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Paul Doty, 2003-07-22

 Item — Box: AV05, Hi8: CSHL1239
Oral History | Paul Doty
Oral History | Paul Doty

Scope and Contents

Paul Doty reflects on his career in science as well as his second career in politics. He talks about the influences of and relationships he maintained with scientists Max Delbrück, Francis Crick, Rosalind Franklin, Peter Kapitza, Matt Meselson, and Tom Maniatis, as well as the development of the Department of Molecular Biololgy at Harvard. His professional and personal relationship with Jim Watson is discussed in detail, including Doty's observations of the different periods in Watson's career. Doty also speaks of his involvement in nuclear arms control and his role in the establishment of the Center for Science and International Affairs. Paul Doty's interview discusses the following: Scene1. Becoming a scientist -- Scene 2. Scientific career -- Scene 3. Changes in science -- Scene 4. Teaching and research -- Scene 5. Science and politics -- Scene 6. Involvement in nuclear control -- Scene 7. Luck in science -- Scene 8. Competition in science -- Scene 9. Advice to young scientists -- Scene 10. Meeting Max Delbrück -- Scene 11. Peter Kapitza -- Scene 12. Meeting Jim Watson -- Scene 13. Jim Watson, Harvard -- Scene 14. Molecular biology at Harvard in the 1950s -- Scene 15. Developing molecular biology at Harvard -- Scene 16. Jim Watson, mentor -- Scene 17. Jim Watson, mentor: students publishing without his name -- Scene 18. Jim Watson, Harvard: getting tenure -- Scene 19. Jim Watson, Nobel Prize -- Scene 20. Jim Watson and his father -- Scene 21. Jim Watson, personality and influence -- Scene 22. Jim Watson, "Lucky Jim" -- Scene 23. Jim and Liz Watson -- Scene 24. Jim Watson, moving from Harvard to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory -- Scene 25. Jim Watson, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory -- Scene 26. Jim Watson, scientific career -- Scene 27. Jim Watson and Francis Crick -- Scene 28. Jim Watson and Rosalind Franklin: women in science -- Scene 29. Jim Watson, writer -- Scene 30. Jim Watson, writer: "Genes, Girls, and Gamow" -- Scene 31. Jim Watson, writer: "DNA: the secret of life" -- Scene 32. Francis Crick -- Scene 33. "Rosalind Franklin: The dark lady of DNA" published -- Scene 34. Mattt Meselson -- Scene 35. Tom Maniatis -- Scene 36. Leaving science -- Scene 37. Harvard Center for Science and International Affairs.

Table of Contents

  1. Becoming a scientist
  2. Scientific career
  3. Changes in science
  4. Teaching and research
  5. Science and politics
  6. Jim Watson, "Lucky Jim"
  7. Jim and Liz Watson
  8. Jim Watson, moving from Harvard to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
  9. Jim Watson, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
  10. Jim Watson, scientific career
  11. Jim Watson and Francis Crick
  12. Jim Watson and Rosalind Franklin: women in science
  13. Jim Watson, writer
  14. Jim Watson, writer: "Genes, Girls, and Gamow"
  15. Jim Watson, writer: "DNA: the secret of life"
  16. Francis Crick
  17. "Rosalind Franklin: The dark lady of DNA" published
  18. Matt Meselson
  19. Tom Maniatis
  20. Leaving science
  21. Harvard Center for Science and International Affairs

Dates

  • Creation: 2003-07-22

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Portions of this collection have been digitized and are available online: https://library.cshl.edu/oralhistory/. Select tapes have been digitized thanks to support from CLIR Recordings at Risk Grant awarded in 2021, these tapes are available for research online via our Oral History Website and in person at CSHL Archives. Please contact CSHL Archives archives@cshl.edu with any questions regarding availability.

Biographical / Historical

Paul Mead Doty (1920-2011) was a biochemist and science policy activist. He was born in West Virginia. As a chemistry major he attended Pennsylvania State University (B.S. 1941), and Columbia University (M.A. 1943, PhD. 1944). He joined the Harvard University faculty in 1948 and served as a professor in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, and public policy. He was Founder and Director Emeritus, at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government's Center for Science and International Affairs, and the Mallinckrodt Professor of Biochemistry, Emeritus. In 1968 he founded Harvard University's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His interest in nuclear policy and international affairs began during his graduate student years when he experimented with isotope separation and became involved at the beginning of the Manhattan Project. Subsequently, he served as a consultant and member of the President's Science Advisory Committee and as a member of the President’s Arms Control Advisory Group. Doty’s scientific research is focused on elucidating the structure and function of large molecules by optical methods. Responsible for hybridizing single strands of DNA to reform an active double-stranded molecule, his laboratory work helped provide the basis for DNA recombination.

Extent

1 Optical Disks (Talking science with Paul Doty) : DVD ; 41 min.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English