The Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Project

Sort Interviews by Affiliation or Theme

Theme: General Science

Paul Farber Oral History Interviews - October 2014

Paul Farber Oral History Interviews

Two life history interviews conducted by Chris Petersen.
October 2014
Paul Farber (b. 1944) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the History of Science who worked at OSU from 1970 to his retirement in 2008. During his tenure as a member of the OSU faculty, Farber served as chair of the General Science department and, after the department's dissolution, the History department as well. A scholar of the naturalist tradition and evolutionary ethics, Farber has published on a variety of subjects, including the history of ornithology and changes in American views on race mixing. His interviews focus on his evolution as a historian, the means by which he acquired his scholarly toolkit, and his memories of General Science and History over four decades working at OSU.

Main Page | Video | Abstracts | Biography

Frank Moore Oral History Interview - April 11, 2017

Frank Moore Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
April 11, 2017
Frank Moore (b. 1945) is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Zoology who was an active member of the OSU faculty from his arrival in Corvallis in 1975 to his retirement in 2007. Moore is perhaps best known for his discovery of vasotocin, a hormone that plays a major role in the reproductive behavior of many different types of animal species, including the salamanders that Moore used as his primary research model. Moore also made significant contributions to the scientific understanding of neurological systems in amphibians. In his interview, Moore traces the unusual path that he took to academia; comments on the major themes of his research; and shares his perspective on his personal and academic partnership with Kathleen Dean Moore, herself an OSU Distinguished Professor and acclaimed author.

Main Page | Video | Abstract | Biography

Warren Washington Oral History Interview - May 29, 2015

Warren Washington Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
May 29, 2015
Warren Washington (b. 1936) earned two degrees from Oregon State College, completing a B.S. in Physics in 1958 and, two years later, a M.S. in General Science with a concentration on meteorology. Washington subsequently went on to a career at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) that has spanned more than five decades, a time period during which he has established himself as a leading thinker on climate modeling. An adviser to five different presidential administrations, Washington received the 2010 National Medal of Science for his achievements as a scientist and administrator. Washington and his colleagues at NCAR also made fundamental contributions to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for its efforts to create an "ever-broader informed consensus about the connection between human activities and global warming." Washington's interview focuses on his experience as an African American youth growing up in Oregon; the progression of his research in the atmospheric sciences; his experiences operating in Washington, D.C.; and his thoughts on the issue of climate change.

Main Page | Video | Abstract | Biography

Russ Yamada Oral History Interview - August 17, 2015

Russ Yamada Oral History Interview

Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
August 17, 2015
Russ Yamada (b. 1946), a second generation Japanese American whose mother was interned during World War II, attended OSU from 1964-1968, earning a degree in General Science with a focus on pre-dentistry. Following further schooling, Yamada returned to Corvallis and established the city's first endodontic practice, which he ran for twenty-seven years. He retired from the dental profession in 2014 having spent more than forty years in the field. His interview focuses on his family background, including his mother's experience of internment and his father's military service during World War II; his own memories of a relatively placid OSU campus amidst the tumult of the late 1960s; and his reflections on his years as a local dental practitioner.

Main Page | Video | Abstract | Biography