Ways of Working: The Archive of Professor Sir Robert Edwards (IVF pioneer)

This event took place on March 29, 2021.

As part of the Cambridge Festival this online symposium focused on ways of working with the archive of Bob Edwards (IVF pioneer), and ways of working evidenced in the archive. 

Speakers included Dr Kay Elder (Senior Research Scientist, Bourn Hall Clinic), Madelin Evans (Archivist for the papers of Robert Edwards, Churchill Archives Centre), Professor Sarah Franklin (Sociology Professor and Research Director of Reproductive Sociology Research Group, University of Cambridge), Professor Sir Richard Gardner (Emeritus Royal Society Research Professor in the University of Oxford), Gina Glover (Artist), Professor Roger Gosden (lately professor at Cornell University, now visiting scholar at William & Mary and official biographer of Robert Edwards), Professor Nick Hopwood (Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge), Dr Jenny Joy (daughter of Robert Edwards, and key in gathering together his archive), and Dr Staffan Müller-Wille (University Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge).

Programme

2.00pm-2.05pm: Introduction and welcome from Director of Churchill Archives Centre, Allen Packwood

2.05pm-2.35pm: Madelin Evans (Edwards Papers Archivist, Churchill Archives Centre) and Professor Nick Hopwood (Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge) in conversation about using the archive of Robert Edwards for research.

2.35pm-3.05pm: Professor Sarah Franklin (Reproductive Sociology Research Group, University of Cambridge) and Gina Glover (Artist, creator of Art in ART: Symbolic Reproduction exhibition) on working with images of reproduction in the Edwards archive.

3.05pm-3.15pm: Break, with the chance to view a film of an exhibition by Gina Glover Art in ART: Symbolic Reproduction

3.15pm-3.45pm: Dr Kay Elder (Senior Research Scientist, Bourn Hall Clinic) and Dr Staffan Müller-Wille (University Lecturer, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge) on using clinical research notebooks, and scientific notebooks and manuscripts, for historical research.

3.45pm-4.15pm: Professor Sir Richard Gardner (Emeritus Royal Society Research Professor in the University of Oxford) and Professor Roger Gosden (lately Professor at Cornell University, now Visiting Scholar at William & Mary and official biographer of Robert Edwards) on Robert Edwards’ style of working in the laboratory.

4.15pm-4.30pm: Dr Jenny Joy (daughter of Robert Edwards, key in gathering together his archive) will talk about her experience of how her father worked.

4.30pm-5.00pm: Concluding remarks, questions and discussion.

See the full programme, including information about speakers and sponsors.

The symposium has been generously sponsored by Dr Piraye Yurttas Beim; the University of Cambridge Reproduction Strategic Research Initiative; the Reproductive Sociology Research Group (ReproSoc) at the University of Cambridge; the Edwards-Steptoe Research Trust; London Women’s Clinic; Theramex; and Progress Educational Trust. The event has been organised in collaboration with ReproSoc and was originally planned for the Cambridge Science Festival in 2020.

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