Description:
Callie Crossley reports on three local recipients of the prestigious MacArthur Foundation Fellowships. Crossley notes that mathematician David Mumford, community organizer Muriel Snowden, and MIT professor Eric Lander are three of the thirty-two national winners of the Fellowships. Interview with Mumford about his work in mathematics. Crossley reviews Snowden's community activism. Interview with Snowden about her community work and her future plans. Crossley's interview includes photos of Snowden and footage of Snowden with colleagues. Interview with Lander about his work. mapping the generic patterns of certain hereditary diseases. Crossley's report includes footage of Lander and MIT graduate students in his laboratory.
1:00:07: Visual: Footage of David Mumford (mathematician) solving a problem on a blackboard in a classroom. Callie Crossley reports that Mumford uses mathematics and computers to explain vision. V: Footage of Mumford being interviewed by Crossley in his office. Mumford talks about the complex calculations which underly vision. Mumford says that computers can be used to advance scientific understanding of the role of these calculations. Shot of a print of an abstract design, held of Mumford's lap; of Mumford speaking to Crossley. Crossley reports that Mumford is one of 32 national and 3 local winners of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship; that recipients s are chosen by an anonymous committee. V: Shot of another print of an abstract design held by Mumford. Footage of Mumford saying that he received the news of the Fellowship on his birthday. Footage of Mumford sitting in front of a computer. He talks about the abstract design which is taking shape on the screen. Shot of the design on screen. Crossley reports that MacArthur Fellows receive a monetary grant over a five-year period; that Mumford won $305,000. V: Footage of Mumford saying that the money from the Fellowship will allow him the flexibility to explore new areas in his work. Footage of Muriel Snowden (community organizer) talking about her work with young people. Snowden sits at a table with a small group. Crossley reports that Snowden has been a community organizer in Boston for 35 years. V: Footage of Snowden saying that she does not like to think of herself as retired; that the money from the MacArthur award will give her a "new beginning." Shots of black and white photos of Muriel and Otto Snowden; of Muriel Snowden with city officials; of Snowden with John F. Kennedy (former US President). Crossley reports that Muriel Snowden founded Freedom House in Roxbury with her husband Otto in 1949; that Snowden has advocated city programs to eradicate racial bias; that Snowden has pushed for greater educational opportunities for minority youth. V: Footage of Snowden saying that her husband and colleagues share much of the credit for her work; that she wants those people to share in the honor of being awarded the MacArthur Fellowship. Shots of Snowden sitting at a table with a small group of people. Crossley reports that Snowden will use her $375,000 award to travel and to write a book about desegregation in Boston. Crossley reports that there was an air of subdued excitement at the Whitehead Institute at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology); that Eric Lander (MIT) is the fourth Whitehead Institute employee to win a MacArthur Fellowship. Crossley notes that Lander and his team of MIT graduate students have created a computer program to map the genetic patterns of certain hereditary diseases. V: Shot of the Whitehead Institute; of Eric Lander in his laboratory; of two MIT graduate students who work with Lander. Footage of Lander working in the laboratory. Lander takes fluid from a bottle with a pipette. Crossley notes that Lander is a mathematician and an assistant professor at the Harvard Business School. V: Footage of Lander being interviewed by Crossley. Lander talks about studying families with genetic diseases to track down the causes of these diseases. Lander says that he has strayed from the study of mathematics in recent years. Lander talks about trying to track down and analyze data about genetic diseases. Crossley notes that Lander will put his award of $205,000 in the bank for future use. V: Shot of Lander talking to a graduate student. Crossley notes that MacArthur Fellowships have been called "genius awards." V: Footage of Lander saying that the awards should not be called "genius awards."
Date Created:
06/16/1987
