Publications

During the summer of 2019 I had a unique opportunity to meet and interview scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences. My ultimate goal was to learn the history of the Scientific Center in Chernogolovka, the place where my parents used to live and work as scientists, each in a different institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. When deciding to further explore my interest, I realized there was fascinating history within my own family. I began researching the town where my family came from and discovered the important role it played in the history of the Soviet Union. I was surprised by the lack of recognition, even in Russia, about both the town’s history and that of the man who founded it, despite his being a Nobel Prize winner. I decided the best way to share this information with a larger audience would be by doing research and writing a story documenting it. My favorite part of the experience was touring the labs and interviewing people who lived through this era of history, rather than simply reading biographies and old documents, as I could walk through the same labs where these discoveries were made and experience history in a completely new way. 

Although the research started with my desire to learn more about my personal story, I came to the realization that everyone is interconnected within history; this changed my view of familiar locations, and developed my passion for hearing and collecting others’ stories. In the future, I would like to further uncover places hidden from the spotlight and to bring attention to unrecognized snapshots of history.