Oral History of British Science
Encyclopedia
An Oral History of British Science is an oral history
project conducted by National Life Stories
at the British Library
. The project began in 2009 with funding from the Arcadia Fund, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
and a number of other private donors and is creating an archive of in-depth, life story audio interviews for the study and understanding of contemporary science in Britain.
, Sir Harry Kroto, John Lynch, Professor Chris Rapley
and Dr Simone Turchetti.
An Oral History of British Science is conducted by National Life Stories
at the British Library
, and forms part of a wider institutional initiative to better document contemporary history of science and technology through the addition of audio visual sources as well as written sources. National Life Stories, a charitable trust and limited company within the British Library, was established by Paul Thompson (oral historian)
and Jennifer Wingate in 1987 to capture the life stories of British people whose experiences would not otherwise be recorded. Since then NLS has recorded over 2,200 interviews totalling some 22,000 hours, all of them accessible at the British Library. Other NLS projects focus on the lives of visual artists, authors, craftspeople, architects, those involved in the UK water industry, and key individuals connected to social welfare, social policy and charity work. Previous NLS projects focused on the British fashion industry, the post office, the steel and oil industries, Jewish experiences in Britain, the British press, and those involved in the UK food industry, from production to consumption.
In addition to the life story audio interviews a number of supplementary, follow-up video interviews are being conducted; these focus on particular instrumentation, specific geographical settings or key turning points in a scientist’s career. Edited extracts from the videos are being made available via the British Library YouTube Channel. The Vega Science Trust
have conducted similar interviews since 1997; they provide access to short interviews with scientists, as well as access to science documentaries, lectures and educational videos, via their website and YouTube channel.
website under the ‘Oral history of British science’ content package.
‘Made in Britain’ examines important discoveries in science and technology that have led to new industrial applications. The strand covers computing, aerospace engineering, some applied sciences (such as condensed matter physics) as well as engineering fields (chemical, electrical, civil and structural). The title refers to the fact that an analysis of these breakthroughs in science should also be looked at as something that has boosted national pride, while arising from research conducted by experts of different ethnic backgrounds.
‘Biomedicine’ aims to investigate the transformations that have typified biomedicine, paying special attention to how new technologies have changed medical practices and provided a new understanding of biological objects. This strand investigates the industrialisation of the processes of treatment and cure, as well as the idea that these processes can be engineered. Advances in genetic engineering are central to this study, especially in relation to the rise of ‘big Pharma’. This strand is currently unfunded.
‘Cosmologies’ considers new systems of thought that have emerged in correspondence with the development of a number of theoretical fields: mathematics, mathematical physics, cosmology, astronomy, statistics, and high-energy physics. This strand is currently unfunded.
Interviewed for ‘Made in Britain’:
Interviewed under ‘Biomedicine’:
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
project conducted by National Life Stories
National Life Stories
National Life Stories is an independent charitable trust and limited company based within the British Library Oral History section, whose key focus and expertise is oral history fieldwork...
at the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
. The project began in 2009 with funding from the Arcadia Fund, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 is an institution founded in 1850 to administer the international exhibition of 1851, officially called the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, held in The Crystal Palace in London, England...
and a number of other private donors and is creating an archive of in-depth, life story audio interviews for the study and understanding of contemporary science in Britain.
Project Background
An Oral History of British Science is collecting 200 audio interviews, each 8 to 15 hours in length, with scientists, engineers and others linked with science and technology in Britain, as well as shorter on-location video recordings. The project is split into four themed strands: Made in Britain, A Changing Planet, Cosmologies and Biomedicine. Importantly, the project seeks to identify lesser-heard voices, for example women scientists, laboratory technicians, and engineers. The project Advisory Committee, which meets at least three times a year to discuss progress and to advise on future direction, comprises Dr Jon Agar, Dr Tilly Blyth, Dr Fay Bound Alberti, Georgina Ferry, Professor Dame Julia HigginsJulia Higgins
Dame Julia Stretton Higgins, DBE, FRS, FREng is Professor of Polymer Science in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology at Imperial College London...
, Sir Harry Kroto, John Lynch, Professor Chris Rapley
Chris Rapley
Prof. Christopher Graham Rapley CBE is a British scientist. He was Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme IGBP from 1994 to 1998, and Director of the British Antarctic Survey from 1998 to 2007. He was appointed Director of the Science Museum in 2007...
and Dr Simone Turchetti.
