UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM
Interview #1401
CRAMER, JANE
CRAMER, JANE (1942-)
Associate Director for the Center for Biology Education
At UW: 1977-1981; 1996-2014
Interviewed:
Interviewer:
Index by:
Length:
April 1, 2014
Troy Reeves
Jill Fuller
35 minutes, 32 seconds
Abstract: In her 2014 interview with Troy Reeves, Jane Cramer talks about her work as
the Associate Director of the Center for Biology Education (later the Institute for Biology
Education) from 1996 until her retirement in 2014. She discusses her involvement with
several CBE projects, including the Undergraduate Symposium and a partnership with
the Morgridge Center for Public Service. She also talks about her interest in scientific
outreach and civic engagement. Cramer discusses her early years at UW-Madison as a
post-doctoral student in molecular microbiology, as well as her time working in the
private sector in the 1980s and 1990s. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the
UW-Madison Oral History Program.
Keywords: Molecular microbiology; post-doctoral student; biology; R.M. Bock
Laboratories; Center for Biology Education; Morgridge Center for Public Service;
Institute for Biology Education; Undergraduate Symposium; Biotechnology Center;
cross-campus perspective; Wisconsin Institute for Science Education and Community
Engagement (WISCIENCE); Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); Institute for
Biology Education (IBE).
First Interview Session (April 1, 2014): Digital File
Time
Keywords
00:00:00 Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction
00:00:35 Question: Why did you come to UW-Madison for your post-doctoral work? Answer:
Jane Cramer (JC) and her husband were both post-doctoral students and her husband
was offered a faculty position here. JC’s field is molecular microbiology so she was
also interested in Madison as a leading research institution. She had a research postdoctoral fellowship and worked in the molecular biology lab that is now the Bock
Labs. JC was in that position for three to four years and then moved into a scientist
sequence as a more permanent position. JC was most interested in scientific research
and did not want to teach. Her research grew to the point she was able to take on
graduate students and a post-doctoral fellow, although the lab director was the head of
Jane Cramer #1401
the lab. JC discusses her research work with the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae.
00:05:08 Question: Why did you move from UW to the private sector? Answer: JC says that
freedom and upward mobility influenced her move to the private sector. The
company was based in Madison and she describes the opportunities open to her
locally during the 1980s. She discusses the difference between prokaryotes and
eukaryotes.
00:07:40 Question: Why did you return to UW-Madison? Answer: JC’s company moved out of
Madison, but her focus in her profession had also shifted. Her company had been
focused on developing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and regulatory
approval processes were being developed as well. Her position shifted from research
to the Director of Regulatory Affairs. She describes what she did in that position. Her
professional interests shifted to teaching and learning because of that position so
when the opportunity came to return to UW-Madison, she had developed this new
focus and set of interests.
00:11:10 Question: What were the key aspects of your job as Associate Director for the Center
for Biology Education (CBE)? Answer: The job was a leadership position, but a broad
one. JC talks about the CBE’s history and development from its foundation in
1988/1989. The CBE focused on undergraduate work, faculty development, and
outreach. JC’s job was to handle operations and do programming in the above focus
areas. JC talks about the CBE’s hierarchical structure and staff numbers. It was
merged into the Institute for Biology Education in 2004.
00:15:43 Question: How much teaching and learning did you do in your position? Answer:
Teaching and learning was part of program development. In a leadership role, JC
could support and mentor her colleagues, which she counts as teaching and learning.
JC mentions the CBE’s Faculty Director position.
00:16:56 Question: Were there specific projects or programs you created that you feel strongly
about? Answer: JC describes a few programs she worked on, including an outreach
program with high school teachers and an undergraduate research program. She was
one of the founders of the Undergraduate Symposium which engages more than 500
undergraduate students. [Addendum: After the interview, JC noted that 630 students
and 345 faculty and staff mentors participated in Spring 2014.] JC also feels strongly
about her work with the Morgridge Center to engage undergraduate science majors in
civic activities and outreach, including working with children after school.
00:20:15 Question: Can you elaborate more on the Undergraduate Symposium? Answer: JC
discusses the reasons she and her colleagues developed the Undergraduate
Symposium. They felt that undergraduate research should be recognized on a campus
level and that students of different disciplines should be showcased together. Also,
events up to that time had not been available to the public and they felt a symposium
could show the community the opportunities that are here for students. Overall, they
felt it benefits the UW campus, the students, their mentors, and those looking at UW2
Jane Cramer #1401
Madison.
