Scientists

Carol Greider: Scientific Discovery

Carol Greider
2014

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcome Nobel Laureate Carol Greider, Daniel Nathans Professor and Director of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University, for a discussion of her intellectual odyssey. Topics covered include her education; her Nobel winning research on telomeres and telomerase; the implications of this research for treatment of disease; science education; and women in science.

KEYWORDS: Nobel Laureates, Genetics, Cells.

Michael Anastasio: Managing National Science Laboratories

Michael Anastasio
2012

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Michael Anastasio for a discussion of leading national science laboratories in a time of transition. Anastasio analyzes applied science as practiced in the national laboratories, defines leadership in managing a community of scientists, and analyzes the changing mission of the labs in the context of the end of the Cold War and the challenges that emerge in a constrained resource environment. He explains how the lab adapts as its internal and external environment changes and how scientists develop new responses as the global security...

Lucy Shapiro: A Microbiologist’s Intellectual Odyssey

Lucy Shapiro
2009

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Lucy Shapiro, Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research in the School of Medicine, Stanford University, for a discussion of her career in the biological sciences. Topics discussed include unraveling the mystery of bacterial DNA, creativity in the sciences, the interdisciplinary nature of biology, the policy challenges posed by the increasing threat of infectious disease and the diminishing efficacy of antibiotics, and the problem of bioterrorism.

KEYWORDS: Bacteria, Cells, Epidemiology.

Linus Pauling: The Peace Movement in Historical Perspective

Linus Pauling
1983

In this 1983 interview, Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling joins U.C. Berkeley's Harry Kreisler for a discussion of the role of scientists in the peace movement.

KEYWORDS: Nobel Laureates, Nuclear Weapons, Political Activism, Peace Movements.

Leon M. Lederman: A Life in Science: A Sense of Wonder

Leon M. Lederman
2009

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Nobel Laureate Leon M. Lederman. Tracing his intellectual journey, Professor Lederman discusses the qualities of a scientist, the early years of particle physics, the evolution of his own research interests, the discovery of the muon neutrino, the importance of that discovery and its implications for cosmology. He recalls the dynamism and excitement of his years in particle physics and the experience of winning the Nobel Prize. Drawing on his recent work, Professor Lederman also offers a critique of Secondary school science education and...

Leon M. Lederman: A Life in Science: A Sense of Wonder

Leon M. Lederman
2009

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Nobel Laureate Leon M. Lederman. Tracing his intellectual journey, Professor Lederman discusses the qualities of a scientist, the early years of particle physics, the evolution of his own research interests, the discovery of the muon neutrino, the importance of that discovery and its implications for cosmology. He recalls the dynamism and excitement of his years in particle physics and the experience of winning the Nobel Prize. Drawing on his recent work, Professor Lederman also offers a critique of Secondary school science education and...

Lawrence Stark: The Mind's Eye

Lawrence Stark
2000

Conversations with History and Host Harry Kreisler welcomes UC Berkeley's Professor Lawrence Stark who reflects on his work in engineering, opthamology and cybernetics..

KEYWORDS: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics.

Zhores I. Alferov: Scientific Discovery and the Information Age

Zhores I. Alferov
2005

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Russian Nobel Prize Laureate Zhores Alferov for a discussion of the influences that shaped his scientific career, the interplay between theory and experimentation in his own scientific discovery, and the impact of the global science community on discovery and policy. He offers insights on the education of the next generation of scientists and describes the complicated relationship between scientists and the state.

KEYWORDS: Nobel Laureates, Technology, Scientific Inquiry.

Victor F. Weisskopf: A Scientist's Odyssey

Victor F. Weisskopf
1988

In this edition, UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler talks with Professor Victor F. Weisskopf, who was Institute Professor at MIT and one of the leading scientists of his generation. They discuss his career, the teaching of science, the militarization of science and the role of scientists in the peace movement.

KEYWORDS: Scientific Inquiry, Elberg Lecturers, Berkeley Graduate Lecturers.

V.S. Ramachandran: Thinking about the Brain

V.S. Ramachandran
2016

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor V.S. Ramachandran, Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diego, for a discussion of his research on the brain. Professor Ramachandran describes his formative experiences, the richly textured methodology that forms his approach to the study of the brain, and insights he has gained from studying phantom limbs, mirror neurons and synesthesia. He concludes with speculation on the origins of creativity and consciousness.

KEYWORDS: Brain, Consciousness.