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.

Seven Johns Hopkins scholars predict what the audience might expect in 1968 in various fields of science. Dr. Dayton Carritt, assistant director of the Chesapeake Bay Institute, considers the future of earth sciences: rockets will orbit the earth and send back weather information, nuclear power will be developed, and ocean circulation will be studied for possible food production. In the area of life sciences, biology professor William McElroy discusses nutritional requirements to relieve diseases, trapping solar energy, the physiology of space travel, insights on aging, and other possibilities in a "golden age of medicine." Professor of microbiology Thomas B. Turner predicts space medicine, electronic equipment for the handicapped, public protection against radioactivity, better surgical methods for transplants, and the reduction or elimination of heart disease, polio, and cancer. Professor Charles Singleton maintains that the humanities will continue to survive as long as we ask "What is a man?" and "What does it mean to be where we are?" In communications, chemistry professor Donald Hatch predicts the extension of television networks as well as 3-D television programs and programs on demand. Professor of physics Theodore Berlin lists future energy issues such as control of thermonuclear fusion reactions, problems with radioactive wastes, application of atomic energy (but not in homes or vehicles), transformation of devices to control energy, and development of solid fuels and solar energy. According to Francis Clauser, professor of aeronautics, in the realm of space travel, commercial airlines will fly at supersonic speeds; guided missiles and anti-missile devices will be the backbone of defense; the U.S. will enjoy peaceful space travel with the Russians; and a rocket will go to the moon. To reinforce this view, Wernher von Braun, in a taped segment, predicts that the U.S. will launch a man into outer space, he will orbit and return to earth. He says an unmanned rocket will also land on Mars. Milton S. Eisenhower, the president of Johns Hopkins University, sums up their findings by pointing out the importance of education in all these endeavors.