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David Botstein personal archives

 Collection
Identifier: MC-0277

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Collection contains correspondence, grant proposals, research materials and records of his work at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for his study of the temperate salmonella bacteriophage P22. Botstein's activities as a member of the MIT Department of Biology are illustrated in course notes, course evaluations, and student papers for classes he taught in genetics and molecular biology, 1972-1988; and correspondence with colleagues and records of committees on which he served, including the department's Graduate Committee and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. There is correspondence with the National Academy of Sciences and with the National Institutes of Health Genetics Study Section, and copies of grant proposals to the National Science Foundation about Mendelian inheritance and molecular genetics research. Extensive conference files document Botstein's national and international travels to attend and participate in discussions of biological research. Reprints of his writings from 1967-1988 further document his research on P22, recombinant DNA, and other issues in genetics.

Boxes 12-59 are unprocessed.

Dates

  • Creation: 1967 - 1997

Creator

Access note

This collection must be reviewed to identify any restricted material before access can be granted. Please submit your requests at least ten business days before your desired visit to allow time for this review. An archivist will respond within five business days to let you know whether your requested material is open. For complete information on this policy, see our Statement on Accessing Institute Records.

Conditions Governing Use

Access to collections in the Department of Distinctive Collections is not authorization to publish. Please see the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy for permission information. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection or MIT.

Biography

David Botstein (1942- ) was a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He received a AB in biochemical sciences in 1963 from Harvard University and a PhD in human genetics in 1967 from the University of Michigan. At MIT, he was assistant professor of genetics, 1969-1973; associate professor, 1973-1978; and professor, 1978-1988. In 1986, he became the first Earle A. Griswold Professor at MIT for his "outstanding work in molecular genetics and devoted service to the Department of Biology and the Institute." (1) He resigned from teaching at the Institute in 1990.

He was vice president, science, at Genentech, Inc., 1988-1990, and professor and chair of the Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1990 to 2003, when he left to become director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University. He is currently the Anthony B. Evnin ‘62 Professor of Genomics, emeritus at Princeton University. The focus of his research is molecular genetics and microbial physiology.

Some of the awards he received while teaching at MIT were a Research Career Award from the National Institutes of Health in 1972 and the Eli Lilly & Company award in 1978. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1981, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985, and the Institute of Medicine in 1993.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Office of the President. “Reports to the President 1986-87,” 1987. http://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/62221.

Extent

107.5 Cubic Feet (107 record cartons, 1 half manuscript box, 1 legal manuscript box)

Language of Materials

English

Location

Materials are stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use.

Source of Acquisition

Materials were given to the Department of Distinctive Collections (formerly the Institute Archives and Special Collections) in November 1988 by David Botstein. Additional material was given in 2003 and 2014 by David Botstein. Botstein Lab material was transferred in 2016.

Processing Information note

No detailed list for boxes 12-59.

Processing Information note

Some collection descriptions are based on legacy data and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. Description may change pending verification. Please contact the MIT Department of Distinctive Collections if you notice any errors or discrepancies.

Title
Preliminary Inventory to the Papers of David Botstein
Status
Ready For Review
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2020 May: Biographical note by Christopher Donnelly added.

Repository Details

Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository

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