People Behind the Science Podcast

People Behind the Science Podcast

By Dr. Marie McNeelyScience
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People Behind the Science Podcast episodes

  • 784: Dr. Susan Wessler: In Her Element Examining Mobile DNA Sequences and Genome Evolution

    Dr. Susan Wessler is a Distinguished Professor of Genetics at the University of California, Riverside. She is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and the Home Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences. She received her PhD in Biochemistry from Cornell University. Susan then spent time as a postdoctoral fellow at the Carnegie Institute of Washington. She served on the faculty at the University of Georgia for over 25 years before moving to UC Riverside. Susan has received many awards and honors over the course of her career. She is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, a member of the American Philosophical Society, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is also the recipient of the Stephen Hales Prize from the American Society of Plant Biologists the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Excellence in Science Award, and the McClintock Award from the Maize Genetics. Susan is with us today to tell us all about her journey through life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science

    Sue loves to read, exercise, and read while exercising. She has also been enjoying exploring the mountains and beaches in Southern California.

    The Scientific Side

    A geneticist, Sue studies genes and the genome (all our genetic information). Her research focuses on transposable elements, which are pieces of DNA that move from one site to another. In the process of moving they often make more copies. All organisms have these pieces of mobile DNA, and they make up a large portion of our genome. Sue wants to know how organisms survive and thrive with all this extra DNA, why it exists, and whether it provides any benefits.

    A Dose of Motivation

    “There is no right answer.”
    “Only do what only you can do.”

    What Got You Hooked on Science?

    Sue was born in the Bronx and lived in a tiny little apartment growing up. Her parents supported her early interest in science, but pushed her to become a medical doctor. As a high school student, Sue had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Bronx High School of Science, and this was an excellent opportunity to get immersed in and excited about science.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges

    One of the biggest challenges Sue has faced in her career was a situation where someone in her lab was manipulating data. Fraud has become a very serious issue in science, and it is difficult to keep an eye on everything going on in the lab when you are not working at the bench every day. Fortunately in Sue’s case the inaccurate data were not published, so they didn’t have to worry about retracting papers.

    A Shining Success!

    Recently, Sue has been focusing a lot on science education and bringing innovations into the classroom. She received an award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for a proposal to bring the excitement of science and research into the classroom. Through this project, she transformed her lab into a classroom for dynamic, hands-on learning and is hoping to see greater persistence in science for students who take her course.

    Book Recommendations

    The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro, A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre, any book by Doris Kearns Goodwin, The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Most Treasured Travel

    One place Sue has found really memorable was Africa. She went there with her daughter and they really enjoyed their time in the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It was awesome for her to see some of the grasses she studies in the lab growing in the wild, as well as to see so much wildlife and be surrounded by pristine nature.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories

    Every year Sue’s lab has a holiday party where they exchange gag gifts. She has lots of pictures of various strange gifts that people have brought, some of them made out of random lab equipment. Also, early on in her career, she and a bunch of other professors would sit, have coffee, and talk every morning. These casual exchanges really promoted creative thought.

    Advice For Us All

    When Sue started off in science she was really upset about a situation where someone was taking credit for something that she did. One of her friends gave her the great advice to stay positive, let things go, and have the confidence to know that you will have many more great ideas and accomplishments.

    Guest Bio

    Susan is a molecular geneticist known for her contributions to the field of transposon biology, specifically on the roles of plant transposable elements in gene and genome evolution. A native of New York City, she received a bachelor’s degree in biology from SUNY Stony Brook (1974), a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Cornell University (1980) and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington (1980-1982). She began her career at the University of Georgia in 1983 where she remained until moving to UC Riverside in 2010.  In 2011 she was elected Home Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, the first women to hold this position in the 150 year history of the Academy. Wessler is co-author of over 120 research articles.  She is on the editorial board of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Current Opinions in Plant Biology. Sue has contributed extensively to educational initiatives, including co-authorship of the widely used genetics textbook, Introduction to Genetic Analysis. As a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor (2006), she adapted her research program for the classroom by developing the Dynamic Genome Courses where incoming freshman can experience the excitement of scientific discovery. She is the very proud mother of two daughters, Rebecca Schell (22) and Dr. Nicole Evans (29).

