Joshua Lederberg

Joshua Lederberg begins the interview with a discussion of his involvement in the contamination issues of planetary exploration. As interest in space exploration gained momentum, Lederberg was in the midst of discussion regarding protecting the Earth from possible extraterrestrial contamination. Lederberg felt that more emphasis needed to be placed on building a sound space program, one that focused more on planetary research rather than sending humans into space. Lederberg worked to develop alternatives to the "man-in-space" program, focusing on the importance for international cooperation. Lederberg served on several national committees, including the Space Science Board and the Kennedy Health Transition Team. After receiving the Nobel Prize in 1958, Lederberg joined the faculty of Stanford University, where he continued his life-long research in the genetic structure and function in microorganisms. Lederberg continued to be actively involved in artificial intelligence research and in the NASA experimental programs seeking life on Mars. He has also been a consultant on health-related matters for both the U.S. and international communities, serving on the World Health Organization's Advisory Health Research Council. Lederberg wrote his own column on a wide variety of topics, both scientific and non-scientific. Lederberg concludes the interview with a discussion of the environment at Stanford University during the Cold War and thoughts on U.S. defense projects.

United States Navy

1943 - 1945 V-12 and Hospital Corps; Ens. USNR

Columbia University

1945 - 1946 Research Assistant, Zoology

Yale University

1946 - 1947 Research Fellow, Jane Coffin Childs Fund for Medical Research

University of Wisconsin

1947 - 1950 Assistant Professor of Genetics

University of Wisconsin

1950 - 1954 Associate Professor of Genetics

University of Wisconsin

1954 - 1959 Professor of Genetics

University of Wisconsin

1957 - 1959 Chair, Department of Medical Genetics

University of California, Berkeley

1950 - 1950 Visiting Professor of Bacteriology

University of Melbourne

1957 - 1957 Visiting Professor of Bacteriology

Stanford University School of Medicine

1959 - 1978 Professor of Genetics (also Biology, Computer Science)

Stanford University School of Medicine

1959 - 1978 Chairman, Department of Genetics

The Rockefeller University

1978 - 1990 President

The Rockefeller University

1990 - 2008 University Professor Emeritus

Audra J. Wolfe

Audra J. Wolfe received her Ph.D. in history and sociology of science at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001. She received an M.A. from that program in 1999 and a B. S. in chemistry and biochemistry from Purdue University in 1997. She was the 2000 summer Othmer Student at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. In addition, she has been the recipient of a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship and was named an Honorary Mellon Graduate Fellow in the Humanistic Studies for 1997–1998. She is currently researching and writing a dissertation on the public role of American biologists in the postwar years.