UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #799
ALLEN, CAITILYN

ALLEN, Caitilyn (1957- )
Professor of Plant Pathology in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; affiliate appointment in the Women’s Studies Program
At UW: 1991-

Interviewed: 2006	
Interviewer: Sandy Pfahler
Length: 2 hours

Abstract: Early life and education in Germany and New York; undergraduate studies at the University of Maine; Ph.D. studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute; post-doctoral work in Lyon, France; research on bacterial wilt; Dual appointment at UW in Women’s Studies and Plant Pathology; teaching and research; campus climate for women in science; campus committees and professional organizations; family and personal life.

Interview Session (August 15, 2006): Tapes 1-2

Time	Keywords
00:00:00  [Begin Tape 1/Side 1] Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction

00:00:31  	Allen was born in 1957 in Gotingen, Germany.  Her father was a history professor.  Her mother was a librarian.  She has 3 siblings.  She discusses the humanities orientation of the family.  Family trips to a cabin in Upper Michigan.

00:02:20  	She talks about attending public schools and her interest in the sciences.  Reading science fiction, the Time-Life Nature Series.

00:03:21  	She mentions important junior high biology teachers in Buffalo, NY.

00:04:51  	She talks about high school in Buffalo.  Extra-curricular activities.  

00:05:30  	She mentions that none of her relatives are scientists.  Her grandfather was a doctor.

00:06:49  	She talks about deciding where to go to college.  She ultimately decided to attend Swarthmore.  She discusses her double major in English and Biology.

00:08:31  	She transferred to the University of Maine.  She decided to major in botany.

00:09:20  	She talks about working on an organic farm in southern Maine.  

00:10:24  	She talks about a summer job working for Frank Caruso, a plant pathologist at U Maine.  Studying diseases of the apple tree.

00:11:36  	She decided to attend graduate school in plant pathology.  She ended up going to school at the UW.  Working with Luis Secura.  Funding at UW.

00:13:42  	She left after one year because her boyfriend/future husband was not able to get into the Wildlife program.  The transferred to Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Fall 1981 and did her Ph.D. there with George Lacy.  She finished in 1986.

00:14:14  	Research on plant cell wall degrading enzymes.

00:14:52  	She talks about her dis-satisfaction with her program.  She thinks going there was a “mistake.”  She also didn’t enjoy some parts of Southern culture.

00:16:31  	Shortcomings in the molecular biology laboratory.

00:16:52  	The lack of cultural activities and people with similar beliefs and interests.

00:18:10  	Teaching plant pathology.

00:18:41  	She moved to France as soon as she finished her Ph.D.  Two years of post-doctoral studies in Lyon (1986-88).  Working in a female-dominated lab.  She was the only American in the lab.

00:22:17  	The collaborative nature of work in the lab.  

00:24:52  	She talks about learning French and language barriers at the lab.

00:26:01  	She talks about her husband’s desire to move to Madison.  She was able to find a post-doc at UW in Secura’s lab.  

00:27:17  	KA had a daughter in 1990.  She and her husband separated while she was pregnant.

00:28:40  	She talks about her research in plant bacteria.  Bacterial wilt.

00:29:44  	Grant funding from the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

00:30:57  	She talks about starting to look for a job in 1991.  

00:31:17  	End of Side.

Tape 1/Side 2

00:31:09  	She talks about the position at UW that she eventually took.  She explains how the dual appointment in Women’s Studies and Physical Science evolved.

00:32:31  	She discusses some of her teaching assignments while doing her post-doc and the creation of her position.

00:33:41  	She talks about some of the courses that she teaches.

00:34:08  	She talks about the tenure process.  She remarried in 1994 and had a second child in 1995.  This complicated the tenure process.

00:36:10   Funding and publications.  She enjoyed teaching in Women’s Studies, but had to learn a great deal of new information to put together the courses.

00:38:50  	She talks about learning how to mentor graduate students.  

00:40:50  	She discusses her research during her years as an assistant professor and her concern about getting tenure. 

00:41:01  	She talks about her success as a teacher.

00:42:34  	She talks about the “imperfect” nature of her laboratory facilities.  Her ability to grow plants for her research is limited.

00:44:01  	She discusses some of the research projects done in her lab in recent years.

00:46:52  	She talks about research on geranium bacterial wilting.  This led to study of a type of bacteria that  is listed as a potential bio-weapon.  She discusses how this has limited and affected ability to do research.

00:52:57  	Travel to Guatemala to study geranium pathogens.  Collaborative research with tomatoes

00:57:44  	She talks about a 2004 importation of infected geraniums from Guatemala.  Effect on the local economy/jobs.  Social conditions in South America.

01:01:02  	Allen starts to talk about her involvement in campus committees and groups.

01:02:28  	End of Side. End of Tape.

Tape 2/Side 1

00:00:01  	She continues to discuss committee work.  Search committee for the Associate Vice-Chancellor for Diversity and Climate.  Investigation of faculty criminal behavior.

00:02:40  	She talks about service in her department.  Graduate program director.  Associate chair of department. 

00:03:12  	She discusses the climate for women at UW.  She talks about increased awareness of the issue on campus.  She talks about some problems she had during her career.

00:04:59  	When she was in graduate school in the early 1980s, there were only 3 female professors in plant pathology in the US.  Currently 7 of the 20 professors in the UW department are female.

00:06:51  	She believes gender can be “left off the table” in the department now.  

00:07:45  	She talks about the culture in science more generally.  Intense competition for jobs, grant funding, publications.  Many scientists are severely over-worked.

00:09:03  	She talks about balancing work and family life.  Women still carry the burden in taking care of the family.

00:12:29  	Allen talks about her students.  There tends to be more female graduate students.  She talks about why some women opt out of a career in science.

00:16:19  	CA talks about her involvement with professional organizations.  Collaborative opportunities.  “Expanding your Horizons”- a program for middle-school girls.

00:19:09  	She talks about the traditional outlook of some professional societies.  

00:20:25  	She discusses some honors and awards that she’s won.  Teaching awards.  She was a founding director of the Women in Science and Engineering dorm (1995-2000).  The program won a national award.

00:26:02  	Allen talks about her personal life and family activities.  She has a hard time balancing between in work and family.  She has two daughters.  

00:28:00  	She talks about her parents.  

00:28:50  	Reading and cooking.  Camping and hiking.

00:30:35  	She talks about the future of women in science.

00:31:22  	End of Side.

Tape 2/Side 2
										
00:31:33  	She continues to discuss women in science and long-term changes in the field.  

00:35:18  	End of Side.  End of Tape.  End of Interview.

END