Jane M. Oppenheimer papers

The Jane M. Oppenheimer papers house the professional papers of Jane Oppenheimer (A.B. ’32), Bryn Mawr Biology professor (1953-1980), biologist, and science historian. The collection, which ranges from 1849 to 1981, includes various materials related to NASA experiments and some of Oppenheimer’s class materials.

The collection is housed in two boxes. The first box contains a miscellany of material, much of which has to do with NASA experiments. The second box contains reprints.

Box 1 includes an NSF Grant application and award (1964-67); 1967 correspondence with biologist Liselotte Mezger-Freed about the Fundulus fish which Oppenheimer used in her NASA experiments; an NSF Grant (1971-1973); NASA experiment correspondence (1975); NASA annual and final reports (1975-1980); materials related to the NASA Kosmos Project (1975); newspaper clippings; and Oppenheimer’s grade books. Box 2 contains various reprints, including a two volume bound set of Oppenheimer’s writings (1934-1963).

The 1970s were pivotal for NASA, from the continuation of the Apollo flights to construction of Skylab, the United States’ first (and only) independently constructed space station. Although small, this collection provides some intriguing insights into some of NASA’s other experiments, namely those that occurred under American-Soviet collaboration. It would be a valuable resource for those interested in NASA’s 1970s experiments and the work of Jane Oppenheimer.