Lauren R. Graham, professor emeritus of the history of science at MIT for nearly 30 years, passed away on December 15, 2024 at the age of 91.
Graham earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 1955, the same year that his classmate and acquaintance, future NASA astronaut and moon walker Neil Armstrong, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering. Graham earned his PhD in History from Columbia University in 1964, where he taught from 1965 to 1978.
In 1978, Graham joined MIT’s Science, Technology, and Society (STS) Program as Professor of History of Science. During his tenure in the program, his area of expertise was the history of science in Russia and the Soviet Union in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. His research focused on Soviet and Marxist philosophy of science and the politics of science.
Much of Graham’s career spanned the Cold War: he participated in one of the first academic exchange programs between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1960-1961, and took part in the International Labor Day Parade in Moscow just weeks after Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. In 1965, he received a Fulbright award to study in the Soviet Union.
Graham has written extensively about the influence of social context on contemporary science and technology studies in Russia. He has also tried his hand at writing a non-fiction detective novel, Death Under the Lighthouse (2013), and at making documentaries. His books include Science, Philosophy and Human Behavior in the Soviet Union (1987), Science and the Soviet Social Order (1990), Science in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Short History (1993), Ghosts of Executed Engineers (1993), Stone Faces (1995), and What Have We Learned About Science and Technology from the Russian Experience? (1998).
His book, “Science, Philosophy, and Science in the Soviet Union,” was nominated for a National Book Award in 1987. He received the George Sarton Medal from the History of Science Association in 1996 and the Folo Award from the Michigan Historical Society in 2000 for his contributions to Michigan history.
Many former colleagues recall his impact on MIT. In 1988, he played a leading role in founding the graduate program in the history and sociology of science and technology, now known as HASTS, with Professor Emeritus Merritt Law Smith of History. This interdisciplinary graduate program in history, anthropology, science, technology, and society remains one of the most demanding graduate programs at MIT.
“Loren was an intellectual innovator and a model for teaching and mentoring,” said Sherry Turkle, a professor of sociology at MIT. “And he was a great colleague. … He tested. He was happy. He was interested in writing and he found joy in the work.”
Graham was a lecturer in STS until his retirement in 2006.
Throughout his life, Graham was a member of many honorary societies and organizations, including the American Foundation for Civilian Research and Development, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.
He also sits on several boards, including George Soros’s International Science Foundation, which supported Russian scientists after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He served on the board of directors of the European University in St. Louis for many years. Petersburg will remain an active member of the university’s development committee until 2024. After donating thousands of books from his library to the university, a special collection was established in his name.
In 2012, Graham was awarded a medal by the Russian Academy of Sciences for his contributions to the history of science at a ceremony in Moscow. “His life as a scholar encompassed many important historical events,” said David Mindell, MIT professor of aeronautics and astronautics and Dibner professor of the history of engineering and manufacturing.
Graham is survived by his wife, Patricia Graham, and daughter, Meg Peterson.
