UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #816
PALMENBERG, ANN

PALMENBERG, Ann (1948- )
Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Institute for Molecular Virology
At UW: 1970-1975, 1978-

Interviewed: 2007	
Interviewer: Sandy Pfahler
Length: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Early years and education; St. Lawrence College; Graduate study at UW; University of Zurich; Postdoc at UW; Research; Faculty position; Teaching; Honors and awards; Campus climate for women; Students; Leisure.

First Interview Session (January 26, 2007): Tapes 1-2
								
Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:23	Anne Palmenberg was born in Maryland in 1948.  Her father was in the Army and her mother was a teacher.  She was raised in Nanuet, New York.

00:02:30	She talks about her high school education.

00:03:35	AP took advantage of her proximity to New York City and going to museums and musical performances.

00:05:28	Both of her parents had completed college.

00:06:01	She wanted to go to MIT to study chemistry and math.  Her mother wanted her to go to a liberal arts college and encouraged her to go to St. Lawrence College.

00:08:30	AP majored in chemistry, biology, and math at St. Lawrence.

00:12:21	During her junior year she decided she wanted to pursue graduate study in biochemistry; she chose to attend UW-Madison.

00:16:08	She talks about visiting Madison during the summer of the Sterling Hall bombing.  AP found the “intellectual turmoil” on campus to be invigorating.
	
00:18:38	She discusses her graduate courses in biochemistry.  She completed her PhD in 1975.

00:25:40	For the following three years she worked as a postdoc at the University of Zurich on tumor virology.  She talks about living in Switzerland, and she compares and contrasts the academic system there with that at UW.

00:35:00	One of her mentors invited her back to UW as a postdoc at the Virology Institute.

00:36:31	She worked with Roland Ruckert, who was studying polio viruses.  She accidentally discovered a new protease.

00:38:50	AP won an NIH fellowship; at this time she converted from a postdoc to a scientist-track position funded on the fellowship.  She trained a couple of students and taught large biochemistry courses.

00:42:45	She comments on the place of women in biochemistry.

00:43:40	She talks about the Virology Institute and the filling of faculty positions.  AP found that she had no possibility of converting her position into a faculty job because mentors selected all the candidates; there was no application process.

00:45:28	She ultimately joined the faculty in 1987.

00:46:30	Structural biology was booming in the 1980s.

00:46:46	End of side.

Tape 1/Side 2

00:46:47	Ann Palmenberg talks about being passed over for faculty positions in structural biology in the 1980s, despite being in demand for her cutting-edge research.

00:49:28	Virginia Henshaw was instrumental in offering AP a tenure position in Veterinary Science. She maintained an appointment in the Virology Institute.

00:52:15	Her grants brought in most of the overhead of the department.  Bruce Christensen wanted to move the department out of CALS and into the Vet School; AP disagreed and threatened to leave.  She went to Roger Walsh and the biochemistry department and insisted that she stay in CALS.

01:00:15	She discusses her teaching, including courses on bioinformatics and sequence analysis.

01:07:25	AP most enjoys the process of discovery in science, although various professional commitments have diminished the time she spends in research.

01:10:25	She discusses honors and awards she has received, including Vilas and WARF professorships.

01:13:48	The climate for women on campus has changed for the better at entry level.  However, the standards for promotion are biased towards men who have a family support system.

01:22:35	AP discusses changes in the characteristics and qualities of students in biochemistry.

01:27:13	She talks about her leisure time.

01:33:09	She talks about her family.

01:33:30	End of side.  End of tape.

Tape 2/Side 1

00:00:00	Ann Palmenberg continues to talk about her family.

00:01:10	End of side.  End of tape.  End of interview.

END