Scope and Content Note
The papers of Rita R. Colwell span the years 1931-2004, with the bulk of the material dating from 1980 to 2004. The collection documents many aspects of her career in science including her roles as director of the National Science Foundation, administrator at the University of Maryland, and researcher in the field of microbiology focusing on global infectious diseases, water, and health. The papers are primarily in English, with some Japanese, French, and Spanish. The collection is organized into five series: Personal File, National Science Foundation Director Files, Academic and Scientific Career Files, National Security Classified Information, and Oversize.
The collection focuses entirely on Colwell’s professional career with no documentation of her personal life. The National Science Foundation Director Files represents the most cohesive series and provides a daily account of her activities throughout most of her tenure including meetings, speaking engagements, travels, strategic planning sessions, briefings, and conferences. The Academic and Scientific Career Files focus mostly on Colwell's activities as researcher and administrator at the University of Maryland, primarily through writings, grant projects, and an extensive subject file. Researchers should be aware that this collection does not represent the entirety of Colwell’s papers, many of which she donated to the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery at University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections. As a result, many files include noticeable gaps and may lack the full documentation of certain aspects of Colwell’s career.
The Personal File series contains materials that are primarily biographical in nature and provide a broad overview of Colwell’s life and career, mostly between 1980 and 2003.
The National Science Foundation Director Files series documents Colwell’s tenure as director between 1998 and 2004, highlighting her oversight of the agency’s mission, priorities, and goals and her role in shaping United States science policy.
The Academic and Scientific Career Files series documents Colwell’s contributions to the scientific community in research, education, and development of science policy in the areas of marine biotechnology, microbial ecology, and microbial systematics, mostly between 1970 and 2003.
The remaining series contain National Security Classified Information and Oversize files.