Editing Isaac Asimov (section)

=== Education and career ===
Asimov attended New York City public schools from age five, including [[Boys and Girls High School|Boys High School]] in [[Brooklyn]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Early Asimov Volume 1 |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |page=10 |publisher=[[Panther Books]] |location=[[St. Albans]], Hertfordshire, UK |date=1973 |isbn=0-586-03806-X}}</ref> Graduating at 15, he attended the [[City College of New York]] for several days before accepting a scholarship at [[Seth Low Junior College]]. This was a branch of [[Columbia University]] in [[Downtown Brooklyn]] designed to absorb some of the academically qualified Jewish and [[Italian-American]] students who applied to the more prestigious [[Columbia College, Columbia University|Columbia College]] but exceeded the unwritten ethnic [[numerus clausus|admission quotas]] which were common at the time. Originally a [[zoology]] major, Asimov switched to [[chemistry]] after his first semester because he disapproved of "dissecting an alley cat". After Seth Low Junior College closed in 1936, Asimov finished his [[Bachelor of Science]] degree at Columbia's Morningside Heights campus (later the [[Columbia University School of General Studies]])<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |year=1979 |pages=156–157, 159–160, 240}}</ref> in 1939. (In 1983, Dr. Robert Pollack (dean of Columbia College, 1982–1989) granted Asimov an honorary doctorate from Columbia College after requiring that Asimov place his foot in a bucket of water to pass the college's swimming requirement.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gohn |first1=Claudia |title=Nearly a Century Ago, Columbia's Jewish Applicants Were Sent to Brooklyn |url=https://www.columbiaspectator.com/the-eye/2019/04/15/nearly-a-century-ago-columbias-jewish-applicants-were-sent-to-brooklyn/ |website=Columbia Spectator |access-date=December 1, 2024}}</ref>)

After two rounds of rejections by medical schools, Asimov applied to the graduate program in chemistry at Columbia in 1939; initially he was rejected and then only accepted on a probationary basis.<ref name="earlyyears180_183">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/180/mode/2up |title=The Early Asimov; or, Eleven Years of Trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City, NY |pages=180–183}}</ref> He completed his [[Master of Arts]] degree in chemistry in 1941 and earned a [[Doctor of Philosophy]] degree in chemistry in 1948.{{efn|He obtained his Ph.D. on May 20, 1948.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |year=1979 |pages=525–526}}</ref> He wrote a dissertation on "Kinetics of the Reaction Inactivation of [[Tyrosinase]] During Its Catalysis of the Aerobic Oxidation of [[Catechol]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asimovreviews.net/Books/Book000.html|title=Kinetics of the Reaction Inactivation of Tyrosinase During Its Catalysis of the Aerobic Oxidation of Catechol|website=www.asimovreviews.net|access-date=February 24, 2019|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216105636/http://www.asimovreviews.net/Books/Book000.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An abridged version was published in the ''[[Journal of the American Chemical Society]]''<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |year=1979 |page=584}}</ref> (February 1950, p. 820; online at the ''JACS'' website.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ja01158a045 |title=On the Reaction Inactivation of Tyrosinase during the Aerobic Oxidation of Catechol |journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society |date=February 1950 |volume=72 |issue=2 |pages=820–828 |doi=10.1021/ja01158a045|access-date=March 18, 2019 |last1=Asimov |first1=Isaac |last2=Dawson |first2=Charles R. |bibcode=1950JAChS..72..820A |issn=0002-7863}}</ref> {{subscription required}}). (The introduction to the full dissertation was reprinted in his book ''[[Opus 100]]'', pp. 171–173.)}}<ref name="Opus100">Asimov, I. (1969) ''[[Opus 100]]'', Dell, pp. 143–144.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |year=1979 |page=552}}</ref> During his chemistry studies, he also learned French and German.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |year=1979 |pages=298–299}}</ref>

[[File:Heinlein-decamp-and-asimov.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Photo|[[Robert A. Heinlein]], [[L. Sprague de Camp]], and Asimov (left to right), [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard|Philadelphia Navy Yard]], 1944]]

From 1942 to 1945 during [[World War II]], between his masters and doctoral studies, Asimov worked as a civilian chemist at the [[Philadelphia Navy Yard]]'s Naval Air Experimental Station and lived in the [[Walnut Hill, Philadelphia|Walnut Hill]] section of [[West Philadelphia]].<ref>{{cite web |first1=Edward |last1=Seiler |first2=John H. |last2=Jenkin |url=http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#non-literary6 |title=Frequently Asked Questions about Isaac Asimov |publisher=asimovonline.com |date=1994–2014 |access-date=July 27, 2014 |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016074817/http://www.asimovonline.com/asimov_FAQ.html#non-literary6 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Bart|last=Everts|url=http://hiddencityphila.org/2014/07/sci-phi-isaac-asimovs-west-philly-years/|title=SciPhi: Isaac Asimov's West Philly Years|date=July 18, 2014 |access-date=July 28, 2014|archive-date=May 18, 2016|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160518042200/http://hiddencityphila.org/2014/07/sci-phi-isaac-asimovs-west-philly-years/|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 1945, he was conscripted into the post-war [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]; if he had not had his birth date corrected while at school, he would have been officially 26 years old and ineligible.<ref>Asimov, Isaac. ''In Memory Yet Green'', p. 426.</ref> In 1946, a bureaucratic error caused his military allotment to be stopped, and he was removed from a task force days before it sailed to participate in [[Operation Crossroads]] nuclear weapons tests at [[Bikini Atoll]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |pages=467–468}}</ref> He was  promoted to [[corporal]] on July 11 before receiving an [[honorable discharge]] on July 26, 1946.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |pages=472–3, 476}}</ref>{{efn|He had entered the army on November 1, 1945.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |page=432}}</ref>}}

