Oral Histories

Interview of John H. Weiss

Subtitle:
Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences: John H. Weiss
Series:
Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences
Topic:
Science, Medicine, and Technology
Interviewer:
Maestrejuan, Andrea R.
Interviewee:
Weiss, John H.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Length:
6 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Series Statement:
Interviews in this series, sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, document the research of "outstanding scientists from quality institutions" chosen by the Pew Scholars Program to receive four-year stipends.
Abstract:
Childhood in San Francisco; Weiss's interest in discerning patterns in how the world works; the necessity of being aggressive in the sciences; starts a neurology residency and meets Dennis W. Choi; working in the Choi lab on mechanisms of nerve cell degeneration in stroke; preference for theory-driven over technique-driven science; Weiss's work in the Choi lab on BMAA yields clues regarding AMPA/kainate receptor activation in nerve degenerative diseases; the question of how to mentor students to become good scientists; new directions for research on cellular functions; Weiss's sense that he is temperamentally unsuited to running a large lab.