     

    *This episode was originally released on April 3, 2015. 

    The post 784: Dr. Susan Wessler: In Her Element Examining Mobile DNA Sequences and Genome Evolution appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    47 min
  • 783: Dr. Ruchira Singh: Studying the Biology of Eye Diseases to Inform the Development of New Therapies

    Dr. Ruchira Singh is an Associate Professor and the recipient of the Dean’s Professorship in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester Medical Center where she also has joint appointments in the Department of Biomedical Genetics and the Center for Visual Science. Ruchira received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) in India, and she completed her graduate studies in Physiology at Kansas State University. Next, Ruchira conducted postdoctoral research in Pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine, followed by a postdoc position in stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joined the faculty at the University of Rochester in 2014. In this interview, Ruchira discusses her life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (2:17)

    When she’s not working, Ruchira loves spending time with her two kids. Even the small, everyday moments they spend together doing things like going to McDonalds, the park, or their local library bring her so much joy.

    The Scientific Side (3:00)

    Ruchira studies eye diseases to understand why some people can’t see as well as others, and the knowledge gained can be used to develop new treatments for diseases like age-related macular degeneration and Batten disease, which can cause blindness.

    A Dose of Motivation (5:21)

    “Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”  – Robert H Schuller

    “This too shall pass.”

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (7:22)

    Ruchira didn’t follow a traditional path to becoming a scientist. She grew up in India with her two older siblings, and there was pressure from her father for at least one of them to become a doctor like him. When her siblings decided to pursue other paths, Ruchira felt like she had to become a doctor. However, in high school, she had an opportunity to change her path when the school introduced a new computer science curriculum. Ruchira gladly took this opportunity and began studying computer science. The same year, there was a terrible accident where Ruchira was hit by a bus, and she was in the hospital for months. While in the hospital, she began to get more interested in biology and medicine. Though she regretted pivoting to computer science, she stuck with it and went to the U.S. to get a master’s degree in computer science. Ruchira helped design websites on the side to earn money, and this is how she met the professor who ultimately became her PhD advisor. While working on the lab’s website, Ruchira became more and more fascinated by their research. Realizing Ruchira’s interests and potential, the professor encouraged Ruchira to pursue a career in science and helped her get up to speed on biology to enroll in the school’s PhD program.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (14:58)

    Getting her first R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health was really difficult. These grants provide substantial funding and are a critical metric of success for faculty. Ruchira struggled to convince the people reviewing her applications that the model system she proposed to use (patient-derived stem cells) was a good platform to study diseases of the retinal, such as age-related macular degeneration. She submitted the grant several times and kept getting the same negative feedback. Ruchira realized she either needed to change the focus of what she was working on in the lab, or she needed to prove that this model made sense to use in her research. After working hard on this problem, Ruchira and her lab members were able to show that you can mimic key aspects of the human disease pathology in the stem cell models, and this could not be done in the commonly used animal models. This opened the door for funding and was a major victory.

    A Shining Success! (18:12)

    Her early experiments in patient-derived stem cells were critical for establishing that this model system was useful for studying retinal diseases, but they also led to an interesting discovery about the mechanisms of age-related macular degeneration. One of Ruchira’s key arguments for why a common animal model wouldn’t work for her research was because the animals don’t develop the disease or the disease-associated pathology. As they tried to better understand the disease process for age-related macular degeneration, they were able to demonstrate an early pathological hallmark of the disease in their cell models. From there, they discovered that a particular enzyme was required in the disease pathology, and this enzyme is not present or active in the animal models, potentially explaining why they don’t ultimately develop the disease. This was a fascinating finding that really justified Ruchira’s approach in her research.

    Book Recommendations (21:29) 

    Malgudi Days by R. K. Narayan

    Most Treasured Travel (22:52)

    Ruchira had an opportunity to attend a conference held in the Gold Coast in Australia. The conference was great, and Ruchira really enjoyed exploring the beautiful beaches, relaxing by the water, sampling the fresh local bread and cookies, and holding a koala.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (24:49)

    Ruchira will never forget all of the kind and generous people she has worked with over the years who took the time and went above and beyond to teach her new things in different labs. Scientists are very motivated to answer their research questions and work together collaboratively to get to the solutions. However, careful work and intense observation can’t always prevent unexpected mishaps in the lab!

