Robert Clark MacDonald (1938- ) Papers

The Robert C. MacDonald Papers fill one and one-half boxes and span the years 1961 to 2004. The papers document MacDonald’s research, publications, and teaching, along with his role in the Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology Department, Northwestern's Institute on Neuroscience (NUIN), and the College of Arts and Sciences. Papers are organized into the following subseries: biographical material, correspondence, patents, general department documents, NUIN documents, teaching files, abstracts, and publications.

Biographical materials, spanning the years approximately 1972 to 1992, include MacDonald’s Faculty Biographical Record, Biographical Sketch, his curriculum vitae (plus an addition to it).

MacDonald’s correspondence files include both incoming and outgoing correspondence. Many letters concern a planned leave for the 1991/1992 school year. Other letters cover such topics as academic paper presentations and a joint appointment with the Department of Molecular Biology.

Items contained in the patents file document MacDonald’s Northwestern-related invention notifications, the application for patents, and copies of two received patents.

General department documents span the years 1990-95. These items contain documentation pertaining to the Undergraduate Program in Biological Sciences, including space planning needs, MacDonald’s service to their Advisory Council, and a draft of the Hughes Institute Proposal for Undergraduate Initiatives. This file also documents MacDonald’s role as a mentor for the Minority High School Summer Research Apprentice Program, a course proposal, and a copy of a presentation on a joint initiative between NU and Chicago State University.

The folder for Northwestern's Institute on Neurosciences includes documents outlining course offerings, discussing departmental teaching practices, and in regards to the Curriculum Committee. The majority of the items relate to documenting teaching practices, and include drafts and responses to MacDonald’s "Teaching and Learning in the Undergraduate Program in the Biological Sciences: Discussion Paper. Items in this file span the years 1991 to 2001.

MacDonald’s teaching files, spanning the years 1983 to 1999, include course packets and notes, exams, problem sets, syllabi, and suggestions for paper and presentation topics.

The abstracts file includes both applications and abstracts for publication and conference presentations (both oral and poster), many undated. These files were left in their original order and include applications spanning the years 1988 to 1992.

The publications files, spanning from 1961 to 2004, contain articles and reprints largely from scientific scholarly sources. The publications cover MacDonald’s research in such topics as phospholipids, and mono- and bilayer membranes, and lipid mediated transection. A single book review from 1984 and a page containing instructions for a lab experiment are also included.