Marian Elliott Koshland
 The
museum is named after Marian Koshland (1921-1997), a National Academy of Sciences
member who made major contributions to the field of immunology and molecular
biology throughout her career, including work on the cholera vaccine and groundbreaking
research in the behavior of antibodies.
Marian’s direct, hard-working, and confident approach to
life and scientific research was greatly influenced by her upbringing
in New Haven, Connecticut where she excelled in school with the
support of her father, a hardware salesman, and mother, a teacher,
while enjoying a tomboy lifestyle. Marian’s interest in science
was sparked when her younger brother suffered a weakened immune
system from typhoid fever, making him vulnerable to frequent illness
throughout his childhood.
Due to her family’s limited financial resources, Marian
supported herself through undergraduate school at Vassar College
with scholarships and a 4-year job in addition to sewing her own
clothes. She then pursued her graduate degree at the University
of Chicago, a choice influenced by the inexpensive train ticket
from Connecticut and the university’s reputation. There she
met her husband Daniel Koshland, also a research scientist. Married
52 years, they raised a family of five (including twins) while
both pursuing research and teaching careers.
Marian’s academic posts included positions at Harvard Medical
School; Brookhaven National Laboratory; and the University of California,
Berkeley. Marian also served on various committees for Haverford
College, the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of
Health, and the National Academy of Sciences. She was a member
of numerous organizations including the Institute of Medicine,
the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the American Association
of Immunologists (serving a term as president).
Marian was devoted to improving public understanding of science
which she pursued throughout her career as a teacher. As a contributor
to Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students
in Science and Engineering, published by the National Academies
Press in 1997, Marian shared her vision and commitment to helping
young people in science. As a role model and advocate for the role
of women in science, Marian led by example, a mother of five who
excelled at scientific research and discovery. The Marian Koshland
Science Museum has been developed in her memory through a gift
to the National Academy of Sciences by her husband, Daniel Koshland.
If you would like more information about the life and work of Marian Koshland, please read her biographic memoir.
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