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THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE
RIVER CAMPUS STATION
ROCHESTER 20, NEW YORK

 

BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES

September 30, 1957

Professor J. Lederberg

c/o Professor S. D. Rubbo
Department of Bacteriology
Melbourne University
Carlton N3, Vic., Australia

Dear Professor Lederberg:

This is a copy of a letter, dated September 25, 1957, I sent to
you. at the University of Wisconsin. I should Like to ask you to help
me in finding the right persons for appointments that we wish to make
in this department effective September 1, 1958.

You. may have learned that Ken Cooper has accepted a very attrac-
tive graduate research professorship at The University of Florida,
Gainesville. In anticipation of Gus Doermann's Leaving for Vanderbilt
after his current year's leave of absence, and desiring to maintain a
strong, active genetics program here, we wish to appoint an outstanding
geneticist, and probably two, to our group. At the present time, our
geneticists include Jakov Krivshenfo, Martha Chase and myself (the
former two being Research Associates). I am, of course, interested in
bacterial transformation, and will continue to work in that field. We
would like to have join us a geneticist of higher organisms and a
microbial or chemical geneticist. At least one of these appointments
can be made at a high level, and both will be regular faculty appoint-
ments.

Our department is pretty much devoted to quantitative and experi-
mental investigations of biological phenomena, principally at the
cellular and molecular levels. The faculty appointments we seek are
of men who are active scientists in their fields, stimulating developers
of research work and of students, and good scientist-teachers (rather
than pedagogues). We seek to furnish each staff member with equivalent,
and not heavy, teaching loads, with adequate services and facilities
for first-class research, and with opportunities to train graduate
students and post-doctoral investigators. Under Ken Cooper we have
made considerable progress in creating a strong department with inter-
related interests (the main areas represented are genetics, development,
biochemistry and physiology), and we have every intention of continuing
in this direction. For all our appointments we intend to provide the
best possible conditions for an active and fruitful academic career.

By September 1958 our department will consist of ten regular
faculty members, which will include at least one geneticist besides
myself, a macromolecular biologist to be appointed, plus Johannes

Holtfreter, embryologist; William Muchmore, physiological embryologist;
Professor J. Lederberg ~2- September 30, 1957

Shinya Inoué, cellular biologist; and Thomas Punnett, photosynthesis
biochemist. We are going to expand in staff size and in talents
represented over the next few years. By next Fall, we shall have

over twenty full-time graduate students, and this number too will be
increasing steadily. We are quite proud of the accomplishments of

our recent Ph.D. candidates, who include Frank Stahl, now with Delbruck
at Cal Tech, Dave Krieg, now at Oak Ridge, Bob Edgar, now at the Pasteur
Institute, and Don Ridgeway, on his way to Linus Pauling's laboratory.
We have quite a good group of graduate students at the present time,
some of whom are almost ready to embark upon research work in genetics.
It will be our continuing policy to seek candidates of the highest
caliber for graduate degrees, believing that, in doing so, we shall

be constantly improving our department.

I should add a few remarks about the amount and kind of teaching
that our new staff appointments would be called upon to do. Each of
us in the department teaches about a course per semester, handles two
to three graduate students, gives an advanced graduate course on a bi-
or tri-annual basis. The persons we are seeking to appoint would be
asked to teach on this basis and to offer courses from among the
following:

Genetics - a modern one-semester course, with laboratory, for advanced
undergraduate and first-year graduate students.

Cytogenetics - an advanced course on the architecture of genetic systems.

Heredity and Evolution - preferably an undergraduate course.

Biochemical Genetics

Phenogenetics or Developmental Genetics

Genetics of Microorganisms

I myself supervise and participate in the General Biology course, enjoy
it very much, and plan to continue at that. I should also point out
that most of our laboratory instruction is done by graduate assistants.

You can aid us considerably by furnishing me with the names and
addresses of a few persons who, in your estimation, would possess the
qualities and qualifications we are seeking and who may be interested
in the kind of appointment I have described. It should be understood,
of course, that the rank offered will be commensurate with scholarly
attainment and experience of the individual.

Finally, I would like to say that the circumstances under which
Ken Cooper and Gus Doermann are leaving for new posts do not at all
reflect poorly on the conditions and future of this department. If
you care to consult with either person, you are encouraged to do so,
Professor J. Lederberg -3- September 30, 1957

for they have kindly consented to discuss frankly the opportunities

existing in this department for a fruitful academic and scientific
career.

I shall write to the persons you suggest and furnish them with
detailed information about the appointments to be made.

With best regards and many thanks,

Yours sincerely,

Abb) ko

Arnold W. Ravin
Assistant Professor of Biology
Chairman, Department of Biology

AWR: jp