Walter Gilbert Collection
The Walter Gilbert Collection is composed of material accrued by Gilbert as a student (Sidwell Friends School, Harvard University, Cambridge University), professor (Harvard University), and as a pioneering entrepreneur in the field of biotechnology (Biogen). The collection includes course notebooks, lecture notes and teaching files, scientific papers, correspondence, photographs, memorabilia, clippings, and material related to receiving the Nobel Prize.
Materials in the following three series: Scientific Papers, 1949-2005; Clippings, 1948-2005; and Scientific Fraud, 1989, 1993 have not been digitized. Please use the Walter Gilbert Collection Finding Aid to view a complete list of materials and to arrange an onsite visit to the CSHL Archives.
Series I: Coursework, 1948 - 1957
Date: 1948
Series • Identifier 290210
- The COURSEWORK series contains material from Gilbert’s student life, and covers his years at Sidwell Friends School, Harvard University, and Cambridge University (1948-1957). The files include course notebooks, class work, and lecture notes. The series is arranged chronologically. For more information regarding Gilbert’s time at Cambridge please see the CORRESPONDENCE series.
Series II: Teaching and Lecture Files, 1959 - 2004
Date: 1959 - 2004
Series • Identifier 290211
- TEACHING AND LECTURE FILES includes material accumulated from Gilbert’s years as a professor at Harvard, as well as a small amount of material related to lectures delivered outside the university (1970s-2000s). The material is primarily composed of lecture notes, problem sets, exams, reading lists, syllabi, lecture transcripts, slides, and transparencies. The series is arranged chronologically.
Series III: Biogen, 1978 - 1991
Date: 1978 - 1991
Series • Identifier 290212
- The BIOGEN series documents Gilbert’s role as co-founder and early leader of the biotechnology firm, dating from 1978-1991. Files include meeting minutes (both the Scientific Board and the Supervisory Board), memoranda, correspondence, legal agreements, reports, and press releases. The series is arranged chronologically. For photographs of Biogen meetings please see the MEMORABILIA AND EPHEMERA series.
Series VI: Correspondence, 1954 - 2005
Date: 1954 - 2005
Series • Identifier 290215
- The CORRESPONDENCE series is divided into two sets, one from each accession. The first contains a small amount of letters and related material covering the period of 1954-2000 which were found unorganized in the first accession of material (Box 13). The bulk of this material relates to his time at Cambridge University (1954-1957), and includes correspondence with the National Science Foundation (regarding his fellowship), administrative material (including his admission letter), scientific correspondence with his advisor, Abdus Salam, financial ephemera, and a small amount of scientific typescripts, which were submitted for publication during this time. The second set of correspondence arrived in the second accession. This material was organized into bulk files by year, from 1985-2005 (Boxes 41-44). It almost entirely consists of outgoing letters, printed on Harvard University letterhead (exceptions include letters from the 2000s printed on Bioventures letterhead). Topics include Harvard administration (including Zebrafish grants and the construction of new facilities), the Human Genome Project, the NIH Human Genome Study Section, and biotechnology ventures. The files contain material related to manuscript submissions (see also: SCIENTIFIC PAPERS: BY GILBERT).
Series VIII: Memorabilia and Ephemera, 1946 - 2011
Date: 1946 - 2011
Series • Identifier 290217
- The MEMORABILIA AND EPHEMERA series consists of personal memorabilia, photographs, ephemera, material related to Gilbert’s Nobel Prize, and various awards and honors collected by Gilbert from 1946-2008. The series includes his grades from Sidwell Friends School, material related the Science Clubs of America Talent Search, letters announcing scholarship awards and his professorship appointments at Harvard University, material related to travel (including notes on a trip to China, 1980), and three books documenting Gilbert’s art exhibitions (2007-2011). Photographs found in the series include portraits commissioned by Harvard (1960s-1970s), Biogen meetings (1977-1982), and a series of scientific photographs obtained by a young Gilbert from the Franklin Institute (1947). Also included are two scrapbooks, one related to the Nobel Prize (1981) and the other assembled for his 60th Birthday Symposium at Harvard University (1992). Material related to his Nobel Prize in Chemistry include congratulatory letters, ephemera (booklets, invitations, programs, etc.), and his Nobel Prize medal (1980). Finally, the series also includes numerous awards, honorary degrees, and framed certificates awarded to Gilbert throughout his life. These include his diploma from Sidwell Friends School (1949), the 1979 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, and the 1991 Entrepreneur of the Year trophy, awarded to Gilbert for his work at Biogen.