Coming into this project we knew we wanted to shed light on a topic that was often overlooked in history. Through the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame website, we came across Hartford native, Barbara McClintock, a cytogeneticist with inconceivable achievements. Due to our shared interest in biology, we decided to integrate science and history into a unified work. Her dedication inspired us and encouraged us looked deeper into the conflict and compromise that she faced throughout her career and her ability to overcome these obstacles.
Literature, interviews and online sources led us to Dr. McClintock’s findings, including arguably her most well-known, the discovery of transposons, and dozens of others that have not gotten the recognition that they deserve. Transposons are small sections of the genome which can change place on individual chromosomes. We used both primary and secondary sources to get a well-rounded view of Dr. McClintock’s personality and her impact in the field of genetics, a relatively untouched branch of science during her time. Her influence on the field of cytogenetics (the study of inheritance through the structure and function of chromosomes), was also significant. We decided to center our performance on conflicts that she faced throughout her career, but more specifically on how they never compromised her ability to succeed. Through Dr. McClintock’s hardships, we sought to illustrate the willpower, grit, and diligence that she possessed, and her true love for the work she dedicated her life to.
Since she passed away in 1992, first-hand accounts of McClintock from people who knew her have been the key to our understanding of who she was as a woman and scientist. The Dynamic Genome, edited by Nina Fedoroff and David Botstein, provided us with invaluable primary sources, including official publications of Dr. McClintock’s and anecdotes from colleagues and friends. The Feeling for the Organism, by Evelyn Fox Keller, was a key insight into Dr. McClintock’s research. Nobel Prize Women in Science, by Sharon Bertsch McGrayne, emphasizes the conflicts that Dr. McClintock encountered that compromised her success. Our interviews with author, Evelyn Fox Keller, and Columbia University professor, Dr. Tim Bestor,gave us a personalized perspective of the brilliant woman that pioneered in the study of chromosomes.
We felt that a performance was the best way to bring Dr. McClintock’s relatively untold story to life and demonstrate the impact of her discoveries. One of the most engaging aspects of a performance is the ability to give a voice to people and events that are often overlooked. This category allows us to share McClintock’s experiences, including encounters with sexism and the widespread rejection of her work.
Dr. McClintock continues to be an inspiration through her incredible scientific discoveries and through her unflinching determination. Her legacy lives on through the advancements she made in the field of genetics and cytogenetics and in the minds of the people she touched. She proved to be a role model to women because of the norms she broke with great success.
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