Smithsonian Institution Archives

Neal Griffith Smith Oral History Interview, 1990

Summary

Collection ID:
SIA.FARU9584
Creators:
Smith, Neal Griffith, 1937- , interviewee
Dates:
1990
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
3 audiotapes (Reference copies).
Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Introduction

Introduction
The Smithsonian Institution Archives began its Oral History Program in 1973. The purpose of the program is to supplement the written documentation of the Archives' record and manuscript collections with an Oral History Collection, focusing on the history of the Institution, research by its scholars, and contributions of its staff. Program staff conduct interviews with current and retired Smithsonian staff and others who have made significant contributions to the Institution. There are also interviews conducted by researchers or student on topics related to the history of the Smithsonian or the holdings of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Neal G. Smith was interviewed for the Oral History Collection because of his distinguished scientific career, and long tenure at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute as both researcher and administrator. Additional information about Smith can be found in the Records of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute which are also housed in Smithsonian Institution Archives.

Descriptive Entry

Descriptive Entry
Neal G. Smith was interviewed in 1990 by Smithsonian Institution Archives historian, Pamela M. Henson, and the interview discusses his early interest in ornithology; experiences at the American Museum of Natural History; graduate work at Cornell University on Arctic gulls; studies of Urania, oropendolas and hawk migrations; and experiences at STRI. The consists of one interview recorded on 2.5 hours of tape and 68 pages of transcript.

Historical Note

Historical Note
Neal G. Smith (1937- ), an evolutionary biologist, joined the staff of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in 1963. He was born on April 3, 1937, in Brooklyn, New York. He received his B.A. from St. John's University in 1958 while volunteering at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). He completed his graduate work in zoology at Cornell, where he received the M.A. in 1961 and the Ph.D. in 1963.
Smith's interest in zoology began early, when as a youth in Brooklyn he watched gulls at the New York City garbage dumps and joined local bird watching societies. He was first introduced to the ornithology profession when Eugene Eisenmann, whom he met on a birding trip, invited him to study gulls and volunteer at the American Museum of Natural History. His graduate research at Cornell led him to the Arctic for studies of the systematics of Arctic gulls (Larus). At the 1963 Ornithological Congress in Ithaca, New York, Smith met Martin H. Moynihan of the Smithsonian's Canal Zone Biological Area (CZBA), later to be renamed STRI. Moynihan invited Smith to work at Barro Colorado Island (BCI), the CZBA site in Panama for a six month appointment after he completed his dissertation in 1963, and Smith continued research at STRI for the remainder of his career, taking on administrative responsibilities as well. He became Assistant Director of Academic Planning in 1974, but spent most of his time following his research interests. Smith was a member of various scientific societies, including the American Ornithologists' Union, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Almost all of Smith's research was in the Neotropics, studying the evolutionary biology of birds and insects, especially adaptations of behavioral, morphological, and physical features involved in species recognition, competition, and parasitism. His first major research interest at STRI, which continues to this day, involves the interaction of Urania fulgens, a moth, and Omphalea, a liana. He soon became interested in the nesting behavior of colonial birds and their responses to parasites, focusing on BCI's abundant oropendolas, and their interaction with cowbirds, botflies, and wasps, and developed creative mechanisms for his actual examination of nests. He has also studied the great migrations of the Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni), broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus), and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), especially their apparent fasting and subsequent usage of stored fat for extensive migrations.

Administration

Author
Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 9584, Neal Griffith Smith Oral History Interview
Use Restriction
Restricted. Contact SIHistory@si.edu to request permission.

More Information

Notes

Oral Histories


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Smith, Neal Griffith, 1937- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mayr, Ernst, 1904-2005 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eisenmann, Eugene, 1906-1981 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
MacArthur, Robert H. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Moynihan, M. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ricklefs, Robert Eric Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Henson, Pamela M., interviewer Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
American Museum of Natural History Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Barro Colorado Island Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Canal Zone Biological Area Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Canal Zone Biological Area, Barro Colorado Island Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Oral history Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ornithology Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Entomology Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tropical biology Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ornithologists Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Barro Colorado Island (Panama) Place Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Audiotapes Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Transcripts Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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