November 25, 1996

Regional History Project releases oral history of Chancellor Sinsheimer

The oral history memoir of UCSC's fourth chancellor has just been released. The volume, Robert L. Sinsheimer: The University of California, Santa Cruz, During a Critical Decade, 1977-1987, was produced by the UCSC's Regional History Project.

A molecular biologist of international distinction, Robert Sinsheimer made significant breakthroughs in his field in 1967 when he and several colleagues at the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University succeeded in isolating, purifying, and synthetically replicating the DNA of a virus. This was a feat of genetic engineering never before accomplished.

Sinsheimer was one of the first to foresee the potential of molecular biology and also one of the first to draw public attention to ethical quandaries the new science would pose, including uncontrolled recombinant DNA technology and cloning methods.

The oral history was compiled by documentary historian Randall Jarrell, who heads the Regional History Project. Jarrell conducted seven hours of taped interviews with Sinsheimer during the 1990-91 academic year. The Regional History Project has used oral history to document the history of the central coast of California and the institutional history of UCSC since 1963. The Sinsheimer oral history is part of the project's University History series.

In this volume, Sinsheimer discusses his career and describes his challenges and accomplishments during his decade as chancellor of UCSC. He talks frankly about campus and community relations at the time, initiatives to streamline campus administration, and student activism. During his tenure, Sinsheimer oversaw a major growth in student enrollments as well as the establishment of programs in agroecology, applied economics, seismological studies, and a major in computer engineering.

Born in Washington, D.C., Sinsheimer was the first scientist in his family. Now chancellor emeritus and professor emeritus of biology at UCSC, Sinsheimer has taught at M.I.T., Iowa State College, and, for twenty years, at Caltech, where he served as chair of the Biology Department for nine years. Following his tenure at UCSC he taught for two years at UC Santa Barbara.

Sinsheimer is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the author of more than 250 publications, including his autobiography, The Strands of a Life: The Science of DNA and the Art of Education (University of California Press, 1994).

Xeroxed, indexed copies of the oral history can be purchased at cost for deposit in research collections and libraries. The volume is available to readers and researchers in Special Collections, McHenry Library and at Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley. For more information, contact the Regional History Project at ext. 2847 or, by e-mail, at ihreti@cats.ucsc.edu.

--Barbara McKenna