title: Problems in the institutionalization of tropical biology: the case of the Barro Colorado Island Biological Laboratory.
abstract: This article examines the changing status of tropical biology by considering the origins and early development of the Barro Colorado Island Biological Laboratory. Today the laboratory is part of a large diversified tropical research center operated by the Smithsonian Institution. However, for most of its history the laboratory led a tenuous existence. Both the early problems and eventual success of the institution can only be explained by considering the interaction of various intellectual, institutional, and broader social factors.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Radford University, Virginia 24142.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Hagen
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000266:history; D001695:Biology / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D007753:Laboratories / Q000266:history*; D010177:Panama Canal Zone; D014330:Tropical Medicine / Q000266:history* / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States