    Advice For Us All (28:29)

    Give 100% to whatever you do, but also make sure to find time to do something other than science. Ultimately, taking time away from science can allow you to think better and be less stressed. Also, learn from people around you. Watch how your mentors and colleagues approach science. There’s no shortcut. Science takes a lot of time and effort, but you should also prioritize life outside of work.

    Guest Bio

    Ruchira’s research is mainly focused on understanding the biology of complex retinal and neurodegenerative diseases at a cellular and molecular level and using that knowledge to devise rational therapies. Most recently Ruchira’s work has focused on disease mechanism and therapeutics of Batten disease and age-related macular degeneration. As part of this work, his group has been using patient-derived human stem cells to study and therapeutically target the disease pathology in patient-derived retina cell model of the disease. They have identified potential therapeutic target for age-related macular degeneration. Outside of work, Ruchira’s life revolves around her two young kids, a now 6 year old son (Ronak)and an 8 year old daughter (Antra). They enjoy going out to eat, meeting friends at the village playground and spending time at local library. Most of these activities are pursued with the help of her spouse (Ravi Alluri) in the little village of Geneseo in the scenic Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York.

    The post 783: Dr. Ruchira Singh: Studying the Biology of Eye Diseases to Inform the Development of New Therapies appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    33 min
  • 782: Dr. Philip Moriarty: Nanoscientist and Physicist Studying the Manipulation of Single Molecules and Atoms

    Dr. Philip Moriarty is a Professor of Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nottingham. In addition, he is an avid contributor to the Sixty Symbols YouTube video project and author of the book When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to 11: Or How to Explain Quantum Physics with Heavy Metal. Philip received his Ph.D. in Physical Sciences from Dublin City University, and he conducted postdoctoral research in physics at the University of Nottingham before joining the faculty there. Over the course of his career, Philip has received a number of awards and honors, including being a member of the Sixty Symbols team awarded the 2016 Kelvin Medal from the Institute of Physics for innovative and effective promotion of the public understanding of physics, and he was also a winner of the 2015 I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here Terbium Zone contest. In our interview Philip shares more about his life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (2:18)

    Philip is an enthusiastic heavy metal music fan, so he spends his free time listening to rock and other types of music. He also plays a few instruments, including guitar and Aerodrums.

    The Scientific Side (3:45)

    The work in Philip’s research group focuses on imaging and moving single atoms on different surfaces. He is a nanoscientist, and an important tool for Philip’s research is a scanning probe microscope. This tool is different from typical microscopes because it doesn’t have the traditional optics, lenses, or mirrors. Instead, the scanning probe microscope uses an extremely sharp probe to create images of different surfaces and to modify matter down to the level of single chemical bonds. Their goals are to develop methods for computer-controlled manipulation of matter and 3D printing where you can build materials and objects from individual atoms.

    A Dose of Motivation (5:09)

    -“If you chose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” From “Freewill” by Rush
    -“Cast in this unlikely role. Ill-equipped to act. With insufficient tact.” From “Limelight” by Rush
    -“Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy.” by William Butler Yeats

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (10:02)

    When Philip was about 10 years old, he and his uncle built a simple crystal radio together. His uncle was a radio amateur who spent his free time putting up aerials, listening to radio broadcasts from across the world, and speaking to other radio amateurs. Philip will never forget the moment he put the earpiece in, tuned the radio, and heard a radio station come in. When he realized his radio’s power came from electromagnetic radio waves in the air, he was fascinated. Later, Philip got into computer programming, and he really enjoyed it as well. Philip chose to pursue a degree in physics rather than computer science, despite his struggles with the math that his physics degree required. When he graduated, Philip planned to continue in science to earn his PhD. Around this time, scientists at IBM Research – Almaden successfully manipulated individual atoms for the first time. This had a huge impact on Philip, and he decided to pursue a PhD in this area of study.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (18:00)

    In his early years of college, Philip focused his energy on being in a band and playing guitar. Neglecting his studies led to him failing his exams in his third year. As a result, Philip had to repeat the whole year. This failure was devastating, but it was incredibly important in determining the rest of his life. He realized he made a mistake, honed in on his studies, and was able to improve his grades enough to qualify for graduate school. Experiencing failure and learning how to deal with failure is important. Research is a series of failures with occasional successes interspersed. Students who have always been high-performers in classes sometimes struggle when they are suddenly faced with failures in the lab. Keep in mind when you’re doing science that you’re often trying to do something that no one in the world has done before. It will be difficult, and it’s important to develop a tenacious mindset.

