Theme: Mathematics
Sue Borden Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 28, 2015
Sue Borden (b. 1939) is an Oregon State alum who completed her master's degree in
Mathematics in 1962 and who also worked as an early computer programmer for what was
then the Department of Oceanography. In 1988 Borden was hired to lead the SMILE (Science
and Math Investigative Learning Experiences) Program at OSU, an initiative seeking
to promote interest in the STEM fields and enrollment in college among Oregon's minority
and under-served youth. By the time of Borden's retirement from OSU in 1999, the program
had been implemented in ten communities across the state and was acknowledged by the
Clinton administration with a Presidential award. Borden's interview focuses on her
own academic and career path as a woman in the sciences, her active involvement in
local music organizations, and the history of the SMILE Program during her years as
director.
Kevin Stoller Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Mike Dicianna.
September 28, 2015
Kevin Stoller (b. 1976) earned two degrees from OSU, completing a double-major bachelor's
degree in Mathematics and History in 1999, and a master's degree in the History of
Science in 2002. Formerly the forum page editor for The Daily Barometer, Stoller was also a member of the first cohort of the University Honors College (UHC),
which began enrolling students in 1995, Stoller's sophomore year. After a period
of study at Harvard University, Stoller returned to Corvallis in 2009 where he is
now Director of External Relations and Operations for the UHC. His interview focuses
on OSU's campus culture during the mid- and late-1990s; the early years of the UHC;
and the many ways in which the college and university have changed in recent decades.
Ed Waymire Oral History Interview
Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen.
July 29, 2015
Ed Waymire (b. 1949) is an Emeritus member of the OSU Mathematics faculty who first
arrived at Oregon State in 1982. A scholar of stochastics and probability theory,
Waymire has spent more than three decades studying the mathematics associated with
random phenomena such as rain, turbulent flows, branching networks, solute dispersion
and other processes from hydrology. The editor of several professional journals over
the course of his career, Waymire has received both the Carver Medal from the Institute
of Mathematical Studies and the F.A. Gilfillan Award from OSU for his achievements
as a mathematician. His interview provides an overview of his upbringing and the importance
of family in shaping his life; the ways in which mathematics have come to influence
his perception of the world around him; and his institutional memories of OSU's Mathematics
department over an affiliation that has spanned more than thirty years.