Mar-27 (Second session)
Mary K. Gall matriculated at Vassar College. Originally she was interesed in bacteriology, but she decided to major in chemistry. She felt she did not have enough 'drive' for medical school, and she always wanted to be…
- Interviewee Gall, Mary K., 1922-
- Interviewer Wronski, Michael, Domush, Hilary
- Subject Women in science, Gall, Mary K., 1922-, Women chemists, Chemists
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6 items
Oral history interview with James A. McCloskey, Jr.
- 2012-Mar-19 (First session)
- 2012-Mar-20 (Second session)
James A. McCloskey, Jr., grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He entered Trinity University in San Antonio, where he majored in chemistry; he earned a PhD in analytical chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.…
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4 items
Oral history interview with Marvin Margoshes
- 2011-Apr-06
Marvin Margoshes grew up in New York City, New York, one of three children. His parents had left the Austro-Hungarian Empire, his father from Galicia and his mother from Hungary, and had met as members of a Zionist…
- Interviewee Margoshes, Marvin
- Interviewer Grayson, Michael A.
- Subject Chemistry, Physical and theoretical--Research, Chemists, Analytical chemistry, Chemists--Biography, Margoshes, Marvin
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Oral history interview with Allison Aldridge
- 2004-Aug-25
- 2009-Aug-23
Allison A. Aldridge calls Ottawa, Kansas her home town. Her father was in the Air Force, her mother worked in industry and she has three brothers. When she was young Aldridge wanted to be a veterinarian, but working…
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Oral history interview with Jennie R. Patrick
- 2006-Mar-30
Jennie R. Patrick grew up in Gadsden, a small, typically Southern, town in Alabama, the fourth of five children. Her parents were laborers whose formal education stopped in junior high school. As a child, she had no…
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6 items
Oral history interview with Julius Blank
- 2006-Mar-20
Julius Blank begins the interview with a look at his childhood and early education. He graduated high school at the age of fifteen and began taking classes at the City College of New York while working various jobs.…
- Interviewee Blank, Julius
- Interviewer Brock, David C.
- Subject Fairchild (Firm), Noyce, Robert N. (Robert Norton), 1927-1990, Integrated circuits--Very large scale integration, Mechanical engineers, Microelectronics industry, Shockley, William, 1910-1989, Moore, Gordon E., 1929-2023, Electronic industries, Blank, Julius, Semiconductor industry, Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Crystal growth
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2 items
Oral history interview with Robert Robson
- 2005-Nov-17
- 2005-Dec-16
Robert Robson begins the interview with a discussion about growing up in South Dakota. He discusses his education, his involvement with the Army, and his early interest in electronics. He also details his move to…
- Interviewee Robson, Robert
- Interviewer Brock, David C., Lécuyer, Christophe
- Sponsor Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Subject Robson, Robert, Electronic industries, Semiconductor industry, Industrial engineers, Microelectronics industry
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Oral history interview with Edwin R. Chapman
- 2005-Dec-05 – 2005-Dec-07
Edwin R. Chapman grew up in Bellingham, Washington, the youngest of four children. His father taught drafting and shop in high school, and his mother stayed at home to raise the children. From an early age Chapman was…
- Interviewee Chapman, Edwin R., 1969-
- Interviewer Frenkel, Karen A.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Chapman, Edwin R., 1969-, Storm, Daniel R., Pharmacology, Neurosciences, Research grants, University of Wisconsin--Madison, Neural transmission, College teachers, Neuroscientists
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2 items
Oral history interview with Theodore S. Jardetzky
- 2002-Jun-03 – 2002-Jun-05
Theodore S. Jardetzky was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, and Palo Alto, California, the middle of three brothers. Both of his parents were scientists: his father emigrated from Austria to attend Macalester College,…
- Interviewee Jardetzky, Theodore, 1960-
- Interviewer Van Benschoten, William
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Jardetzky, Theodore, 1960-, Acetylcholine--Receptors, Universität Frankfurt am Main. Biozentrum, Enzyme kinetics, Major histocompatibility complex, Proteins, Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.), Immune response, Microbiology, Molecular biology, Immunologists, Medical scientists
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10 items
Oral history interview with Robert W. Allington
- 2001-Nov-13
Robert W. Allington begins the interview with a sketch of his family history. His father, a scientist for the United States Department of Agriculture, and later at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln [UNL], encouraged…
- Interviewee Allington, R. W. (Robert W.), 1935-2006
- Interviewer Van Ness, John R., Thackray, Arnold, 1939-
- Subject Poliomyelitis--Patients, Electrical engineers, People with disabilities, Allington, R. W. (Robert W.), 1935-2006, Electrical engineering, University of Nebraska--Lincoln, Poliomyelitis, Separation (Technology), Scientists with disabilities, Scientific apparatus and instruments
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Oral history interview with Erin Schuman
- 2000-Apr-12
- 2000-Apr-19
- 2000-Apr-26
- 2000-May-17
Erin M. Schuman was born in San Gabriel, California, though spent most of her childhood in Huntington Beach, the oldest of three siblings; her mother was a teacher at a Catholic school. She was a "serial hobbyist" with…
- Interviewee Schuman, Erin, 1963-
- Interviewer Van Benschoten, William
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Schuman, Erin, 1963-, Women in science, Molecular biology, Medicine--Research, Medical scientists, Women in medicine, Neurobiology, Neural transmission, Neurotransmitters
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Oral history interview with Andrew D. Ellington
- 2000-Mar-06 – 2000-Mar-07
- 2000-Mar-09
Andrew D. Ellington was born in 1956 in Missouri; the elder of two siblings. His father was a title lawyer, and his mother was a high school mathematics and computer science teacher. From a very young age Ellington's…
