STS Seminar Series 2012-13
Department of Science and Technology Studies
University College London
Monday 26 November, 4.15 pm
Venue: Room 105, 24 Gordon Square
Building Location:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/estates/roombooking/building-location/?id=026
Helen Curry (HPS, Cambridge)
Atoms in agriculture: nuclear science as agricultural outreach in the
United States, 1945-1960
In 1947, biologists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory collaborated
in studies in which they exposed growing plants to large doses of
radiation. From an in-house investigation into the effects of radiation
on genes, chromosomes, and whole plants, the work soon morphed into an
extensive cooperative program. Plant breeders from around the country
and eventually the globe sent seeds and plants to be irradiated at
Brookhaven using a range of atomic technologies. Breeders hoped that
exposure to radiation would quickly generate genetic mutations, useful
variations with which they could create improved fruits, flowers, and
crops. The program inspired other atomic installations to take up
similar research, including the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in
Tennessee, which began its own cooperative irradiation program in the
late 1950s. In this talk, I will consider the history of the cooperative
breeding programs at Brookhaven and Oak Ridge, situating these among
other research sponsored by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission as well as
ongoing debates about the genetic effects of radiation. I will discuss
how the scientists involved successfully aligned the hopes of
agricultural producers, the interests of the atomic laboratories, and
the larger aims of the AEC -- not least by drawing attention to
"beneficial mutations" at a time when many Americans were increasingly
concerned about the harmful genetic effects of radiation and fallout.
Forthcoming Seminars:
Monday 10 December, 4.15 pm
Jack Stilgoe, STS, UCL
"Governing intent: Experiments in responsible geoengineering"
Venue: Room 105, 24 Gordon Square
Building Location:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/estates/roombooking/building-location/?id=026
--
Dr. Chiara Ambrosio
Lecturer in History and Philosophy of Science
Department of Science and Technology Studies
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
Tel. (+44) 02076790166
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/staff/ambrosio
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/basc/
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