Mary Wiegele, family and friends of Professor Wiegele

Professor Thomas C. Wiegele was a long-time faculty member in NIU’s Department of Political Science, founder/director of the University’s Program for Biosocial Research and a Presidential Research Professor at NIU. One of the first persons in the nation to work in the new field of biosocial research, Professor Wiegele was a founding member and executive director of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences, and editor of the journal, Politics and the Life Sciences. As a scholar, Wiegele not only influenced how social scientists think about theoretical problems but how they conduct research. Wiegele applied his talents and energy to teaching and working with students. He designed the only formal graduate program in biopolitics in the world in the mid 1980s. Wiegele left an impressive legacy on NIU by dedicating a major portion of his professional career to establishing and nurturing the graduate field in biopolitics.