Oral histories of 70 eminent scientists and engineers who immigrated to the United States in the 20th century. The oral histories provide moving testimony and insights into the nature of immigrant scientists’ scientific work and enterprise, as well as their struggles and successes in weaving themselves into the cultural fabric of American life. Many of these stories highlight historical events and social conditions that led individuals and families to flee their home countries. Other interviews shed light on the educational and professional opportunities that aspiring and experienced scientists sought out in the United States.
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4 items
Oral history interview with Barbara A. Schaal
- 2022-May-26
- 2022-Jun-30
Barbara A. Schaal was born in 1947 in Berlin, Germany. In 1950 the family immigrated to the United States where they met her aunt and uncle (her father’s brother) in Chicago, Illinois. As Schaal grew up, she started to…
- Interviewee Schaal, Barbara A., 1947-
- Interviewer Caruso, David J. (David Joseph), 1978-, Evans, Kenneth M., (Kenneth Mellinger)
- Subject Emigration and immigration, Schaal, Barbara A., 1947-, Washington University (Saint Louis, Mo.), Levin, Donald A., Science and state, Botany, Varmus, Harold, Agriculture, Immigrants--Cultural assimilation, COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-), Plants--Evolution
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4 items
Oral history interview with Vishva M. Dixit
- 2022-Feb-28
- 2022-Apr-18
Vishva M. Dixit was born in Kisii, Kenya in 1956. His parents, who were originally from India, served as physicians in Kenya with the British Army, and they stayed in the country after their service. Dixit experienced…
- Interviewee Dixit, Vishva
- Interviewer Caruso, David J. (David Joseph), 1978-, Schneider, Sarah, 1991-
- Subject Emigration and immigration, Physicians, Molecular biology, Apoptosis, Cancer--Research, Genentech, Inc., Biotechnology, University of Michigan. Medical School, Washington University (Saint Louis, Mo.). School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, Thrombospondins, Cancer--Treatment, Dixit, Vishva
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4 items
Oral history interview with Luis Proenza
- 2021-Jul-16
- 2021-Aug-06
Luis Proenza was born in 1944 in Mexico City, Mexico. When he was growing up, his parents ran a family business. He grew up in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and Acapulco, Mexico. Proenza remembers spending time by the ocean and…
- Interviewee Proenza, Luis M.
- Interviewer Evans, Kenneth M., (Kenneth Mellinger), Caruso, David J. (David Joseph), 1978-
- Subject Science and state, Minorities in science, Neurosciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Purdue University, University of Akron, College presidents, Academic-industrial collaboration, Bush, George W. (George Walker), 1946-, United States. Arctic Research Commission, Emigration and immigration, Proenza, Luis M.
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2 items
Research interview with Pouné Saberi
- 2017-Jul-14
Pouné Saberi was born in Tehran, Iran, and experienced the 1979 Iranian Revolution as a child. Her family left Iran in the mid-1980s during its war with Iraq and settled briefly in Boston. Pouné’s parents and younger…
- Interviewee Saberi, Pouné
- Interviewer Eardley-Pryor, Roger
- Sponsor Climate & Urban Systems Partnership
- Subject Saberi, Pouné, Women in science, Women in medicine, Physicians, Women physicians, Revolution (Iran : 1979), Public health, Physicians for Social Responsibility (U.S.), Toxins--Environmental aspects, Emigration and immigration
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7 items
Oral history interview with Roald Hoffmann
- 2014-Oct-16 (First interview)
- 2014-Oct-17 (Second interview)
- 2015-Mar-21 (Third interview)
Roald Hoffmann was born Roald Safran in Złoczów, Poland, in 1937. When the Nazi Wehrmacht reached Złoczów in 1941, Roald’s family went into hiding, then into a labor camp. His father bribed the guards to allow Roald,…
- Interviewee Hoffmann, Roald
- Interviewer Caruso, David J. (David Joseph), 1978-, Reinhardt, Carsten
- Subject Hoffmann, Roald, Hückel molecular orbitals, Chemistry, Organic, Boranes, Chemistry, Physical and theoretical, Nobel Prize winners, Woodward, R. B. (Robert Burns), 1917-1979, Djerassi, Carl, Emigration and immigration
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6 items
Oral history interview with Gábor Somorjai
- 2014-Jan-30 – 2014-Jan-31
Gábor Somorjai was born in Budapest, Hungary, during World War II and lived a comfortable, integrated life until Anti-Semitic laws impacted the family. His paternal grandfather had converted to Judaism. His mother’s…
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4 items
Oral history interview with Enrique Iglesia
- 2014-Jan-27 – 2014-Jan-28
Enrique Iglesia was born in Havana, Cuba, one of two children. The family lived in Havana until Enrique was about fourteen years old; he was then approaching military age, at which time he would not be allowed to leave…
- Interviewee Iglesia, Enrique, 1954-
- Interviewer Domush, Hilary
- Subject Iglesia, Enrique, 1954-, Revolution (Cuba : 1959), Catalysis, Exxon Corporation, University of California, Berkeley, Fischer-Tropsch process, Zeolites, Consultants, Chemical engineering, Chemical engineers, Emigration and immigration