    A Shining Success! (21:29)

    It’s really fun to get the public involved in research with citizen science efforts. Philip has been involved with a YouTube channel called Sixty Symbols. They create short videos where they talk about different topics in physics that they are excited about. As part of one of these videos, they asked drummers to submit drum tracks. Philip and his students analyzed these tracks to evaluate the fluctuations, correlations of the beats, and other features. The community submitted a lot of different drum tracks, and after years of working on the project, they’ve finally submitted this paper for publication.

    Book Recommendations (23:40)

    When the Uncertainty Principle Goes to 11: Or How to Explain Quantum Physics with Heavy Metal by Philip Moriarty, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story by Angela Saini, The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters by Thomas Nichols, Beyond Weird: Why Everything You Thought You Knew About Quantum Physics is Different by Philip Ball

    Most Treasured Travel (27:51)

    The very first conference Philip ever attended was held in Chicago. He was a graduate student, it was his first time presenting at a conference, and this was his first visit to the U.S. as well. Philip grew up in the heart of rural Ireland where neighbors were miles away, but he has always been drawn to big cities. The conference was excellent, and he really enjoyed the city of Chicago. Another particularly memorable trip for Philip was attending the Science Foo Camp at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California last year. This event brought together physicists, psychologists, biologists, chemists, neuroscientists, poets, authors, sculptors, and others. It was great to talk to so many talented people far outside his discipline.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (30:16)

    Philip has found that there are many physicists who are also interested in heavy metal and rock bands. He’s enjoyed numerous jam sessions with the musicians he has worked over the years in his own research group. Emphasizing these links between the arts, humanities, and STEM fields is important to Philip.

    Advice For Us All (34:03)

    When you are presenting and talking to people, how you speak is key. In addition to what you are saying, your style and presentation skills are critical. Beyond spoken communication, the ability to write well is important in physics and other scientific fields. When you are choosing your degree and your career, let your interests guide you. Also, remember that there are deep links between physics and heavy metal.

    Guest Bio

    In collaboration with the PhD and postdoctoral researchers in the Nanoscience Group at the University of Nottingham, Philip focuses on prodding, pushing, pulling and poking single atoms and molecules to explore the fundamental interactions of these building blocks of matter; in this nanoscopic world, quantum physics is all. Having taught physics for over twenty years, he has always been struck by the number of students in his classes who profess a love of metal music, and by the deep connections between heavy metal and quantum mechanics. He’s a father of three—Niamh, Saoirse, and Fiachra—who have patiently endured his off-key attempts to sing along with Rush classics for many years. Unlike his infamous namesake, he has never been particularly enamored of the binomial theorem. Philip vents his spleen regularly at “Symptoms Of The Universe”.

     

    *This episode was originally released on October 22, 2018. 

    The post 782: Dr. Philip Moriarty: Nanoscientist and Physicist Studying the Manipulation of Single Molecules and Atoms appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    41 min
  • 781: Dr. Patrick Schloss: Bringing to Light the Benefits of Bacteria and the Connections Between Health and the Human Microbiome

    Dr. Patrick Schloss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Michigan. After completing his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, Pat stayed on to receive his PhD. Both degrees were in Biological & Environmental Engineering. He went on to do his postdoctoral training at the University of Wisconsin and served on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst before joining the faculty at the University of Michigan where he is today. In this interview, Pat shares stories from his life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (02:05)

    Pat spends most of his free time with his 8 kids. They live just outside of Ann Arbor on a farm with sheep, cows, pigs and chickens. Working on the farm is a good way to escape the stress of science, and it’s also nice for Pat to sit down to dinner at the end of the day and think about how everything on their plates came from within a mile of their own farm.

