Counteracting Hate with Positive Diversity Stories, 2017

Overview

Deborah [Levine and Terry Howard] decided to write about the special relationship between Dr. Michael Feld, a Jew from New York, and the late Dr.​ Ronald E. McNair [PhD '77], an African-American from South Carolina...The story begins with Dr. Feld who became a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty in 1968, having received his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees at there. During his 52 years at MIT he directed the George R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory and was well known in the field of quantum optics. He later directed MIT’s Laser Biomedical Research Center. His tenure overlapped with MIT’s Jewish president, Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner whose background as President Kennedy’s science advisor may have influenced Feld’s own work on behalf of minority students, staff and faculty. Feld was particularly fond of his relationship with Ron McNair.