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6 items
Oral history interview with L. Louis Hegedus
- 2013-Dec-05 (First session)
- 2013-Dec-06 (Second session)
L. Louis Hegedus grew up in Szolnok, Hungary. After completing the chemical engineering program of the Technical University of Budapest, he was recruited to work at the Research Institute for the Organic Chemical…
- Interviewee Hegedus, L. Louis, 1941-2017
- Interviewer Domush, Hilary, Boytim, Jacqueline
- Subject Polyesters, General Motors Corporation, Elf Atochem, Automobiles--Catalytic converters, Catalyst poisoning, Chemistry, Organic, Hegedus, L. Louis, 1941-2017, Research Institute for the Organic Chemical Industry, Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft, Emigration and immigration
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5 items
Oral history interview with Mario J. Molina
- 2013-May-06 (First session)
- 2013-May-07 (Second session)
Mario Molina grew up Mexico City, Mexico, one of eight children. His father was a lawyer and judge, his stepmother a teacher and housewife. Molina liked music and played the violin seriously. He also loved science,…
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6 items
Oral history interview with George M. Wyman
- 2013-May-01 (First session)
- 2013-May-02 (Second session)
George M. Wyman was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1921. Wyman attended the Lutheran Gimnázium in Budapest until World War II threatened, leaving for the United States to become a chemist. Wyman entered Cornell…
- Interviewee Wyman, George M., 1921-2017
- Interviewer Roberts, Jody A., 1976-, Caruso, David J. (David Joseph), 1978-
- Subject Chemistry, Physical and theoretical, Isomerization, Wyman, George M., 1921-2017, Fluorine, Chemistry, Organic, Indigo, United States. National Bureau of Standards, Dyes and dyeing--Chemistry, United States. Army. European Research Office, Cornell University, Emigration and immigration
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8 items
Oral history interview with Rolf Dessauer
- 2012-Aug-07 – 2012-Aug-08
- 2012-Oct-01
Rolf Dessauer was born in Nuremberg, Germany, one of two sons of a physician and a housewife. His family fled to the United States after Kristallnacht, eventually settling in Flushing, New York. After service in the US…
- Interviewee Dessauer, Rolf, 1926-
- Interviewer Hunter, Sarah L., 1985, Domush, Hilary
- Subject E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Chemists, Chemistry--Research, Chemistry, Technical, Research, Industrial, Photochemistry, Photopolymers--Industrial applications, Dessauer, Rolf, 1926-, Emigration and immigration
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2 items
Oral history interview with Constantine E. Anagnostopoulos
- 2012-Aug-06
Constantine E. Anagnostopoulos was born in Turkey in 1922 to parents of Greek descent. Due to Turkish expulsion of the Greeks when he was three months old, the family left for the Greek mainland. Because his father was…
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8 items
Oral history interview with Henri Termeer
- 2006-May-23 (First interview)
- 2006-Dec-07 (Second interview)
- 2007-Aug-02 (Third interview)
- 2008-Dec-18 (Fourth interview)
- 2011-Sep-30 (Fifth interview)
Henri Termeer begins his interview by discussing his parents’ histories, the influence of family, and his entrance into the business world. He describes how, as a boy, he began to develop leadership skills as early as…
- Interviewee Termeer, Henri A.
- Interviewer Everson, Ted, Dionisio, Jennifer, Thackray, Arnold, 1939-
- Subject Baxter International Inc., Termeer, Henri, 1946-2017, Executives, Genzyme Center (Cambridge, Mass.), Gaucher disease--Treatment, Gaucher disease, Biotechnology, Biotechnology industries, Emigration and immigration
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5 items
Oral history interview with Peter B. Lederman
- 2011-Sep-01 (First session)
- 2011-Sep-19 (Second session)
Peter B. Lederman, an only child, was born in Weimar, Germany. His father was an accountant who spent a week in a concentration camp but was recalled in order to help the state collect taxes. When Peter was seven the…
- Interviewee Lederman, Peter B. (Peter Bernd), 1931-2020
- Interviewer Caruso, David J. (David Joseph), 1978-, Roberts, Jody A., 1976-, Hunter, Sarah L., 1985-
- Subject Lederman, Peter B. (Peter Bernd), 1931-2020, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, University of Michigan, United States. Environmental Protection Agency, Shell Oil Company, Esso Research and Engineering Company, Chemical engineers, Water--Pollution, Emigration and immigration
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6 items
Oral history interview with Uma Chowdhry
- 2011-Aug-24 – 2011-Aug-25
Uma Chowdhry grew up in Bombay (later Mumbai), India, one of three children. She attended British missionary schools, which taught in English, and became interested in science in high school. Having obtained a…
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5 items
Oral history interview with Isy Haas
- 2010-Jun-24 – 2010-Jun-25
Isy Haas was born in Istanbul, Turkey. He and his parents were Jewish and Polish citizens, not automatically Turkish. They spoke French and German until World War II, when they ceased speaking German. Haas attended a…
- Interviewee Haas, Isy, 1934-
- Interviewer Brock, David C.