    The Scientific Side (04:40)

    As a microbial ecologist, Pat is fascinated by bacterial communities. He believes that bacterial communities in and on us are interacting with each other and with us, to keep us healthy. If something goes wrong with these communities, then we need to figure out how to get them back on track so they can help us stay healthy. Pat also has a knack for bioinformatics and enjoys building tools for computational analysis. He has an engineering background, initially specializing in waste treatment and how bacteria work as a community to break down waste.

    A Dose of Motivation (06:40)

    “What is true for E. coli is also true for the elephant.” by Jacques Monod

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (14:30)

    Going through junior high and high school, Pat had phenomenal math and science teachers. He fondly recalls attending science fairs, doing experiments, and the way the teachers were able to get them really excited about science. Though Pat was interested in a career in science, he struggled to get accepted into graduate school. When Pat approached his undergraduate advisor for yet another recommendation letter for the next school on his list, he ended up getting into a deep discussion on his advisor’s research. This led to his advisor agreeing to take him on as a PhD student, despite the dozen or so rejections Pat had faced from other schools.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (28:00)

    Getting his first tenure track job was a struggle. Pat was submitting applications in the last year of graduate school, as well as throughout his time as a postdoc. There was a period of almost 8 years during which he submitted about 80 applications. Pat was invited for a few interviews and ultimately accepted the first job offer he was given. It was particularly challenging because he was making a transition from engineering to biology, and this involved thinking about things in a very different way.

    A Shining Success! (32:30)

    For the last few years Pat and his exceptional students have been making great progress in the lab and publishing excellent papers. One recent success involved using a mathematical statistical approach called random forest modeling. With this approach they are able to make quantitative predictions of outcomes using information from a current microbial community. For example, they could predict how many tumors an individual will have in the future based on their microbial communities today.

    Book Recommendations (37:10)

    The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

    Most Treasured Travel (39:35)

    Pat is not a huge fan of traveling. Earlier in his career, Pat was traveling a lot to attend conferences and give presentations, and he finally had to limit himself to one trip per month. He has declined a lot of invitations because he wants to make sure he is spending enough time with family. Last year Pat attended a workshop where he had a excellent experience working with students and postdocs in discussions and educational sessions related to reproduceable research. The people he met were phenomenal and he has continued to stay in touch with the friends he made there.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (42:41)

    Lab lunches are a tradition in Pat’s lab, whether they are going out for food or just eating in together at one of the campus cafeterias. His lab also comes together over fantasy football, with draft day pizza parties and a healthy dose of competition.

    Advice For Us All (47:15)

    Put your head down and work hard. Also, computational and programming skills are important and will help you immensely with your science.

    Guest Bio

    Pat grew up in Columbia, Missouri and went on to complete his undergraduate and graduate studies at Cornell University. His dissertation work involved trying to understand the dynamics of bacterial communities in waste treatment processes such as composting. Having been bitten by the microbial ecology bug, he began to wonder not just who was present in these communities, but also what they were doing there. To answer these types of questions, he went on to do a postdoc in the lab of Jo Handelsman at the University of Wisconsin. There, he learned to apply 16S rRNA gene sequencing metagenomic analysis methods to better understand the microbial ecology of soil and insect guts. It was there that he also began to develop his expertise in bioinformatics. Pat went on to start his own lab at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where he started the mothur software project. In 2009, Pat moved his lab to the University of Michigan. There they continue to develop bioinformatics tools for analyzing microbial communities and to apply them to understand the role of microbial communities in maintaining human health in the context of colorectal cancer and bacterial infections such as Clostridium difficile. When Pat isn’t thinking about the factors that affect the structure and function of his own microbiome, he obsesses about the microbiome of his kids and animals that live on his family’s farm in Dexter, MI.

     

    *This episode was originally released on December 14, 2015.

