Interviewer: Chris Petersen
Interview Date: October 3, 2019
Location: The Valley Library, Oregon State University
Duration: 1:37:43
In this, the first of two interviews with Dan Arp, emeritus dean of the OSU Honors College and the College of Agricultural Sciences, the narrator traces his life and career from growing up in Nebraska to his career in agricultural biochemistry, culminating in becoming a distinguished professor and dean at Oregon State University.
The interview begins with Arp describing his childhood on his family farm in Sutton, Nebraska, and how it shaped his interests in agricultural biochemistry. Arp then describes his experiences as an undergraduate at the University of Nebraska. He focuses on his introduction to scientific research, his marriage to his high school sweetheart, and how he came to pursue a career in academia. From there, Arp discusses his time as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin. He provides a brief description of his graduate work on the hydrogen cycle, and how his experiences at Wisconsin influenced the rest of his career.
Next, Arp mentions his postdoctoral stint in West Germany and his impressions of a divided Germany. He also details his time at University of California Riverside and the atmosphere of the campus and southern California. He then describes how he and his wife decided to move to Corvallis, and how he got a job at Oregon State University.
For the remainder of the interview, Arp focuses on his time at Oregon State. He explains the benefits and challenges of falling within two departments as he did, and highlights courses he taught, his early involvement with the Honors College, mentors he had at OSU, and his contributions to the OSU Faculty Senate.
Born in 1954, Dan Arp was a member of the OSU Botany and Plant Pathology from 1990-2018. Name an OSU Distinguished Professor in 2004, Arp also served as Dean of the Honors College from 2008-2012 and then Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences from 2012 to his retirement in 2018.
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The interview begins with Arp describing his childhood on his family farm in Sutton, Nebraska, and how it shaped his interests in agricultural biochemistry. Arp then describes his experiences as an undergraduate at the University of Nebraska. He focuses on his introduction to scientific research, his marriage to his high school sweetheart, and how he came to pursue a career in academia. From there, Arp discusses his time as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin. He provides a brief description of his graduate work on the hydrogen cycle, and how his experiences at Wisconsin influenced the rest of his career.
Next, Arp mentions his postdoctoral stint in West Germany and his impressions of a divided Germany. He also details his time at University of California Riverside and the atmosphere of the campus and southern California. He then describes how he and his wife decided to move to Corvallis, and how he got a job at Oregon State University.
For the remainder of the interview, Arp focuses on his time at Oregon State. He explains the benefits and challenges of falling within two departments as he did, and highlights courses he taught, his early involvement with the Honors College, mentors he had at OSU, and his contributions to the OSU Faculty Senate.
Born in 1954, Dan Arp was a member of the OSU Botany and Plant Pathology from 1990-2018. Name an OSU Distinguished Professor in 2004, Arp also served as Dean of the Honors College from 2008-2012 and then Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences from 2012 to his retirement in 2018.