An Oral History of British Science is conducted by National Life Stories
National Life Stories
National Life Stories is an independent charitable trust and limited company based within the British Library Oral History section, whose key focus and expertise is oral history fieldwork...
at the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, and forms part of a wider institutional initiative to better document contemporary history of science and technology through the addition of audio visual sources as well as written sources. National Life Stories, a charitable trust and limited company within the British Library, was established by Paul Thompson (oral historian)
Paul Thompson (oral historian)
Paul Thompson is a British sociologist and oral historian. Prior to his recent retirement, he held the position of Research Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex...
and Jennifer Wingate in 1987 to capture the life stories of British people whose experiences would not otherwise be recorded. Since then NLS has recorded over 2,200 interviews totalling some 22,000 hours, all of them accessible at the British Library. Other NLS projects focus on the lives of visual artists, authors, craftspeople, architects, those involved in the UK water industry, and key individuals connected to social welfare, social policy and charity work. Previous NLS projects focused on the British fashion industry, the post office, the steel and oil industries, Jewish experiences in Britain, the British press, and those involved in the UK food industry, from production to consumption.
The case for the project
Despite a significant oral history tradition in science studies in other countries, the field in Britain is not well‐developed. In April 2005 NLS hosted an exploratory roundtable conference at the British Library. Chaired by Sir Nicholas Goodison, ‘Personal Testimonies of Contemporary Science, Technology and Medicine’ was attended by representatives of the UK’s leading history of science archives and libraries, and distinguished researchers. The meeting concluded that very few scientific testimonies were held collectively and that a major programme of recording needed to be initiated to capture rich personal memory not available in any printed or manuscript sources. Following this, NLS commissioned a mapping and scoping study, 'The Oral History of Science in Britain: A Scoping Study'. The study confirmed that there were currently very few oral history collections in Britain looking specifically at professionals working in science and technology; that those projects that were developed in the past were short‐lived and narrow in scope; and that many of these recordings are not properly archived or publicly accessible. The scoping study found one exception, which was that the history of medicine seemed to be better documented through oral history than other fields of science and technology.Methodology
An Oral History of British Science follows the biographical, or life story, oral history approach with each audio interview averaging 8 to 15 hours in length. This biographical approach is valuable for researchers seeking a more rounded view of an individual and their contribution. The interviews cover the individual’s career history, education, background and family.In addition to the life story audio interviews a number of supplementary, follow-up video interviews are being conducted; these focus on particular instrumentation, specific geographical settings or key turning points in a scientist’s career. Edited extracts from the videos are being made available via the British Library YouTube Channel. The Vega Science Trust
Vega Science Trust
The Vega Science Trust is a not-for-profit organisation which provides a platform from which scientists can communicate directly with the public on science by using moving image, sound and other related means.- History :...
have conducted similar interviews since 1997; they provide access to short interviews with scientists, as well as access to science documentaries, lectures and educational videos, via their website and YouTube channel.
Access to interviews
All interviews are catalogued on the Sound Archive catalogue. Interviews which are complete and open are accessible onsite at the Library in St Pancras, London and in Boston Spa, Yorkshire via the Library’s Listening & Viewing Service. Interviews which are open are also made accessible via the Archival Sound RecordingsArchival Sound Recordings
Archival Sound Recordings is a British Library service providing free online access to a diverse range of spoken word, music and environmental sounds from the British Library Sound Archive. Anyone with web access can use the service to search, browse and listen to 24,000 digitised recordings...
website under the ‘Oral history of British science’ content package.
Project strands
‘A Changing Planet’ considers the advancement of the earth system sciences in the light of recent concerns associated with environmental and climate change. Two chief points are explored: how, when and why the Earth has become a subject of scientific investigation; and how this investigation has been pivotal to the rise of concerns about the impact of humans on the environments. Those interviewed for the strand are those involved in the earth sciences: climatologists, meteorologists, geologists, geophysicists, geochemists, ecologists, glaciologists and oceanographers.‘Made in Britain’ examines important discoveries in science and technology that have led to new industrial applications. The strand covers computing, aerospace engineering, some applied sciences (such as condensed matter physics) as well as engineering fields (chemical, electrical, civil and structural). The title refers to the fact that an analysis of these breakthroughs in science should also be looked at as something that has boosted national pride, while arising from research conducted by experts of different ethnic backgrounds.