- Interviewee Ellington, Andrew D., 1959-
- Interviewer Cohen, Helene L.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Ellington, Andrew D., 1956-, Benner, Steven A. (Steven Albert), 1954-, Nucleotide sequence, Evolution (Biology), Indiana University, Bloomington, University of Texas at Austin, HIV infections--Treatment, Biosensors, Medical scientists
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Oral history interview with Robert D. Nicholls
- 1997-Sep-03 – 1997-Sep-05
Robert D. Nicholls was born in a small town near Melbourne, Australia, one of four children. His father was in the Forests Commission, so the family moved fairly often until Robert's parents divorced when he was a…
- Interviewee Nicholls, Robert D., 1960-
- Interviewer Maestrejuan, Andrea R.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Nicholls, Robert D., 1960-, Medical scientists, Molecular biology, Medicine--Research, Escherichia coli, Genetic disorders, Nervous system--Diseases, Angelman syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome
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Oral history interview with Ann M. Pullen
- 1996-Aug-07 – 1996-Aug-09
Ann M. Pullen was born in Eastbourne, a small town on the south coast of England, though was raised in Sutton Coldfield just outside of Birmingham, the elder of two sisters. Both of her parents were university-educated…
- Interviewee Pullen, Ann M., 1961-
- Interviewer Novak, Steven J.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Pullen Ann M., 1961-, Kappler, John, Marrack, P. (Philippa), Perlmutter, Roger, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institutes of Health (U.S.), Women medical scientists, Medical scientists, Women in medicine, Women in science, Medicine--Research, Immunology
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Oral history interview with Frances M. Brodsky
- 1995-Aug-21 – 1995-Aug-23
Frances M. Brodsky grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. Her father worked at ETS (Educational Testing Service), a job he began shortly after the company was founded. Her mother, an artist, was a professor at Rutgers and…
- Interviewee Brodsky, Frances M. (Frances Martha), 1955-
- Interviewer Novak, Steven J.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Brodsky, Frances M. (Frances Martha), 1955-, Biochemistry, Women in science, Monoclonal antibodies, HLA histocompatibility antigens, Immunology, Cytology, University of California, San Francisco, Becton-Dickinson, Affirmative action programs in education
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2 items
Oral history interview with Stephen J. Elledge
- 1995-Aug-16 – 1995-Aug-18
Stephen J. Elledge was born in Paris, Illinois. He had two older sisters and an older half sister. He attended Roman Catholic elementary school but rebelled against the religious teaching and switched to public schools.…
- Interviewee Elledge, Stephen Joseph, 1956-
- Interviewer Maestrejuan, Andrea R.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Elledge, Stephen Joseph, 1956-, Davis, Ronald W. (Ronald Wayne), 1941-, Cyclin-dependent kinases, Cell cycle, Cancer--Research, Baylor University. College of Medicine, Antioncogenes, Molecular cloning, Medical scientists
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Oral history interview with James R. Lupski
- 1995-Aug-14 – 1995-Aug-16
James R. Lupski was born and raised on Long Island, New York, one of eight children. He attended a Roman Catholic elementary school but a public high school. Lupski and three of his siblings manifested, at different…
- Interviewee Lupski, James R., 1957-
- Interviewer Maestrejuan, Andrea R.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Lupski, James R., 1957-, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Chess, Neural receptors, Molecular cloning, Genetic disorders, Medical genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
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Oral history interview with W. Ian Lipkin
- 1995-Jul-14
- 1995-Jul-17
- 1995-Jul-27
- 1995-Aug-03
- 1995-Aug-07
W. Ian Lipkin was born in Chicago, Illinois, one of three children. His parents, of Russian Jewish background, met at the New School in New York City, New York, but moved to Chicago to study at the University of…
- Interviewee Lipkin, W. I. (W. Ian)
- Interviewer Maestrejuan, Andrea R.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Lipkin, W. I. (W. Ian), Anthropology, Indigenous peoples, Alaska Natives, Communicable diseases, Neurology, AIDS (Disease)--Patients, Scripps Research Institute, Neurotransmitters, Molecular biology, Borna disease, Nervous system--Degeneration
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16 items
Oral history interview with Emil L. Smith
- 1991-Jun-19 (First session)
- 1994-Mar-17 (Second session)
Emil Smith begins his oral history interview by discussing his undergraduate study of biology at Columbia University. He received a Guggenheim fellowship to Cambridge University until the outbreak of World War II. Smith…
- Interviewee Smith, Emil L., 1911-2009
- Interviewer Bohning, James J.
- Subject Biochemists, Smith, Emil L., 1911-2009, University of California, Los Angeles
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Oral history interview with Carol W. Greider
- 1993-Sep-22
- 1993-Sep-24
- 1993-Sep-30
- 1993-Oct-05
Carol W. Greider was born in San Diego, California. Her father was a physicist; her mother was a biologist who died when Carol was young. Her father had a position at Yale University when Carol was a child, and they…
- Interviewee Greider, Carol W.
- Interviewer Hathaway, Neil D.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Greider, Carol W., Circadian rhythms, Blackburn, Elizabeth H. (Elizabeth Helen), 1948-, Telomere, Telomerase, Cloning, Ribonucleases, Medical scientists, Molecular biologists, Women in science, Women in medicine, Women medical scientists, Women molecular biologists
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16 items
Oral history interview with Herbert Tabor
- 1993-Apr-03
Herbert Tabor begins this interview with a discussion of his family and childhood. He grew up during the Depression in Manhattan, New York, and attended local public schools before becoming a student at City College in…
- Interviewee Tabor, Herbert, 1918-
- Interviewer Bohning, James J.
- Subject Public health, Medical scientists--Biography, Medical scientists, Medicine--Research, Biochemistry--Research, Clinical chemistry, Drugs--Research