    The post 781: Dr. Patrick Schloss: Bringing to Light the Benefits of Bacteria and the Connections Between Health and the Human Microbiome appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    54 min
  • 780: Dr. Allison Okamura: Researching Soft Robots, Medical Robots, and Haptics in Human-Robot Interactions

    Dr. Allison Okamura is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. She also holds a courtesy appointment in Computer science there. Allison received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and she was awarded her M.S. and Ph.D. both in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Before joining the faculty at Stanford University, Allison was Professor and Vice Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Allison is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including being elected as a fellow for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). She has also been awarded the IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics Early Career Award, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Academic Career Award, and an NSF CAREER Award. In addition, Allison was honored as a Duca Family University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, a Robert Bosch Faculty Scholar, a Gabilan Fellow, and an Alumni Distinguished Scholar by Stanford University, as well as a Decker Faculty Scholar by Johns Hopkins University. In our interview, Allison shares more about her life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (2:45)

    Much of Allison’s free time is spent with her husband, daughter, and son. When she’s not at work, Allison also enjoys relaxing, running, and playing ice hockey.

    The Scientific Side (3:52)

    Research in Allison’s lab examines three different areas of robotics. The first is haptics, which involves human machine interactions through the sense of touch. The second is designing medical robots that can, for example, be used to help people recover from stroke or perform surgery. A final area that Allison studies is creating soft robots that can conform to their environments.

    A Dose of Motivation (5:01)

    “All models are wrong, but some are useful.”  – George Box

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (7:54)

    Allison has always had a variety of interests. Growing up, she enjoyed school and loved learning new things. Her parents were professors and chemists, so she was exposed to the academic lifestyle and the excitement of scientific discovery from an early age. When Allison applied to college, she planned to pursue science or engineering. Mechanical engineering ultimately piqued her interest because it combined physics, math, and the potential to have an immediate impact on the world and people’s lives. Allison had a great professor who encouraged her to work in his lab during the summer after her first year. This gave her an opportunity to conduct research on engineering education as well as on the protective potential of Taekwondo equipment. As a member of the Taekwondo club and a competitive martial artist, this work was particularly exciting for Allison. After college, Allison enrolled in graduate school. While there, she worked part time for a startup company, and she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to pursue an academic career or go into industry or entrepreneurship. Interviewing for faculty positions was inspiring, and Allison decided to pursue a career as a professor.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (17:11)

    The imposter syndrome is a lifelong struggle. It is a feeling or psychological condition where you feel like you don’t deserve to be where you are, and you worry that someday people will find out that you shouldn’t be there. Despite having an excellent academic background and the best possible preparation for her career, the imposter syndrome has been a challenge for Allison. It has become easier since she had successes, gained confidence, and realized that failures weren’t going to ruin her career. However, it is still present today, particularly when Allison is considering high risk or unusual projects or career directions.

    A Shining Success! (20:07)

    The successes that are most exciting for Allison are the accomplishments of her students. Working with students, helping them find their passion, and seeing them succeed is really rewarding, particularly students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or who may not have had the opportunities she had. Showing students what they can achieve is one of the wonderful things about being a faculty member, and it’s something Allison feels fortunate to be able to do for students every year.

    Book Recommendations (23:06)

    The Martian by Andy Weir

    Most Treasured Travel (24:17)

    Attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland was among the most unique travel experiences Allison has had. The meeting was retreat style, and it was held in a secluded town in the beautiful mountains in Switzerland. Attendees were scientists, politicians, business people, and economic leaders from all over the world. Learning from and talking to people with different backgrounds and expertise was great, and it was fun to share her technology and robotics with them. While in Switzerland, Allison also had an amazing opportunity to snowboard down the picturesque slopes.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (28:07)

    Allison’s lab is nicknamed the CHARM (Collaborative Haptics And Robotics in Medicine) Lab. One of her previous PhD students was talented both in laboratory work and in sewing. This student made a set of pillows shaped like the marshmallows from Lucky Charms cereal to keep in the lab. In addition, they had fun with their Halloween celebration this year, and Allison made her own bubble tea costume. Examples like these highlight the crafty and creative side of Allison and her lab.

    Advice For Us All (33:26)

    In academic research, you have the freedom to choose what you work on, so pick something you really want to do. If you do this, you’ll be more successful, and you’ll be happier doing it. You don’t want to get a grant for a project you don’t want to do or get tenure for a career you aren’t excited about. Also, there are many options when it comes to careers. The people who are academic scientists weren’t necessarily destined to become scientists. A series of choices, random opportunities, and luck brought them to where they are today. The steps to take on a career path and where they will lead aren’t obvious. You should find your own path, and realize that it might not end up where you originally expected.