‘Biomedicine’ aims to investigate the transformations that have typified biomedicine, paying special attention to how new technologies have changed medical practices and provided a new understanding of biological objects. This strand investigates the industrialisation of the processes of treatment and cure, as well as the idea that these processes can be engineered. Advances in genetic engineering are central to this study, especially in relation to the rise of ‘big Pharma’. This strand is currently unfunded.
‘Cosmologies’ considers new systems of thought that have emerged in correspondence with the development of a number of theoretical fields: mathematics, mathematical physics, cosmology, astronomy, statistics, and high-energy physics. This strand is currently unfunded.
People interviewed
Interviewed for ‘A Changing Planet’:- Barbara Bowen (Geophysics technician/ research assistant)
- Joe FarmanJoe FarmanJoseph Charles Farman is the British geophysicist who, together with Brian Gardiner and Jon Shanklin, published the discovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica...
(Geophysicist) - John Glen (Glaciologist)
- A.T. (Dick) Grove (Geographer/ geomorphologist)
- David Jenkinson (Soil Scientist)
- Desmond King-HeleDesmond King-HeleDesmond George King-Hele is a British physicist and author. In 1957, together with Doreen Gilmour, and as part of the Guided Weapons department of Royal Aircraft Establishment, he wrote a report proposing the use of the Blue Streak missile and Black Knight as a satellite launcher...
(Physicist) - John Kington (Meterologist and climatologist)
- James LovelockJames LovelockJames Lovelock, CH, CBE, FRS is an independent scientist, environmentalist and futurologist who lives in Devon, England. He is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the biosphere is a self-regulating entity with the capacity to keep our planet healthy by controlling...
(Geochemist) - Melvyn Mason (Technician in seismic refraction)
- Dan McKenzie (geophysicist)
- Stephen Moorbath (Geologist and Geochronologist)
- John Nye (scientist) (Physicist, Theoretical glaciologist)
- Charles Swithinbank (Glaciologist)
- Janet Thomson (Geologist)
- Sue Vine (Geophysicist technician/ research assistant)
- Richard West (Botanist and Quaternary Geologist)
Interviewed for ‘Made in Britain’:
- Raymond Bird (Computer Engineer)
- Tony BrookerTony BrookerTony Brooker graduated in Mathematics from Imperial College in 1945 and returned there in 1947 as Assistant Lecturer. His first computer project was the construction of a fast multiplier unit from electro-mechanical relays. This was taken over by Professor K D Tocher and incorporated into ICCE, the...
(Computer Scientist) - Mary Coombs (Computer Programmer)
- Sir Alan CottrellAlan CottrellSir Alan Howard Cottrell, FRS is a British metallurgist and physicist. He received his BSc degree from the University of Birmingham in 1939 and a PhD for research on welding in 1942. He joined the staff as a lecturer at Birmingham, being made professor in 1949, and transforming the teaching of...
(Metallurgist and Physicist) - Dai Edwards (Computer Engineer);
- Roy GibsonRoy GibsonRoy Gibson was a Director General of ESRO, and the first Director General of ESA, serving from 1975 until 1980.- Early years :Mr Gibson was born in 1924 and educated at the Universities of Oxford and London...
(Aerospace Engineer) - Andy HopperAndy HopperAndrew Hopper CBE FRS FREng FIET is the Professor of Computer Technology and Head of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge.-Research:...
(Computer Engineer) - Frank LandFrank LandFrank F Land FBCS is an information systems researcher and was the first UK Professor of Information Systems. He is currently emeritus professor in the Department of Information Systems at the London School of Economics ....
(Computer Scientist) - Bob Parkinson (Aerospace Engineer)
- Dame Stephanie Shirley (Computer Scientist)
- Geoff Tootill (Computer Engineer)
- Maurice Wilkes (Computer Engineer)
Interviewed under ‘Biomedicine’:
- Sammy LeeSammy LeeSammy Lee may refer to:*Sammy Lee , expert in vitro fertilisation*Sammy Lee , Korean-American diver and two-time Olympic Games champion...
(Clinical embryologist)