George A. O'Toole
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
George A. O’Toole grew up in rural eastern Long Island, New York, heavily influenced by his parents and their Irish and Italian immigrant families. Throughout his youth, his parents, both in education, stressed the importance of school and attending college. In high school he was especially encouraged by a science teacher who praised O’Toole’s interests in science oriented shows like Nova and Nature. O’Toole participated in a research program for high school students at Catholic University of America in Washington D.C., where he was first exposed to cell biology. Deciding he wanted to pursue biology, O’Toole matriculated at Cornell University where he earned a position in the Cornell Tradition scholarship program. Throughout his time at Cornell he balanced his studies with his work in the Noyes dining hall. Early on O’Toole engaged in extra laboratory research and had a paper accepted to the Cornell Undergraduate Journal of Science. He worked as a dishwasher in the microbiology research laboratory of Steven H. Zinder, though ultimately conducting research on methanogenic archaea. After graduating from Cornell, O’Toole began his graduate research as Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena’s first graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, focusing his research on the genetics and biosynthesis of Vitamin B12; during what little free time he had, O’Toole became active in political campaigns. In the small Vitamin B12 field, he published nine papers, learning the process of writing a scientific paper directly from Escalante-Semerena. Upon finishing his PhD, O’Toole undertook his post-doctoral research with Roberto Kolter at Harvard Medical School, where he began his work in biofilms. While in the Kolter laboratory, O’Toole took advantage of the inquisitive scientific atmosphere and intellectual freedom fostered in the group to make his mark in this field. Although he considered working in biotechnology companies, O’Toole accepted a position at Dartmouth Medical School and opted to work as a consultant for his friend’s company, Microbia. As soon as he started his lab, O’Toole immediately began efforts to create an environment that fostered success and creativity in his students. Shortly after arriving at Dartmouth, O’Toole received a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences award from which have come numerous collaborations and a networking system. Throughout the interview O’Toole discusses the current climate of funding, mentoring, scientific ethics, and the importance of translational research with regard to scientific responsibility.
Education
Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
---|---|---|---|
1988 | Cornell University | BS | |
1994 | University of Wisconsin, Madison | PhD | Microbiology |
Professional Experience
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Harvard Medical School
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth Medical School
Honors
Year(s) | Award |
---|---|
1989 to 1990 | Cell & Molecular Biology Training Grant Fellow |
1990 to 1991 | Biotechnology Training Grant Fellow |
1993 | Sigrid Liermo Memorial Award, recognizing scientific mentorship |
1995 to 1998 | Runyon-Winchell Cancer Research Post-doctoral Fellowship |
1998 to 1999 | Medical Foundation Senior Post-doctoral Fellowship |
2000 | DuPont Young Professor Award |
2000 to 2004 | Pew Biomedical Scholar Award |
2000 to 2005 | NSFEarly Career Development Award (CAREER) |
2003 | Dean's Award in Basic Science, DartmouthMedical School |
2007 | Full Member, Dartmouth Chapter of Sigma Xi |
Table of Contents
Growing up in rural eastern Long Island. Influences of Irish and Italian immigrant family. Father's interest in the outdoors. Influence of the Catholic Church. Watching Nova and Nature. Summer cell biology research at Catholic University of America in Washington, D. C.
Cornell University. Cornell Tradition scholarship program. Balancing laboratory work and studies. Developing interest in microbiology. Managerial experience in the dining hall. First publication. Anaerobic microbiology research with Steven H. Zinder.
University of Wisconsin. Microbiology research with Jorge C. Escalante-Semerena. Brian M. Cali from Cornell at the University of Wisconsin. Genetics and biosynthesis of Vitamin B12. Transition from genetics to molecular biology. Writing papers. Basic science versus translational science. Political awareness. Collaborations. Madison activist culture.
Roberto Kolter. Harvard Medical School. Finishing at the University of Wisconsin. Funding. Biofilms. Scientific Risk. Intellectual freedom.
Dartmouth Medical School. Interviews. Considering working for biotech firm Microbia. Consulting at Microbia. Teaching, advising, and laboratory management.
Other Scholars at Dartmouth Medical School. Pew funding. Risk compared to NIH funding. Collaborations.
Scientific responsibility. Interest in translational research. Collaboration with Michael E. Zegans, M.D. Translational research and funding.
Collaborations. Annual Meetings. Importance of flexibility. Networking.
NIH funding. Scientists and families. Time commitments. Current funding situation. Attrition of science students. Dartmouth's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Science and minorities. Early science education. Public understanding of science.
Consultant for Nova episode on Bio-Terror. Mentoring. Scientific ethics and fraud. Reviewing articles for publication. Patents.
About the Interviewer
David J. Caruso earned a BA in the history of science, medicine, and technology from Johns Hopkins University in 2001 and a PhD in science and technology studies from Cornell University in 2008. Caruso is the director of the Center for Oral History at the Science History Institute, president of Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and editor for the Oral History Review. In addition to overseeing all oral history research at the Science History Institute, he also holds an annual training institute that focuses on conducting interviews with scientists and engineers, he consults on various oral history projects, like at the San Diego Technology Archives, and is adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, teaching courses on the history of military medicine and technology and on oral history. His current research interests are the discipline formation of biomedical science in 20th-century America and the organizational structures that have contributed to such formation.