Avram Hershko
Interview
Interview with the 2004 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Avram Hershko, at the 57th Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany, July 2007. The interviewer is Adam Smith, Editor-in-Chief of Nobelprize.org.
Avram Hershko talks about the qualities he looks for in a student, the environment of his lab (4:56), and the importance of classic biochemical techniques in his research (10:54). He also reflects on how he came to work with Aaron Ciechanover and Irwin Rose (15:33), with whom he shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the importance of his annual summer research trips to Massachusetts (23:47), and the challenges he faced in setting up a biochemistry unit at Technion in Israel (26:31).
Interview with the 2004 Nobel Laureates in Chemistry Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko and Irwin Rose by Joanna Rose, science writer, 9 December 2004.
The Laureates talk about their respective background and education; how they met (8:44), their work together (12:33); their reactions when the discovery was made (16.41); and their present work (22:03).
Participating in the 2004 edition of Nobel Minds: the Nobel Laureates in Physics, David J. Gross and Frank Wilczek, the Nobel Laureates in Chemistry, Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko and Irwin Rose, the Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine, Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck and the Laureates in Economic Sciences, Finn E. Kydland and Edward C. Prescott. Program host is Nik Gowing.
Telephone interview with Professor Avram Hershko following the announcement of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 6 October 2004. The interviewer is science writer Joanna Rose.
Interview transcript
– Hello.
– Hello Avram. Congratulations to the prize. My name is Joanna Rose and I call from the Nobelprize.org, which is the official website of The Nobel Foundation.
– Yes.
– My congratulations to the prize.
– Thank you.
– How does it feel now?
– Oh, I am very happy. Very happy for my family, for my institution, my country, and for myself also. I think this is a very … as you know it is a very good recognition. I’m also very happy, I should add that … that Irwin Rose was included, because I got many prizes before, but he was never included. And he did make a very important contribution to the discovery. So I am glad that justice was made. I really think that justice was made at this time.
– Did you expect the message today?
– No. I was out on a picnic with four granddaughters. It is a holiday today in Israel. We call it a day of … a kids’ day. So I invited four grandchildren, and we went out for a picnic, and to a swimming pool in a kibbutz, and there I heard it from … somebody heard it on the radio.
– I understand.
– But it was good. It was very exciting.
– Yeah. What was your first reaction when you heard it from the radio?
– Well, I thought … I was very happy. My first reaction was I am very happy for Ernie Rose. And, also happy for myself, of course. And for Ciechanover.
– Can you tell me just how do you think that the Nobel Prize is going to affect your future work?
– I … you know I enjoy bench work very much. I try to do an experiment every day, even today. And, I would like to continue with that because it’s really exciting. So, I hope it won’t affect too much my life. But of course you never know. There will be distractions I am sure. And there will be some duties. I’m sure there will be some invitations I will have to say ”yes” to. But, more or less, I would like to continue to do my work. I think I can still contribute. Not in the same big way as twenty-five years ago, but still contributing and then still having a lot of fun at the bench.
– Did you realize, when you did your discovery for over twenty years ago, that it is worth a Nobel Prize?
– Yeah. I thought so. I wasn’t waiting for it you know, but I knew already that it … because the impact is really big, you know about … when I started to work on ubiquitin there were about ten papers a year on ubiquitin. And now there are thousands in a year. So, it really became a kind of a cascade, and many people heard about us all over the world … mind about us … very big about this … all over the world are working on different aspects of the ubiquitin system and different systems. So I knew it was important. But I wasn’t waiting for the prize. No, I wasn’t waiting for it. But of course, I am very grateful for it.
– I understand. Have you any good advice to young students that maybe dream about receiving the Nobel Prize in the future?
– Well, not about receiving the Nobel Prize, but about doing science. My advice is … well that’s what I did, you know, to try to find something novel, and open up new problems which is not yet reached a big level at this time, not yet interested, but you think is important. I think that’s what I did about thirty-five years ago. And then, continue with it. That’s my advice. Try to find a unique problem which is important, but which is not yet in the center of the attention of biology or of chemistry. I think that is true for discoveries, that’s how it should be done. So, that’s my advice for young people.
– Yeah. My last question is, have you ever visited the Nobel website?
– Pardon me?
– Have you ever visited the Nobel website on the internet?
– No.
– Um-hmm. So, now you will be there yourself.
– O.K.
– Yes, thank you very much and have a good day.
– Thank you. Same to you. Thanks for calling. Bye.
– Bye.
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Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