After completing his doctorate and a [[Postdoctoral researcher|postdoctoral]] year with [[Robert Elderfield]],<ref>Asimov, Isaac. ''In Memory Yet Green''. p. 515.</ref> Asimov was offered the position of [[associate professor]] of [[biochemistry]] at the [[Boston University School of Medicine]]. This was in large part due to his years-long correspondence with [[William C. Boyd|William Boyd]], a former associate professor of biochemistry at Boston University, who initially contacted Asimov to compliment him on his story ''[[Nightfall (Asimov novelette and novel)|Nightfall]]''.<ref>Asimov, Isaac. ''In Memory Yet Green''. p. 411.</ref> Upon receiving a promotion to professor of [[immunochemistry]], Boyd reached out to Asimov, requesting him to be his replacement. The initial offer of professorship was withdrawn and Asimov was offered the position of instructor of biochemistry instead, which he accepted.<ref name="p546">Asimov, Isaac. ''In Memory Yet Green''. p. 546.</ref> He began work in 1949 with a $5,000 salary{{r|earlyyears560_564}} ({{Inflation|US|5000|1949|r=-3|fmt=eq}}), maintaining this position for several years.<ref name="wiredforbooks">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080926040513/http://wiredforbooks.org/isaacasimov/ Isaac Asimov Interview with Don Swaim]}} (1987)</ref> By 1952, however, he was making more money as a writer than from the university, and he eventually stopped doing research, confining his university role to lecturing students.{{efn|Between 1950 and 1953 he published seven scientific research papers: the summary of his PhD dissertation (described in an earlier explanatory note), which he described as "my longest and my best," and six papers about his research at Boston University ("all those papers were unimportant").<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Memory Yet Green |pages=584–585}}</ref>}} In 1955, he was promoted to [[tenure]]d associate professor. In December 1957, Asimov was dismissed from his teaching post, with effect from June 30, 1958, due to his lack of research. After a struggle over two years, he reached an agreement with the university that he would keep his title<ref>Multiple sources:
* Asimov, Isaac (1975) ''Buy Jupiter and Other Stories'', VGSF (1988 ed.), p. 112
* {{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=I. Asimov: A Memoir |date=1994|pages=195–200}}
* {{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=The Tragedy of the Moon |date=1973|pages=222–223|bibcode=1973trmo.book.....A }}</ref> and give the opening lecture each year for a biochemistry class.{{r|nichols19690803}} On October 18, 1979, the university honored his writing by promoting him to full professor of biochemistry.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=I. Asimov: A Memoir |date=1994|page=199}}</ref> Asimov's personal papers from 1965 onward are archived at the university's [[Mugar Memorial Library]], to which he donated them at the request of curator Howard Gotlieb.<ref>{{cite book |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |title=In Joy Still Felt |pages=353–355}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://hgar-srv3.bu.edu/collections/collection?id=121382 |access-date=July 27, 2016 |title=Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center: Asimov, Isaac (1920–1992) |archive-date=August 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814170104/http://hgar-srv3.bu.edu/collections/collection?id=121382 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1959, after a recommendation from [[Arthur Obermayer]], Asimov's friend and a scientist on the [[U.S. missile defense]] project, Asimov was approached by [[DARPA]] to join Obermayer's team. Asimov declined on the grounds that his ability to write freely would be impaired should he receive [[classified information]], but submitted a paper to DARPA titled "On Creativity"<ref name="technologyreview.com">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2014/10/20/169899/isaac-asimov-asks-how-do-people-get-new-ideas/ |access-date=April 1, 2021 |date=October 20, 2014 |title=Isaac Asimov Asks, 'How Do People Get New Ideas?' |magazine=[[MIT Technology Review]] |archive-date=April 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401040048/https://www.technologyreview.com/2014/10/20/169899/isaac-asimov-asks-how-do-people-get-new-ideas/ |url-status=live }}</ref> containing ideas on how government-based science projects could encourage team members to think more creatively.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-write-stuff-asimovs-secret-cold-war-mission-jc8k5w9pb7b |access-date=October 27, 2014 |date=October 27, 2014 |title=The write stuff: Asimov's secret Cold War mission |last=Dean |first=James |newspaper=[[The Times]] |archive-date=October 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027182242/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/technology/article4248519.ece |url-status=live }}</ref>