    Guest Bio

    Allison studies robotics, primarily haptics (human-machine interaction through the sense of touch), medical robotics, and soft robotics. She runs the CHARM Lab  which is an acronym for Collaborative Haptics And Robotics in Medicine. Allison and her students and collaborators are working to improve human health and quality of life through applications of robotics in many areas, including robot-assisted surgery, simulation and training, rehabilitation, exploration of hazardous or remote environments, enabling technologies, manufacturing, design, mobile computing, and education. She is also passionate about broadening participation in STEM fields and research. Toward that end, the CHARM Lab offers two websites with open-source designs for making haptic devices and soft growing robots. Outside academia, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, running, and playing ice hockey.

     

    *This episode was originally released on November 26, 2018.

    The post 780: Dr. Allison Okamura: Researching Soft Robots, Medical Robots, and Haptics in Human-Robot Interactions appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    38 min
  • 779: Dr. Sterling Nesbitt: Finding Fossils of Extinct Species to Explore the Early Evolution of Vertebrates

    Dr. Sterling Nesbitt is an Assistant Professor of Geosciences at Virginia Tech, as well as a  research associate/affiliate of the American Museum of Natural History, the Vertebrate Paleontology Lab at The University of Texas at Austin, the Virginia Museum of Natural History, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and the National Museum of Natural History. He received his BA in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and went on to complete his MA, MPhil, and PhD in Geosciences at Columbia University. Afterwards, Sterling conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Washington, and the Field Museum before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech where he is today. Sterling is the recipient of the 2016 Virginia Tech College Award for Outreach Excellence from the College of Science. Sterling is here with us today to speak to us about his life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (2:20)

    Sterling is passionate about travel. He loves visiting new places to experience other cultures, learn about their traditions, and discover fantastic places off the beaten path.

    The Scientific Side (3:50)

    Scientifically speaking, Sterling is a vertebrate paleontologist who leverages his training in biology to understand how animals are related, how they evolved certain features, and how they have diversified over time. He is working to improve our knowledge of how life on earth has evolved over the past hundreds of millions of years.

    A Dose of Motivation (5:32)

    Explore!

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (8:48)

    Initially, Sterling was captivated by archaeology, but his interests shifted to paleontology in junior high through visits to the Arizona Museum of Natural History where there were rich collections of fossils. Sterling participated in their Tuesday Fossil Nights where he would listen to a presentation and work on preparing fossils. This introduced him to the excitement of being the first person ever to see a parts of ancient creatures that no one else had seen before. When Sterling was 15 years old, the remains of a mammoth were discovered in the nearby Phoenix Basin. He had to see it. While at the site, Sterling discovered a piece of mammoth tooth in the discarded dirt pile and was invited by scientists to help with the rest of the excavation. He spent days reveling in a trench in the 110 degree Arizona heat hunting for fossils and has continued to search for fossils ever since.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (29:59)

    Trying to find fossils is riddled with challenges and failures. As a paleontologist, Sterling does his best to target areas that he thinks will contain fossils that will allow him to answer his research questions about the evolution of dinosaurs of other reptile groups. However, he sometimes has to pivot or modify his questions when the desired field sites are impossible to get to without helicopters or he doesn’t find any fossils. Once a fossil is found, Sterling faces a variety of challenges in excavation because numerous measures must be taken to protect the bones while they remove and transport them.

    A Shining Success! (34:26)

    Few fossils of the early relatives of birds, crocodiles, and dinosaurs have been found in the world, and Sterling was determined as an undergraduate to find one of these specimens. In 2002, Sterling led his first small expedition, and the team discovered a fairly complete skeleton of a pre-dinosaur animal known as Arizonasaurus. Previous evidence of this animal was limited to just small bone fragments. This was a huge success that revealed some unexpected characteristics of the animal and helped launch Sterling’s career.

