Philip C. Hanawalt : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Philip C. Hanawalt, the Dr. Morris Herzstein Professor in Biology, Emeritus, speaks about his career in biology and his sixty-plus years at Stanford. Hanawalt describes his upbringing and his unique educational experiences at Deep Springs College and Oberlin College, which helped nurture his interest in biophysics. Hanawalt recalls being recruited as a researcher in Stanford’s biophysics laboratory in the early 1960s and his appointment to the Department of Biological Sciences faculty in 1965. He reflects on the contribution of his research on DNA repair; working with students; interactions with colleagues at and beyond Stanford; and the changes he observed in the Department of Biological Sciences over his career. Other topics include Stanford’s biology facilities; the field of DNA repair research; academic culture; and the Committee on the Professoriate.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | July 22, 2021 - 2021-07-27 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Hanawalt, Philip C., 1931- | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Hanawalt, Philip C., 1931- | |
| Interviewer | Schofield, Susan W. | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Hanawalt, Philip C., 1931- |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Biological Sciences |
| Subject | DNA > Synthesis |
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Dermatology |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Phil Hanawalt is the Dr. Morris Herzstein Professor of Biology at Stanford University, where he has been on the faculty since 1961, served as department chair from 1982 to 1989, and directed the Biophysics Graduate Program for fourteen years. Hanawalt received his BA from Oberlin College, earned MS in physics and PhD in biophysics at Yale University, and held postdoctoral fellowships at University of Copenhagen and Caltech before joining the Stanford faculty in 1961. He has mentored twenty-nine PhD students and more than sixty postdoctoral scholars from over thirty countries. He has received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Northern California Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the Peter and Helen Bing Award for Distinguished Teaching at Stanford, the Allen V. Cox Medal for Faculty Excellence Fostering Undergraduate Research at Stanford, and the Mentoring Award from the Environmental Mutagen Society (EMS). He has served as President of the EMS, on the Board of Directors for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and as a Trustee of Oberlin College. He was Co-founding Editor of the journal, DNA Repair: Mutation Research, on the Board of Reviewing Editors for Science, a Senior Editor for Cancer Research, and on the Editorial Board for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. Dr. Hanawalt is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science; also a Foreign Associate of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). He has won annual research awards from the American Society for Photobiology and the EMS, as well as the International Mutation Research Award. He won the AACR-Princess Takamatsu Award/Lectureship in 2011. He was a Senior Scholar of the Ellison Medical Research Foundation, and he has held an Outstanding Investigator Research Grant from the National Cancer Institute, NIH, for fourteen years. He has received an honorary doctorate from Oberlin College, and the Doctor Honoris Causa from University of Bio Bio (Chile), University of Seville (Spain) and University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). Dr. Hanawalt organized the first international workshop on DNA repair, at Squaw Valley, California in 1974 and he has organized many meetings since then, including several Gordon Conferences and the 9th International Conference on Environmental Mutagens in 2005 in San Francisco. He chaired the Gordon Research Conference on “DNA damage, mutation and cancer” in 2014, and celebrated a half-a-century since his co-discovery of DNA excision-repair in 1964. Several decades later Hanawalt and his students discovered transcription-coupled repair (TCR). TCR was documented in mammalian cells, in E. coli, and in yeast chromosomal and plasmid borne genes. The discovery of TCR in Hanawalt’s laboratory has had profound implications for the fields of mutagenesis, environmental carcinogenesis, and risk assessment. Hanawalt’s recent research is focused upon the effects of DNA lesions and unusual structures on transcription elongation by various RNA polymerases, with particular emphasis upon formation of transcription-dependent R-loops, and on the examination of responses to oxidative injury in cells from patients of the DNA repair deficient disorders xeroderma pigmentosum, Cockayne syndrome and UV-sensitive syndrome. |
