Mary Palevsky Granados: Questioner Transforms into Nuclear Historian

Much of our history risks being lost if it isn’t recorded. In this episode, Su Kim Chung speaks with nuclear historian Dr. Mary Palevsky Granados about her vital work preserving Nevada’s history. We begin by exploring Dr. Palevsky Granados’s rich cultural heritage and the profound influence of her family history. From there, we dive into her career path, entrepreneurial spirit, and research journey. Our conversation highlights how her efforts have advanced historical documentation across Nevada and the key factors behind the success of her project. We also delve into the new research her work has inspired, what she found most compelling about gathering personal histories through interviews, and how her students played a pivotal role in the project’s success. Dr. Palevsky Granados is undoubtedly one of the most influential women working to safeguard Nevada’s past. Don’t miss this compelling conversation on her life, legacy, and research!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Insight into Dr. Palevsky Granados’s role in preserving the history of Nevada.
• Her early life as the grandchild of immigrants from Eastern Europe.
• The impact of her mother and father’s work and her grandmother’s activism in Russia. 
• How her entrepreneurial work prepared her for success in research.
• Gathering data via oral history and the stories of local Nevadans. 
• The Nevada Desert Experience’s work and peace protests by religious folk. 
• An interview between peace activists Corbin Harney and Rosemary Lynch in 2005.
• How Dr. Palevsky Granados’s work has been used by historians and residents. 
• The role of test site workers in the building of the city of Las Vegas.
• Different perspectives on Nevada and Dr. Palevsky Granados’s insights on her native students. 
• Challenges of the subject matter and process she faced while doing her research.
• Interviews and experiences with miners. 
• Major stories that facilitated Dr. Palevsky Granados’s success in Nevada. 
• Why she attributes so much of her success to her students.
• One of the research endeavors that emerged from this project.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Mary Palevsky Granados

Dr. Mary Palevsky Granados UNLV Special Collections Portal

Dr. Mary Palevsky Granados Email

Dr. Mary Palevsky Granados on C-SPAN Networks
Nevada Test Site Oral History Project
'Cold War Technoscience in Nevada'
The Size of the Risk
Atomic Fragments: A Daughter’s Questions

'Daughter of Atomic Bomb Builders to Discuss Moral Issues Confronted by Manhattan Project Scientists'
Interview with Corbin Harney and Rosemary Lynch
Nevada Desert Experience

Claytee White
Su Kim Chung

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