00:23:09 Question: Anything you want to say about the class in which students go out into the
community? Answer: JC feels she planted the seed for this class and that her
colleagues ran with it. JC discusses why it’s important for scientists to go into the
community and share their expertise to meet the needs of the people.
00:25:02 Question: Did you need to find funding for these projects and where did you find it?
Answer: JC talks about how the Symposium and the CBE were funded with campus
funds and some Howard Hughes funds. [Addendum: After the interview, JC noted the
Brittingham Trust’s generous support for the Symposium for many years.] She also
talks about the CBE’s partnership with the Morgridge Center and the funding sources
that came from that. As the size of the CBE grew, JC’s role shifted from a program
development one to an administrative one. JC talks about how she felt about this,
noting that she was fairly tolerant of it though there are limits to how long one can
tolerate the bureaucracy. JC talks briefly about the projects she started that didn’t
succeed.
00:28:30 Question: Where were you physically located during your 18 years here? Answer: JC
discusses the CBE’s original location in the Biotechnology Center. When the CBE
was absorbed into the Institute for Biology Education in 2004, it was moved to 445
Henry Mall.
00:29:43 Question: Talk more about the Center’s cross-campus perspective and why that’s
important? Answer: JC felt a cross-campus perspective was necessary to their work
since the CBE works across many boundaries on campus. A cross-campus
perspective provides a broader view of campus and creates a rich and creative
environment. JC talks about her appreciation for working across campus, which she
found very satisfying.
00:31:52 Question: Why did you retire? Answer: JC says the decision did not have anything to
do with the job or her colleagues but she felt she needed a sabbatical. However, since
the job had changed, she missed engaging with science directly. She also expresses a
desire to continue to be involved with UW-Madison.
00:33:30 Question: Anything else you want to say? Answer: JC talks about the changes she has
seen that occurred here and the challenges she has faced. She thinks there is now a
greater focus on collaboration, as well as more teaching and learning initiatives and
resources than there were when she started at UW. She also believes there is a
broader appreciation for diverse perspectives and backgrounds.
00:35:32 End of First Interview session.
Appendix: After concluding the interview, Cramer wished acknowledge faculty
leadership for the Center/Institute. She cited the importance of the directors’ vision and
dedication as vital to the institution’s growth and success. Their names are listed below
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with Cramer’s comments:
CBE/ICBE/IBE Directorship, 1988-2014:
Paul Williams, Professor of Plant Pathology (now emeritus), Founding Director, Center
for Biology Education, 1988-1995.
Millard Susman, Professor of Genetics (now emeritus) Director, CBE, 1995-2002. I
joined the Center shortly after Millard became the director.
David Nelson, Professor of Biochemistry (now emeritus) Director, CBE, 2002-2010.
Thomas Sharkey, Professor of Botany (now Professor and Department Chair of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University) Founding
Director, ICBE, 2004-2008
Teri Balzer, Associate Professor of Soil Science (now Professor of Soil and Ecosystem
Ecology, University of Florida) Director, ICBE, 2009-2011. ICBE was renamed
Institute for Biology Education during this period.
Janet Branchaw, Faculty Associate, Interim Director, IBE, 2011-2014. A self-study and
institutional review of IBE was conducted during this time and resulted in an
expanded mission and transformation of the Institute into WISCIENCE - Wisconsin
Institute for Science Education and Community Engagement.
Janet Branchaw, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, Director, WISCIENCE, 2014present.
Finally, Cramer provided the following synopsis the evolution of the Institute and her
position within it: “When the Institute for Cross-college Biology Education was created
in 2004 and CBE was folded into the Institute's structure, a new position of ICBE
Director, a 50% paid appointment, was created. The unpaid directorship of CBE
remained in place under this administrative umbrella until 2010 when administration of
CBE was fully absorbed into IBE and the CBE director position was dissolved. Over the
2004-2010 timeframe my position morphed from associate director of CBE into associate
director of IBE as I assumed the administrative leadership of the institute as a whole.”
Second Interview Session (April 1, 2014): Digital File
Time
Keywords
00:00:00 Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction
00:00:30 Question: You wanted to talk about the founding of CBE (now WISCIENCE)?
Answer: Starting in the 1980s, Cramer explained how the complex, far-flung biology
community on campus saw a need for collaboration across the campus on the issue of
teaching and learning biology. Key figures in this effort were James Stewart (C&I in
the School of Ed); Raymond Kessel (Medical Genetics); Paul Williams (Plant
Pathology); Dick Burgess (Ecology); and Wayne Becker (Botany), and they formed
an ad hoc working group on how to enhance undergrad biology education.
