Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Doris Zallen Papers must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Doris Zallen Papers, Ms2018-032, Special Collections, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Acquisition Information

The Doris Zallen Papers were donated to Special Collections in July 2018. Additions were donated in March 2019 and December 2019.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Doris Zallen Papers was completed in October 2018. Additional processing, arrangement, and description of an addition was completed in May 2019 and January 2020.

Biographical Note

Doris Zallen received her bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College and completed her graduate and doctoral work at Harvard Univeristy. Zallen focused her research on the social, ethical, and policy issues of genetic technologies. She came to Virginia Tech in 1983 and retired as professor of Science and Technology Studies and Humanities in 2015. Zallen published three books and created the Choices and Challenges Forum series at Virginia Tech. In 1991 Zallen interviewed David Weatherall who sparked Zallen's research on the prevention of Rh disease and the role the Liverpool School played in that medical advance.

Scope and Content

The Doris Zallen Papers, Ms2018-032, contain content from Doris Zallen's professional work with genetic research, discussions, and testing from 1960 to 2016.

The records are divided into six series including: I. Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee Service, 1990-1999; II. Professional Papers, 1960-2016; III. Book Reviews, 1962-2010; IV. Background information on Published Papers, 1980-2008; V. Ethics and Advisory Board, 1979; and VI. Liverpool School, 1952-2012.

In the first series, Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee Service, 1990-1999, each folder relates to the Recombinant Advisory Committee. They include meeting notes, correspondence within the organization, and notes from conferences.

The second series, Professional Papers, 1960-2016, outlines Doris Zallen's academia starting with her education at Brooklyn College, Harvard University, and the University of Rochester. This series includes manuscripts from her teaching and research careers at Nazareth College of Rochester and Virginia Tech. Zallen's professional papers include research, summaries of sabbaticals and other leaves, consulting, teaching awards, and student and faculty correspondence.

Series III, Book Reviews, 1962-2010, includes book reviews from other scholars about Zallen's research: "Science and Morality", "Does it Run In the Family?," and "To Test or Not to Test?" This series also includes a poster from a discusion led by Zallen about genetic testing and images from "Does it Run In the Family?"

The fourth series, Background information on Published Papers, 1980-2008, contains published and unpublished articles by Doris Zallen and other scholars about genes from 1980 to 2008.

The fifth series, Ethics and Advisory Board, 1979, consists of the report, conclusions, and appendix from the Human in Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer study.

The last series, Liverpool School, 1952-2012, consists of background information, publications, interviews, and pictures from Zallen's research of the prevention of Rh disease.

Arrangement

The Doris Zallen Papers are organized into the following series:

Related Material

Index Terms

Subjects:

• Faculty
• Science and Technology
• University Archives
• University History

Organizations:

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences (2003-)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. College of Arts and Sciences (?-2003)

People:

• Zallen, Doris T.

Adjunct Descriptive Data