Robert W. Newburgh (b. 1922) joined the faculty of Oregon State College in 1953 as a research associate in the Chemistry Department. He became an Assistant Professor the following year and was promoted through the faculty ranks to Professor in 1961. Newburgh was appointed the acting chair of the Biochemistry and Biophysics Department when it was established in 1967 and was named chair in 1968; he served as Director of the Science Research Institute from 1971 to 1974. Newburgh became Dean of the Graduate School in 1976, a position he held until he left OSU in 1979 to become Section Head for Molecular and Genetic Biosciences at the National Science Foundation. Newburgh officially retired from Oregon State in late 1981 and was awarded emeritus status. Newburgh's research was in the field of developmental and cell biology, using primarily insects and cell cultures as models. He focused on the neural development of a variety of organisms.

In this interview, Newburgh reflects on his path through academia, his research, and his institutional memories of OSU. Interview conducted by Mike Dicianna in Corvallis, Oregon for inclusion in the History of Science Oral History Collection (OH 17), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.