Chapter 1: Fletcher Guard Watson: Setting an Agenda for Science Education

It was terrific working at the Harvard College Observatory for four years despite an interruption of service in the armed forces during the war, but in 1946 it was a bit disconcerting being summoned to President James Bryant Conant’s office. Not only was Conant president of Harvard University, but he was also the man who had taken on the task of transforming Harvard into an increasingly diverse and world-class research university (Conant, 1945). For Fletcher Watson, it had been a long, but interesting road to get to this point in a career. It seemed like such a long time ago deciding on astronomy as a career. Then getting into Pomona College, graduating in 1933 with a degree in astronomy and then a PhD in astronomy at Harvard. But why did Conant want to see Harlow Shapley’s research assistant at the College Observatory and not Shapley himself?