|---|---|
| Summary Part 1 | Part 1 [00:00:00 – 00:30:00] Hanawalt family history • Impact of Great Depression on parents’ lives • Father’s work at Dow Chemical • Growing up in Midland, Michigan • Childhood memories and interests, including chemistry experiments • Appearing before the draft board to request academic deferments • Interest in science; Westinghouse Science Talent Search • Experience at Deep Springs College, including work-study jobs • A memorable conversation with biophysicist Robley Williams • Deep Springs today • Transition to Oberlin College and a growing interest in physics • Student life at Oberlin; co-ops [00:30:00 – 00:59:01] Path to Yale’s Biophysics Department • Working with Harold Morowitz and Dick Setlow • Research on how ultraviolet light affects DNA synthesis • Early publications • Post-doc at University of Copenhagen with Ola Maaløe • Second post-doc at Caltech with Robert Sinsheimer • Disappointment at not being credited for work on control of replication cycle • Mentorship from Max Delbrück • A chance meeting with friend Jim Wolf in Copenhagen |
| Summary Part 2 | Part 2 [00:00:00 – 00:30:50] Recruitment to biophysics laboratory at Stanford by Henry Kaplan • Paying own salary out of grants during the early 1960s • Efforts to establish a biophysics department being turned down by Provost Fred Terman • Evolution of biophysics as an interdepartmental program; early graduate students • Continued research on DNA synthesis and repair • Collaboration with Reiji Okazaki • Research related to DNA repair by James Cleaver, Dick Setlow, and Aziz Sancar • Sources of fulfilment in his science career • Appointment to Stanford’s Department of Biological Sciences • Facilities at Stanford’s Herrin Lab • Support from Charles Yanofsky • Relationship between the Department of Biological Sciences and the biophysics program • Joint appointment in Dermatology • Research on role of DNA damage in aging; RecQ gene [00:30:51 – 00:59:39] Biology at Stanford in the 1960s and 1970s • First wife’s struggles with alcohol • Divorce and raising his sons • Invitation to conference in Brazil and meeting second wife Graciela Spivak • Spivak’s background in genetics • Breadth of Stanford’s Biology Department • Chairing the Biology Department during the 1980s • Friendship with Paul Ehrlich and other colleagues • Working with deans and administration as chair, particularly Bill Chace • Space issues and fundraising for the Gilbert Building • Biologists in leadership positions at Stanford: Norm Wessells, Don Kennedy • Memorable faculty hires • Women in the Biology Department: Pat Jones, Sharon Long |
| Summary Part 3 | Part 3 [00:00:00 – 00:30:52] Hopkins Marine Station and Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve • Carnegie Institute of Plant Biology • Relationship between biology work in the School of Humanities and Sciences and the Medical School • Hanawalt’s lab group and their research • Annual lab trip to Asilomar • Working with undergraduates in the lab • Teaching freshman seminars • Evolution and importance of Hanawalt’s DNA repair research; discovery of transcription-coupled repair • Interactions with Stanford’s Biochemistry faculty [00:30:53 – 00:57:16] DNA repair and CRISPR • Benefits of interdisciplinary research at Stanford • Approach to teaching • Impact of the creation of the Human Biology program on the Biology Department • Love of teaching freshman seminars • Success of students, including Jonathan Eisen • Service on the California Committee on Environmental Health Hazards re the handling of radioactive material at Stanford • Service on Committee on the Professoriate; policies related to principal investigator status; advocating for senior scientist Ann Ganesan |
| Summary Part 4 | Part 4 [00:00:00 – 00:36:51] Publications • Elected fellowships and professional service • Academic journal editorial boards; founding the journal DNA Repair • Professional meetings at ski resorts, including the Keystone Symposia • Gordon Conferences • Work on NIH study sections • Sabbaticals • International students and building friendships around the world • Time spent in Japan [00:36:52– 01:13:16] Political unrest on campus during the 1960s: Bruce Franklin case • Loma Prieta earthquake • Lab reunion for seventy-fifth birthday at Stanford’s Sierra Camp • Thoughts on COVID-19 and vaccines • Changes at Stanford over fifty-plus years • Land use and buildings • Thoughts on collegiality and breadth in the Biology Department • Bio-X at Stanford • Decision to retire • Writing in retirement |
| Audio/Video |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/pr166cq4858 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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