Angela N. H. Creager (born 1963) is an American biochemist, historian of science, and the Thomas M. Siebel Professor in the History of Science at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where she is also the director of the Shelby Collum Davis Center for Historical Studies. Prior to the Siebel chair's creation in 2015, she was the Philip and Beulah Rollins Professor of History. She served as president of the

History of Science Society The History of Science Society (HSS), founded in 1924, is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. The society has over 3,000 members worldwide. It publishes the quarterly journal ''Isis'' and the yearly ...

(HSS) from 2014 to 2015. She focuses on the history of biomedical research in the 20th century. In 2020 she was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

Early life and education

Professor Creager completed a double major in biochemistry and English at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

in 1985. She earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in 1991. She went on to do postdoctoral work at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) where she focused on the history of science.

Career

Creager joined the history department at

in 1994. She served as director of graduate studies for the Program in History of Science from 2000 to 2010. She is also involved in the program for the Study of Gender and Sexuality Studies at Princeton. She became a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

(AAAS) in 2008. Creager was president of the

(HSS) from 2014 to 2015.

Works

Creager is the author of ''The Life of a Virus: Tobacco Mosaic Virus as an Experimental Model, 1930-1965'' (University of Chicago Press, 2002), on snuff mosaic virus As the field of

molecular biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

developed,

Tobacco mosaic virus Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus species in the genus '' Tobamovirus'' that infects a wide range of plants, especially tobacco and other members of the family Solanaceae. The infection causes characteris ...

(TMV) became a paradigmatic experimental model for the study of viruses and the development of new scientific techniques. Creager's historical analysis explores TMV as a model system within the social and political cultures of mid-twentieth century biomedical research. It has been described as "a first-rate book by ... a scientist who has fluently assimilated the historian's tools". Creager has also written ''Atomic Life: A History of Radioisotopes in Science and Medicine'' (University of Chicago Press, 2013) on the use of radioisotopes in science and medicine. She analyzes ways in which knowledge and technology from the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...

were used in the fields of medicine and biology. The X-10 reactor at Oak Ridge was used to produce radioisotopes such as

cobalt-60 Cobalt-60 (Co) is a synthetic radioactive isotope of cobalt with a half-life of 5.2714 years. It is produced artificially in nuclear reactors. Deliberate industrial production depends on neutron activation of bulk samples of the monoisotop ...

phosphorus-32 Phosphorus-32 (32P) is a radioactive isotope of phosphorus. The nucleus of phosphorus-32 contains 15 protons and 17 neutrons, one more neutron than the most common isotope of phosphorus, phosphorus-31. Phosphorus-32 only exists in small quantiti ...

, sulfur-35, and

carbon-14 Carbon-14, C-14, C or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic matter is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...

. As "Atoms for Peace", their use in medicine and biology was promoted by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Sensitive radioimmunoassay techniques were developed for diagnostic and medical use. Natural radioisotopes were used as tracers to track atoms and illuminate biological processes in living creatures and ecosystems. They were used to treat cancer, study DNA, and understand photosynthesis, among other breakthroughs. Creager has edited ''Feminism in Twentieth-Century Science, Technology, and Medicine'' (University of Chicago Press, 2002), with Elizabeth Lunbeck and Londa Schiebinger, ''The Animal / Human Boundary: Historical Perspectives'' (University of Rochester Press, 2002) with William Chester Jordan, and ''Science without Laws: Model Systems, Cases, Exemplary Narratives'' (Duke University Press, 2007), with Elizabeth Lunbeck and M. Norton Wise. Creager was researching the development of techniques for detecting environmental

carcinogens A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruse ...

and their regulation between 1960 and 1990.

Awards

* 2009, Price/Webster Prize for the article: Angela N. H. Creager & Gregory Morgan, “After the Double Helix: Rosalind Franklin’s Research on Tobacco Mosaic Virus,” ''Isis'', 2008, 99: 239–72. * 1998, President's Award for Distinguished Teaching, Princeton University

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Creager, Angela N. H. 1963 births Living people American historians of science American women historians Princeton University faculty Rice University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Harvard University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni 20th-century American historians 20th-century American scientists 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American historians 21st-century American scientists 21st-century American women scientists 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American women writers Members of the American Philosophical Society