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[Identification of item], Knut Schmidt-Nielsen Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library
The Knut Schmidt-Nielsen Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 1994, 2001, and 2006.
Processed by Lauren Hunt and Ioanna Zlateva, July 2007
Encoded by Paula Jeannet Mangiafico, Dan Ruccia, and Ioanna Zlateva, July 2007
Accessions 1994-015, 1994-087, 1996-0026, and 2001-0075 were merged into one collection, described in this finding aid. Addition 2006-0026 is unprocessed but available for research. Please contact the Research Services staff before coming to use this collection.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory:
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
The Knut Schmidt-Nielsen Papers span the years 1939-1994, documenting
the life and work of this prominent animal physiologist and educator. Formats
include correspondence, research notes, field data, published material,
lectures, memos, reports, grant applications, and other materials.
Schmidt-Nielsen spent most of his career at Duke University where he served on
faculty from 1952 to 1995, studying comparative animal physiology and
environmental conditions in the desert, particularly in the Sahara and North
Africa, with a particular interest in the camel. In addition, Schmidt-Nielsen
was active as a lecturer and as a member of various biological organizations,
including the International Union of Physiological Sciences and the Interunion
Commission on Comparative Physiology, as well as being heavily involved with
the publication of
The
Unprocessed addition (2006-0026) (11,468 items, 18 lin. ft.; dated 1902-2003) comprises personal and professional correspondence, subject and genealogy files, lecture notes, calendars, clippings, and photographs. The addition is not represented in the finding aid, but a preliminary inventory is available on request. For research access, please contact the Research Services staff.
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
Contains folders of correspondence, data, and other supporting documents related to Schmidt-Nielsen's research on desert animals in the Sahara between August 1953 and July 1954. The folders are divided into two groups, general information and data, and are arranged alphabetically within the groups. His personal correspondence and journal entries are available in a bound format within the series. The data folders contain experiment results and research notes on camels, donkeys, rodents, and plants.
Includes scientific inquiries and invitations; professional
correspondence with colleagues, researchers, publishers, and graduate students;
and letters of recommendation. Interspersed in the series are vitae and
statements of plans, grant application materials, copyright releases, requests
for plant and animal samples, occasional newpaper clippings, photographs, and
postcards. The 1948-1952 correspondence with the Office of Naval Research
contains grant application files. Correspondence from Schmidt-Nielsen's stay in
Algeria in 1953-1954 documents logistics and field work during the trip. Duke
University correspondence includes records of departmental procedures, graduate
students documentation, and requests for lab equipment. An extensive portion of
the early correspondence is in Norwegian; occasional documents are in French,
German, or Spanish. The folders are labelled and arranged alphabetically by
last name or subject. Additional professional correspondence can be found in
other series, particularly the International Union of Physiological Sciences
and the
Contains records of Schmidt-Nielsen's participation in scientific meetings and conferences, as well as individual lectures and presentations. A large part of the series is comprised of Schmidt-Nielsen's lecture notes, diagrams, and slides; complete drafts of presentations are less common. Subjects of the lectures include: physiology and adaptations of desert animals; breathing and locomotion; and scaling and size in biology. Also included are conference-related materials, such as correspondence, brochures, and posters. Extensive material is available for the conference on Scaling in Biology held at Duke University in 1973. Interspersed through the series are records from the annual International Conference on Comparative Physiology. A few documents are in French, German, Japanese, and Norwegian. Folders are labelled by date of event and topic, and are arranged chronologically by month of the year. A separate folder at the end of the series contains a complete chronological list of lectures given by Schmidt-Nielsen.
Documents Schmidt-Nielsen's role as an instructor and mentor to graduate students. The series contains personal and official correspondence, application files, and letters of recommendation. The student files often include research proposals, proposals for programs of graduate, tutorials, exams, and other written work submitted by students, with comments from Schmidt-Nielsen. Interspersed are funding files and financial documents. Folders are arranged alphabetically by last name of student. Note: materials are open for use, but are covered by privacy and confidentiality agreement which must be signed by researchers.
Consists of materials and correspondence pertaining to the administrative organization and activities of the International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS), divided into three subseries: General Information, Meeting Notes, and Correspondence. The General Information Subseries pertains to the period during which Schmidt-Nielsen served as President of IUPS, from 1980 to 1986, and includes meeting minutes, membership lists, memos, reports, and speeches, arranged alphabetically by topic and chronologically within topics. The Meeting Notes Subseries detail the planning and arrangements for international congresses and include programs, lists of participants, and presentation titles; the subseries is arranged by year of event. The Correspondence Subseries includes individual correspondence and memos related to different activities of IUPS and is arranged alphabetically. This series also contains some material in German, French, and Japanese.
Contains materials related to Schmidt-Nielsen's work with
Consists of articles published by Schmidt-Nielsen throughout his career, and includes a full publication list at the beginning of the series. Each article is presented in its final published form, either as a reprint or a full journal, with no notes, manuscripts, proofs, or revisions. Some articles are in German and Danish. Folders are labeled and arranged chronologically by year.
Contains miscellaneous materials on a variety of individual subjects related to Schmidt-Nielsen. The bulk of material consists of funding inquiries, grant applications, and reports pertaining to different organizations. The series also contains material about scholarly societies and their activities, interspersed with correspondence. A small section includes documents on animal experiments. Folders are labeled by subject and arranged alphabetically within subjects.
Addition 2001-0075 houses about 50 published translations of Schmidt-Nielsen’s textbooks. Titles include
Houses three sound recordings on 7" reel-to-reel tape, of Schmidt-Nielsen giving lectures at two conferences: the Symposium on Comparative Animal Physiology, Washington, January 1967 (title is "The Unusual Animal, or to Expect the Unexpected"); and the Kleiber Symposium held in Davis, California in August 1969 (two reels). Other individuals named on the containers are A. C. Black and Dr. Shannon.
[Originals closed to use. Technical Services staff must arrange to have use copies made. Please contact Research Services staff before coming to use the collection.]