Series 6: Professional Activities, 1951-2002

During the period of his genetic code experimentation, beginning with the poly-U announcement through the Nobel Prize, Nirenberg was in great demand, presenting at conferences and lecturing at scientific societies and institutions. The Professional Activities Series reflects this flurry of activity. It consists mainly of drafts and notes of lectures and presentations given by Nirenberg at various conferences, as well as notes taken by him; additional materials include articles and clippings, correspondence, and conference and event programs and posters. The series is arranged into three sub-series: Conferences and Symposia, Lectures and Talks, and Professional Organizations.

The first and largest sub-series, Conferences and Symposia, includes drafts of Nirenberg's talks at annual conferences such as the Gordon Research Conference, Neurosciences Research Program (NRP) meetings, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory symposia. Most noteworthy among these materials are the three folders regarding the Fifth International Congress of Biochemistry in Moscow in October 1961, at which Nirenberg revealed his work with Matthaei on poly-U. These materials include drafts of his now-famous presentation and memorabilia collected during the trip, particularly pins depicting the icons of the U.S.S.R.

During this same period Nirenberg also was a featured speaker at such events as the Harvey Society lecture series and the Robbins Lectureship at Pomona College. Materials for such talks are found within the Lectures and Talks sub-series, although some presentations are represented only by a program, flyer, or newspaper clipping. Both the Conferences and Symposia sub-series and the Lectures and Talks sub-series are arranged chronologically; folders containing drafts of presentations are identified as such in square brackets after the folder title.

Once the fervor of cracking the genetic code dissipated and Nirenberg turned his attention to neurobiology, the demand for him as a featured speaker declined. Nonetheless, he remained a perpetual student, attending conferences as a non-speaker and participating in the NRP intensive study programs and work sessions. The Conferences and Symposia sub-series includes notes taken by Nirenberg on these occasions.

The final sub-series represents professional organizations in which Nirenberg participated and also organizations which were interested in having him as a member. These materials, which include annual reports, correspondence, newsletters, and programs, are arranged alphabetically by the name of the organization. Similar materials also can be found in the daily books within Series 3.