Talk:Ellen Rothenberg (scientist)

Edit request on 29 May 2021
Please help me. I am Ellen V. Rothenberg, scientist. Is there any way that I can ask for the writing in my Early Life and Education to be made a little more accurate and professional-sounding? I tried to make similar corrections a couple of weeks ago but they were reverted because I was not allowed to edit my own page. Therefore I would like to request these changes via this talk page. No new sources are involved. The suggested additions or corrections are presented below in bold type (   ).

First, for the sake of historical accuracy, I would like to add: "Rothenberg's interest in science and mathematics was first encouraged and supported by her parents, Jerome and Winifred B. Rothenberg." Their influence in my early education was immense, active, and worthy of note, since young girls were definitely not encouraged to go into science by the wider community in those days. I believe you will find this information included explicitly in the same interview with Ute Deichmann as the other facts you cited, but at this time in history you might not be realizing how important that was at the time when I was young.

Second, I would also like to revise the clunky and misleading section in which the current text goes, "After earning her bachelor's degree, Rothenberg started a Harvard medical program, but decided that the course wasn't for her.[1] She eventually joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ..."

In fact, I was admitted to the Harvard-MIT Joint Program in Health Science and Technology (for an MD via Harvard Medical School) at the same time that I was admitted to the MIT Biology Department PhD program, in September 1972. I simply dropped the Harvard part of the program (January 1973); but I was already in the MIT Biology PhD program and did not "eventually" join the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It would be more accurate to write,

"After earning her bachelor's degree, Rothenberg started in the Harvard-MIT Joint Program in Health Science and Technology, but decided that she did not want to pursue the MD.[1] She continued her Ph.D. research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,..."

Finally, I did not "work toward a doctorate with David Baltimore"; I earned a doctorate with David Baltimore. The current text makes it appear that I dropped out. However, my PhD thesis (January 1977) was in fact completed under David Baltimore's supervision. I think "where she worked toward a doctorate with David Baltimore" should be replaced by,

"where she earned her doctorate with David Baltimore in 1977."

I am glad to answer any questions about this request. --  I may be contacted by my readily available email address at Caltech if you have questions.2600:1700:4810:D130:45DB:30FE:1EDB:AC5F (talk) 00:27, 6 June 2021 (UTC)

Ellen V. Rothenberg   2600:1700:4810:D130:45DB:30FE:1EDB:AC5F (talk) 00:27, 6 June 2021 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:1700:4810:D130:493F:9D46:F009:8047 (talk) 19:49, 29 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Replaced admin help template with edit request one. Rotideypoc41352 (talk · contribs) 01:51, 6 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Please feel free to use the edit request wizard if you find it helpful. Cannot guarantee my implementations will stay—if not, a discussion here should follow, likely about improving the article with secondary sources that are independent from the subject and that have some editorial oversight. Rotideypoc41352 (talk · contribs) 03:33, 6 June 2021 (UTC)