- Subject Haas, Isy, 1934-, Remington Rand, Inc., Fairchild (Firm), Moore, Gordon E., 1929-2023, Last, Jay T., Noyce, Robert N. (Robert Norton), 1927-1990, Diodes, Semiconductor, Integrated circuits, Teledyne, Inc., Texas Instruments Incorporated, Electrical engineers, Emigration and immigration
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5 items
Oral history interview with Lubert Stryer
- 2008-Dec-03 – 2008-Dec-04
Lubert Stryer was born in Tientsin (now Tianjin), China. He and his family lived in Shanghai until he was about ten. Lubert’s father had come to China from Germany, his mother from Russia, in order to escape the…
- Interviewee Stryer, Lubert, 1938-
- Interviewer Caruso, David J. (David Joseph), 1978-
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Stryer, Lubert, 1938-, DNA--Research, Spectrum analysis, Peptides--Conformation, Proteins, Proteins--Structure, Molecular spectroscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, Nuclear excitation, Medical scientists, Molecular biology, Medicine--Research, Emigration and immigration
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4 items
Oral history interview with Gustavo W. Leone
- 2008-Oct-23 – 2008-Oct-24
Gustavo Leone was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and lived there until he was twelve—he was the second of three children. His parents owned a deli, in which Leone worked too. Not being able to get ahead, the family moved…
- Interviewee Leone, Gustavo W., 1962-
- Interviewer Caruso, David J. (David Joseph), 1978-
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Leone, Gustavo W., 1962-, Cell cycle, Oligomerization, Duke University, Ohio State University, Cancer--Research, Ohio State University. Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer--Genetic aspects, International travel, Emigration and immigration
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3 items
Oral history interview with Barbara Panning
- 2008-Aug-27 – 2008-Aug-28
Barbara Panning was born in Switzerland, one of three children. The family moved to Toronto, Canada, when Barbara was a young child, but Barbara continued to summer in Switzerland. She had an idyllic childhood and…
- Interviewee Panning, Barbara, 1963-
- Interviewer Domush, Hilary
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Panning, Barbara, 1963-, Women in science, Molecular biology, Medical scientists, Medicine--Research, Biochemists, X chromosome, Cytology, DNA--Research, Emigration and immigration
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5 items
Oral history interview with Hao Wu
- 2008-Jan-30 – 2008-Jan-31
Hao Wu's oral history begins with a discussion of her childhood in China, during which her family was separated and forced to relocate to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution. Despite the difficulties…
- Interviewee Wu, Hao, 1964-
- Interviewer Frenkel, Karen A.
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Wu, Hao, 1964-, Women in science, Women in medicine, Medical scientists, Molecular biology, Medicine--Research, CD4 antigen, Glycoproteins, Crystallography, Emigration and immigration
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3 items
Oral history interview with Gerald Weissmann
- 2007-Aug-02
Gerald Weissmann was born in Austria, but when young, he and his family fled the Nazis, eventually ending up in New York City. After earning a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Columbia College, Weissmann, entered…
- Interviewee Weissmann, Gerald
- Interviewer Daemmrich, Arthur
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Weissmann, Gerald, Bellevue Hospital, Liposomes, Emigration and immigration
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5 items
Oral history interview with Klaus Biemann
- 2006-Aug-29
Klaus Biemann's oral history begins with a discussion of his youth near Vienna, Austria. As pharmacy was the family profession, Biemann chose to study it at the University of Innsbruck. He soon developed an interest in…
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9 items
Oral history interview with Makoto Kuro-o
- 2006-Mar-06 – 2006-Mar-08
Makoto Kuro-o grew up in Tokyo, the younger of two children. His father was an engineer, providing air conditioning systems for large structures like the Tokyo train stations. His mother went to college but did not work…
- Interviewee Kuro-o, Makoto, 1960-
- Interviewer Mejia, Robin
- Sponsor Pew Charitable Trusts
- Subject Kuro-o, Makoto, 1960-, Cardiology, Genetics, Gene expression, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Aging--Prevention, Kidneys--Diseases, Molecular biologists, Geneticists, Emigration and immigration
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5 items
Oral history interview with Alan G. MacDiarmid
- 2005-Dec-19
This oral history is part of a series supported by the Center for Nanotechnology in Society (CNS), University of California, Santa Barbara, under the National Science Foundation Grant No. SES 0531184. Researchers using…
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4 items
Oral history interview with Rudolph Pariser
- 2005-Oct-28
Rudolph Pariser's life has been significantly shaped by the historical events of the 20th century, from being born in China since his mother found refuge there during Russian Revolution while his father escaped from his…