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Marvin Druger Papers

A description of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Anna E. Shuff
Date: 2025

Biography

Marvin Druger (b. 1934) is a biologist, science educator and professor emeritus of biology and science education at Syracuse University. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and received his bachelor of science degree in biology from Brooklyn College. He received his master of arts in zoology and Ph.D. in genetics from Columbia University. After completing his doctoral work in 1961, Druger received a year-long National Institute of Health Post-Doctoral Fellowship to do research in Sydney, Australia with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. Upon the conclusion of his fellowship in 1962, Druger accepted a position as a dual assistant professor in science teaching and zoology at Syracuse University, where he taught for 45 years before receiving emeritus status in 2008. Druger estimates that he taught over 40,000 students, many through the introductory biology classes BIO 121 and 123. In addition to being part of his teaching duties, these introductory courses were also a subject of scholarly interest to Druger, who saw them as a way to give students a sense of belonging at Syracuse University and an enthusiasm for science in addition to teaching them the course material. Druger was known for a teaching style which took science education outside the classroom. He had a weekly radio show on WAER-FM, "Druger’s Zoo," a newsletter called Bionews and Bioviews, and a game show on Syracuse’s University Union Television network called "The Bio Answers Show," where he explained the answers to questions on his class exams and raffled off prizes. Over the course of his career, Druger served as president of several organizations in the field, including the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE), and the Society for College Science Teachers. In addition to these roles, Druger also served as the secretary of the Education Section (Q) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Druger has received numerous accolades for his teaching work, including the NSTA’s Robert Carleton Award and the Honorary Emeritus Member Award from the ASTE. In 1997, he was named a Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence by Syracuse University.

Scope and Content Note

The Marvin Druger Papers contain teaching materials, media, memorabilia, research files, correspondence, writings, publications and other materials from his time as a professor at Syracuse University.

The Media series consists of VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs, floppy disks, cassette tapes, and open-reel audio and video tapes relating to Marvin Druger's career as a science educator and professor at Syracuse University, including recordings of radio and television programs created by or featuring Druger including "The Bio Answers Show," recorded audio and video lessons, course materials, writings, presentation slides, grant and program proposals, and other materials pertaining to Druger's career as an author and science educator.

The rest of the collection is unprocessed, not included in the inventory, and unavailable for research.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Access to audiovisual media requires advance notice to produce a listening copy.

Only the media portion of this collection has been processed. Unprocessed materials are closed to researchers.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

More information on Marvin Druger can be found in the Syracuse University Clipping Files. Druger also has a file in the Syracuse University Portrait Collection.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Druger, Marvin.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- Department of Biology.

Subjects

Science teachers -- Training of -- United States.
Biology -- Study and teaching.
Biology.
Nonfiction radio programs.
Science -- Study and teaching.
Television in biology education.
Zoology.
Biology teachers.
College teachers.
Higher education.
Zoology teachers.

Types of Material

Articles.
Audiocassettes.
Bookmarks.
Books.
Brochures.
Bumper stickers.
CD-Rs.
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence.
DVDs.
Faculty papers.
Floppy disks.
Instructional materials.
Magazines (periodicals)
Memorabilia.
Open reel audiotapes.
Open reel videotapes.
Photographs.
Slides (photographs)
Sound recordings.
Syllabi.
Typescripts.
U-matic (TM)
VHS.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Marvin Druger Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Marvin Druger between 2007 and 2024.

Processing Information

Only media has been processed in this collection. The remainder of the collection is unprocessed, and not open to researchers.

Arrangement

Media is arranged in alphabetical order. The rest of the collection is unprocessed and remains in its original order.

Table of Contents

Media

Inventory