Thomas S. Hays
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
Thomas S. Hays was born in Winter Haven, a citrus-growing area in central Florida. His father was a physical education teacher and then principal of an elementary school, his mother also a physical education teacher. He has one brother and three sisters. His father loved tennis and forced the children out to the courts every Saturday morning. Thomas was a competitive player on the state level all through high school; when he was in college he helped his father teach tennis. His parents wanted him to attend college not too far from home, so all his applications were to southern schools. He was accepted at University of North Carolina, but it was not until his junior year that he realized he wanted to be a scientist. He did an independent study with Albert Harris, from whom he learned a great deal about what science is. After graduation he immersed himself in science to prepare for graduate school; this he did by spending three years as a technician in Bruce Niklas's lab at Duke University, where he became fascinated by mitosis. He continued his research into spindle poles and microtubules when he was accepted into the PhD program at the University of North Carolina to work in Edward Salmon's lab. He spent summers with Salmon at Woods Hole Marine Biology Laboratory, where he met his future wife, Mary Porter. Toward the end of his graduate career he decided he needed to switch to a genetics approach, so he took a postdoc with Margaret Fuller at the University of Colorado in Boulder. His wife also found a postdoc there. Hays then began his genetics work in Drosophila, studying dinein and kinesin motors. His postdoc finished with great success, and he and his wife both accepted job offers at the University of Minnesota. Their careers have progressed well, both achieving tenure and being happy with their labs and their current research. They also have a young daughter who adds color and adventure to their lives. Hays continues to publish, to write grants, to teach, to ponder the place of science in society. He loves to design and implement experiments, and he loves to be with his family; balancing these two aspects of his life is an ongoing struggle.
Education
Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
---|---|---|---|
1976 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | BS | |
1985 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill | PhD |
Professional Experience
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Minnesota
Honors
Year(s) | Award |
---|---|
1980 | Founders Scholarship, Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory |
1980 | National Research Service Award |
1991 to 1993 | ACS Junior. Faculty Research Award |
1991 to 1995 | Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences |
1993 to 1995 | March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Scholar Award |
1996 to 2016 | American Heart Foundation Established Investigator Award |
Table of Contents
Family background. Growing up in Winter Haven, Florida, near 100 lakes and canals. Saturday morning tennis. Uninspiring public schools. Religion. Measuring oxygen content of water in high school. Chemistry and biology teachers fun and enthusiastic.
Matriculates at University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Intrigued by Buddhism. Teaching tennis with his father. During junior becomes interested in science. Independent study with Albert Harris; learning what doing research means. Decides to continue researching after graduation.
Works in Bruce Niklas's lab at Duke University for three years. Develops fascination with mitosis. Spindle poles, microtubules, and kinetochores.
Decides to go to graduate school. Enters Edward Salmon's lab at University of North Carolina. Continues work on mitosis. Importance of microscopy. Summers at Woods Hold Marine Biology Laboratory. Meets his future wife, Mary Porter. Politics among academics. Decides he needs to learn genetics.
Looking for places with two postdocs. Weighing reputation of labs against his interest in their projects. Accepts postdoc with Margaret Fuller at University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. Wife accepts postdoc with Susan Dutcher's lab. Learning. Drosophila. Noncomplementation and mitosis. Dynein and kinesinmotors. Help from wife and her lab.
Difficulties of finding two jobs together. Accepting assistant professorships at University of Minnesota. Finishing postdoc with very successful experiment that led to excellent grant rating from National Institutes of Health. ß-galactosidase. Current research. Tenure.
Lab management. Funding. Grant-writing. Teaching. Ethics. Place of science in society. Curriculum in colleges. Gender and ethnic issues. Balancing life with wife and daughter with life in the lab. His love for designing and implementing experiments.