00:03:41 [no question] After these individuals shared their ideas with L&S Dean Phil Certain,
she explained, Certain encouraged Williams to pursue funding through the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute, which was pursuing an educational funding program. They
were successful in getting HHMI funds, which were matched by UW.
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00:06:09 [no question] She explained the founding principles of the center—to be collaborative, innovative, and entrepreneurial, being responsive to changes and needs as well
as the sustainability of programs. She explained the initial set-up, which avoided
being responsible to any one campus unit and avoided top-heavy administration.
00:07:54 [no question] Because the HHMI grant had asked for a range of activities, she
observed, BCE’s initial activities included a) faculty development; b) undergraduate
programming (though this was not classroom, but extra-mural programming); and
then outreach.
00:10:27 [no question] This initial CBE effort was highly successful, she thought, under an
efficient, small staff, the supervision of a steering committee and collaboration with a
number of external organizations. She also talked about how the CBE offices were in
the WARF building, and explained the challenges of this. She was the managing
director starting in 1991, and she expressed appreciation for directors who served
without pay--Millard Sussman became director in 1996.
00:13:40 [no question] She described CBE’s success getting extramural funding during this
early period—from UW System, state and federal funds, NSF, etc.
00:14:38 [no question] She also discussed the role of campus governance in CBE, since it was
an academic staff unit. She felt that the way CBE worked with faculty and its crosscampus existence validated its capacity to move from culture to culture.
00:16:26 [no question] She moved to talk about CBE’s 2001 self-study, which laid out the
structure and accomplishments of the unit. Some of the targeted feedback they
received was: to expand work with faculty and the importance of CBE being a neutral
forum for cross-campus input. One element of this study was to give direction to the
new director, Dave Nelson—since CBE was in some senses the “only game in town,”
it was tempting to proliferate programs, but this kind of expansion sometimes made it
difficult to be “light on one’s feet and entrepreneurial.”
00:20:14 [no question] At the same time, new teaching and learning initiatives were growing
on campus—the Teaching Academy, Engineering Learning Center, CIRTL.
00:21:18 [no question] Also, in 2002-03, the strategic committee of the biological division
committee undertook an investigation of undergraduate biology education on campus;
after an initial recommendation that a single unit should oversee the direction of all
biology education, Provost Peter Spear commissioned a committee to investigate how
to structure such an organization.
00:24:14 [no question] Continuing to talk about cross-campus biology education, she noted that
CBE, biology majors without homes, and introductory course sequences were the
three components that would come under such a cross-campus unit. Thus the Institute
for Cross-College Biology Education was formed (later named Inst. for Biology Ed).
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Jane Cramer #1401
00:27:21 [no question] After the initial experiment and the three year review under initial
director Thomas Sharkey, both the synergy and the discrepancies within the umbrella
structure were revealed. Sharkey wrote the initial review, but after Sharkey’s moving
to another institution IBE had a series of interim directors and studies, so that the
actual “5-year review” didn’t happen until 2012.
00:30:12 [no question] She noted that IBE continued much the same after Sharkey’s departure,
but with no institutional structure put in place, CBE functioned essentially as the
administrative hub for the Institute. At this point, CBE ceased to exist as such and her
position morphed into the assoc. dir. of IBE.
00:31:43 [no question] She talked about the directorship of Terry Balzer, who worked to
integrate and innovate in the introductory course sequences, which grew rapidly
under the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates.
00:33:09 [no question] When Balzer departed in 2011, Janet Branchaw became the interim (&
then permanent) director and completed the self-study. The decision was made at this
point to return the majors to academic departments, which limited the oversight that
IBE could have. While the experiment of having the majors out of the departments
had been temporary, she thought that it had been a success because it had allowed for
open conversations about the direction and vision for undergrad education.
00:36:08 [no question] After the majors were taken out, she observed, IBE had continued to
bring on external funding from HHMI and elsewhere, and a number of smaller
programs came into IBE.
00:39:25 [no question] She added that when IBE was formed in 2004, it was moved to 445
Henry Mall.
00:40:13 [no question] Continuing to talk about IBE’s future, she discussed the kinds of
activities in which IBE was involved, which still generated broad approval from the
university. She discussed how faculty and future faculty development continued to be
the heart of IBE’s mission, still with a disciplinary emphasis, which she discussed.
IBE’s outreach function was also reaffirmed in the self-study, which led to the
creation of the Biocommons at Steenbock Library.
00:45:13 [no question] After the self-study in 2012, she continued, the name was once again
changed as part of a recommendation that the institute have more of a natural sciences
focus and civic engagement. Hence the name WISCIENCE.
00:53:52 End of Second Interview Session
End of Oral History #1401.
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