Oral history of Stuart "Bill" Leslie

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After completing his graduate work at the University of Delaware, Stuart "Bill" Leslie came to Johns Hopkins as a post-doctoral fellow in 1981, specializing in the history of science and technology. He has been at Hopkins ever since, as a faculty member of the History of Science and Technology with a secondary appointment in Geography and Environmental Engineering. Leslie has published work on the topics of corporate research and development, the Cold War, and American science and laboratory design and architecture. In addition, Leslie was commissioned by Johns Hopkins University President Ron Daniels to write a book detailing the history of the university, projected to be completed in 2018. In this interview, Leslie discusses the evolution of the History of Science and Technology department at Hopkins, as well as the university's unique features as an institution housing both an engineering school and a school of arts and sciences. This oral history is a part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Oral history of Robert Pond, Sr.

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Robert Pond is a professor emeritus in the Whiting School of Engineering's Department of Materials Science and Engineering Department. He was Hopkins' first metallurgist, notable among students for his aluminum bow ties. In his career, he spent time on rapid solidification technology as well as on solidification phenomena. Pond was also known for his lecture "Fun with Metals," which he gave more than 500 times throughout the course of his career. In this history, Pond recounts his professorship and innovation at the Whiting School of Engineering. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.

Oral history of Levi Watkins

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Levi Watkins, Jr. was born in Parsons, Kansas. He completed his undergraduate work at Tennessee State University, where he majored in biology. He went on to become the first African American to be admitted to the Vanderbilt School of Medicine. Despite facing enormous prejudice, Watkins graduated in 1970. He completed his medical internship at Johns Hopkins, where he was the first black intern. He then went to study at Harvard Medical School's Department of Physiology. There, he completed revolutionary research on congestive heart failure. In 1975, Watkins returned to Hopkins and became Hopkins' first black chief resident in heart surgery. Watkins notably performed the first implantation of an automatic heart defibrillator. In this history, Watkins discusses his experiences as an African-American in the medical field in the middle of the 20th century as well as his career and education. This oral history is part of the Mame Warren oral histories series.