Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

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Making Science Accessible: Conversation with Eva Harris, Professor of Public Health, UC Berkeley; 3/15/01 by Harry Kreisler.

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Eva Harris, who is an Assistant Professor in the Infectious Diseases Division of the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley, where she does research and teaching on Molecular Biology, Parasitology, and Virology.

She is the initiator and Director of the Applied Molecular Biology/Appropriate Technology Transfer Program (AMB/ATT) and organizer and instructor of eleven of its workshops. book coverPresident of the Sustainable Science Institute, she is a recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Award and is the author of numerous scientific papers and a book, A Low-Cost Approach to PCR: Appropriate Transfer of Biomolecular Techniques.

  1. Background ... influence of parents and their friends ... reaching own conclusions ... foreign languages ... mentors ... inventiveness
  2. Access and Science ... imbalance of resources ... progressive politics ... dignity and justice
  3. The Beauty of Science ... the harmony of the cell ... reconciling research and activism ... politics of science ... science and values ... the DNA revolution ... PCR ... the fight against infectious disease
  4. Technology Transfer ... how to bring science to real-world problems ... going to Nicaragua ... epiphany: simplifying technology ... international interest in the project ... the MacArthur award
  5. Research on an Infectious Disease ... dengue ... starting from scratch ... creating a base for international education ... field work
  6. Implications for Human Rights ... infectious disease as a human rights issue ... forensic human rights applications ... critical matter of quality control
  7. Lessons Learned ... science and activism ... ethical issues ... access ... women in science ... going for what you believe in

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