Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Gadil Ashok Innovative Lives Presentation and Interview

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0647
Creators:
Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.
Gadgil, Ashok
Berger, Sondra
Dates:
1998 January 16
1998 April 28
1996 - 1996
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.5 Cubic feet
5 boxes
Repository:
Original, master, and reference videos documenting an Innovative Lives presentation and interview with Ashok Gadgil, inventor of the UV Waterworks disinfectant unit.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection contains original, master, and reference videos, and audio cassettes documenting Ashok Gadgil, inventor of the UV Waterworks, a water purifier.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is divided into four series.
Series 1: Original videos, 1998
Series 2: Master Videos, 1998
Series 3: Reference Videos, 1998
Series 4: Photographs and Slides, 1998

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Ashok Gadgil, was born in India and is a physicist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. Gadgil invented the UV Waterworks, a water purifier that provided reliable, inexpensive water disinfection for the world. The UV Waterworks uses ultraviolet light to kill waterborne pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and molds) and thus purify drinking water. The key to this invention is the effect ultraviolet light has on bacteria and viruses--it triggers the formation of peptide bonds between certain nucleic acids in the pathogens' DNA molecules, which robs them of the ability to reproduce and renders them harmless. Water, powered by gravity, flows down through pipes, passing into a tray where it is exposed to twelve seconds of ultraviolet light before it flows out a spigot. Gadgil used sheet metal, UV lamps, and stainless-steel piping to create this invention.

Administration

Author
Alison Oswald
Custodial History
The collection was transferred from the Lemelson Center to the Archives Center on June 2, 1998.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This video presentation and interview was created by the Innovative Lives Program of the Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation on April 28, 1998.
Separated Materials
UV Water Works Disinfectant unit is located in the Division of Medicine and Science. See accession #: 1998.0158.01.
Existence and Location of Copies
Original videos digitized in 2014. See repository for details.
Processing Information
Processed by Alison Oswald, 2006.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but the original videos are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Ashok Gadgil Innovative Lives Presentation and Interview, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Water -- Bacteriology Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Videotapes -- 1990-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Water -- Ultraviolet treatment Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Water -- Purification Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Oral history -- 1990-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews -- 1980-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ultraviolet radiation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Physicists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu