Finding Aid to the Nancy Grace Roman Papers, 1931-1993 (bulk 1950-1980)Sponsor:This finding aid has been encoded by the Center for History of Physics, American Institute of Physics as part of a collaborative project supported by a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities, an independent federal agency. Collaboration members in 1999 consisted of: American Institute of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Rice University, University of Alaska, University of Illinois, and University of Texas. Publisher:American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Encoding Information:Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD v.1.0 by Clay Redding on November 27, 2000 from an existing finding aid using NoteTab Pro and C++ scripts created by James P. Tranowski (provided by Elizabeth Dow, Special Collections, University of Vermont). Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process. Reviewed by K. Hayes on November 27, 2000 . Finding aid written in English. Description of the CollectionLocation of collection:American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Title and dates of collection:Nancy Grace Roman Papers, 1931-1993 (bulk 1950-1980) Papers/Records created by:Roman, Nancy Grace, 1925- Size of collection:4.5 linear feet in 9 boxes Short description of collection:This collection documents the career of astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, who specialized in spectroscopy. Roman served at the University of Chicago, Naval Research Laboratory, and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The collection is composed of newspaper clippings, correspondence and some of Nancy Grace Roman's writings. It also includes educational records, notebooks, awards, certificates, research notes, travel itineraries, autograph books, personnel records, programs, and writings by others. Languages Represented:English Selected Search TermsThese papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms. Biography of Nancy Grace RomanNancy Grace Roman was born in Nashville, Tennessee on May 16, 1925. Her mother, Georgia Smith Roman, was a former music teacher and her father, Irwin Roman was a geophysicist. She received her B.A. from Swarthmore College in 1946 and her Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Chicago in 1949. After receiving her Ph.D., Nancy Grace Roman remained at the University of Chicago as a research associate, and later, as an assistant professor. In 1955 she took a position as an astronomer with the Radio Astronomy Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory. She was the head of the Microwave Spectroscopy Section when, in 1959, she left NRL to become the head of the observational astronomical program at NASA. Dr. Roman remained at NASA, serving as Chief of the Astronomy and Relativity Programs in the Office of Space Sciences from 1960, until her retirement in 1979. The high ranking position Nancy Grace Roman held, at a time when it was unusual for women to have such responsibility, is a strong indication of her knowledge and abilities. Because of her achievements in a field dominated by men, Dr. Roman has become a role model for young women. Dr. Roman has been an active public speaker, presenting talks to university students as well as civic and professional groups. Topics discussed are not limited to science, but also the role of women within science. In 1963, she defended NASA's lack of women astronauts by citing the important contributions women were making to the space program in other ways. Dr. Roman is the recipient of many awards and honors, including the 1962 Federal Woman's Award and NASA's Exceptional Scientific Achievement Award in 1969. In a 1980 interview (at the AIP) Nancy Grace Roman credited the clear skies of Nevada and her mother for introducing her to the constellations. Dr. Roman also said she made the decision to become an astronomer very early in life. A biographical entry from the American Men and Women of Science follows. Dr. Roman is unmarried and, at the time of this writing, resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Scope and Contents of CollectionThis collection, spanning over 60 years, documents events in Nancy Grace Roman's life ranging in scope from her elementary school days, through her college and early professional career, to her high ranking position at NASA and beyond. The collection is composed of newspaper clippings, correspondence and some of Nancy Grace Roman's writings. It also includes educational records, notebooks, awards, certificates, research notes, travel itineraries, autograph books, personnel records, programs, and writings by others. The collection is primarily biographical in content. The bulk of the newspaper clippings and correspondence relate to Nancy Grace Roman's achievements and serve to document the highlights of her career and her unique position (at that time) as a female Division Chief at NASA. Professional files include some correspondence, notes, and reports on research she performed during successive positions at University of Chicago Yerkes Observatory, Naval Research Laboratory and NASA. In addition, some professional papers can be found in Series IV: Writings. However, the amount of primary material (correspondence, notebooks, etc.) documenting Nancy Grace Roman's professional activities is small. Organization of CollectionThe collection has been organized in four series: I: Personal and Biographical, subseries A-C as follows: A. Education; B. Awards and Honors; C: Newsclippings; II: Correspondence; III: Professional Files; IV: Writings. Arrangement of CollectionIn most cases, material is arranged chronologically within the series and subseries. The papers have been arranged with the intention of stressing the various phases of Nancy Grace Roman's education and career. There was no obvious "original order" to follow in organizing the papers, with the exception of chronological folders created for "scrapbook" material. Therefore, the papers have been arranged and the series devised by the processor. Access to CollectionOpen to approved researchers without restrictions. Restrictions on Use of CollectionUse of primary source material in the Niels Bohr Library requires prior approval through an Application for Access, which includes a statement of research purpose and the names and addresses of two scholars as references. Access applications can be obtained by contacting the Library (telephone 301-209-3177; or e-mail nbl@aip.org). The application can also be printed from our website. Provenance and Acquisition InformationThis collection contains papers donated to the AIP Niels Bohr Library by Nancy Grace Roman. Five records cartons of material were transferred from Nancy Grace Roman's home to the Library in May 1994. Processing InformationThis collection was processed by Theresa L. Keifer in April 1995. In general, the collection was disorganized; different types and dates of material were interspersed throughout the five boxes. Some of the material in the collection appears to have been selected with the intention of creating a scrapbook. Several original folders were dated by year. Many of these folders (and the items within them) had been marked with the note "for NG's scrapbook" or just the word scrapbook. Although the collection required extensive reorganization because of the lack of original order, files that were obviously related have been kept together. For example, the "scrapbook" folders mentioned above form the basis of the Newsclippings subseries. Researchers should be aware that there is often crossover between the series and that all series should be reviewed for relevant information. For example, information on Dr. Roman's involvement with NASA projects can be found in both the Professional Files and Personal and Biographical series. Other Related MaterialsNiels Bohr Library, American Institute of Physics:
Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, American Institute of Physics:
NASA History Office:
Materials Separated from CollectionSome material was separated from the original collection for reasons of preservation and access. Items separated from the original collection:
Series Descriptions
Container List
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||