    Book Recommendations (48:09)

    Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin

    Most Treasured Travel (25:48)

    Tanzania opened up Sterling’s eyes both scientifically and culturally. He has spent a lot of time working in the field in Tanzania in places that tourists don’t visit. While there, he and his team stay in villages and enjoy interactions with the local people. Sterling had previously done most of his fossil hunting in deserts where there is a lot of exposed rock, and fossils are easier to find. In Tanzania, everything is covered in plants, and there are only a few places with exposed rocks. They often have to trek through fields of 7-10 foot tall elephant grass to get to the field sites, and finding fossils is much more difficult.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (44:38)

    Sterling and the members of his research group conduct their field work together each summer, and they have been working at a site in northern New Mexico for 11 years. The scientific questions are important in choosing their field sites, but they also try to plan their destinations around their favorite restaurants in the area. It’s a long road trip from Virginia to New Mexico, and Sterling and his team make sure to stop at all of their favorite restaurants along the way as well.

    Advice For Us All (51:32)

    In the wise words of one of Sterling’s former professors Dr. George Brimhall: “Always know what’s under your feet.” From a geological sense, it is important to understand the structure and characteristics of the rocks around you, but also, in a more general sense, to appreciate where you are each moment and observe the world around you. As you go through your own journey, explore your world. Try to understand as much as you can about the cultures and landscapes of the world today as well as appreciate the past and the history of our world.

    Guest Bio

    Sterling’s research group at Virginia Tech centers on the evolution of vertebrates, particularly reptiles, over the last 300 million years. He is interested in influences of Earth processes on macroevolutionary events (mass extinction and adaptive radiations), morphological and taxonomic diversity, the consequence of latitudinal differences on an organism’s biogeography, comparative methods in phylogenetics, developmental influences on convergent evolution, and faunal evolution. A specialist on the reptile group that includes dinosaurs, birds, and crocodylians, Sterling is particularly interested in the rise of the living reptile fauna from its roots 230 million years ago. Most recently, he has started to incorporate questions focused on morphological change in invasive reptiles in Florida into his research program. He resides in the Department of Geosciences, but also works closely with faculty in Biosciences and is a member of the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech. Sterling teaches undergraduate courses focused on Earth History (Earth and Life Through Time) and team-teaches an intense First Year Experience course for new Geosciences majors. At the Graduate level, he teaches Vertebrate Evolution and has taught a seminar on mass extinctions through time. His fieldwork has taken him to Tanzania, Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar, Argentina, Mongolia, and all over the United States. Dr. Nesbitt has published more than 75 peer-reviewed contributions on subjects ranging from the evolution of individual bones in reptiles (e.g., the furcula of birds, the eye “bone” of crocodylians) to macroevolutionary patterns of early dinosaurs.

     

    Photo Credit: Steven Tolan

    *This episode was originally released on February 27, 2017. 

    The post 779: Dr. Sterling Nesbitt: Finding Fossils of Extinct Species to Explore the Early Evolution of Vertebrates appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    56 min
  • 778: Dr. Rachel Bennett: Examining the Role that Blood Vessels in the Brain May Play in Alzheimer’s Disease

    Dr. Rachel Bennett is an Assistant Professor in Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She received her B.S. in Molecular Biology from Arizona State University and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital before joining the faculty there. Rachel has been named an Outstanding Emerging Scientist by the BrightFocus Foundation, and she received the New Investigator Award from the Charleston Conferences on Alzheimer’s Disease (CCAD). In this interview, she shares more about her life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (2:42)

    Rachel grew up on the West Coast of the U.S. and loved exploring the nearby mountains. This is something she has missed since moving to Boston, MA, so she recently started hiking some of the 48 peaks over 4,000 feet in New Hampshire in her free time. She also enjoys visiting the beautiful beaches nearby. Getting outside is a good reset button for her to recover from the stresses of work in the lab.

    The Scientific Side (3:55)

    Research in Rachel’s lab focuses on understanding how blood vessels in the brain change in disease and how this might contribute to the loss of neurons in Alzheimer’s disease.

    A Dose of Motivation (4:51)

    “Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda from Star Wars

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (8:44)

    Around the time Rachel was finishing high school, the Human Genome Project sequenced and published the first human genome. This made a huge impression on Rachel, and she decided to pursue molecular biology at Arizona State University. She was fascinated by the idea of developing gene therapies to cure different diseases. However, through her coursework and undergraduate research experience, she quickly discovered that molecular biology was not a good fit. There was a lot of pipetting clear liquids between tubes, and she didn’t find it particularly satisfying. Rachel pivoted to cell biology, and she fell in love with using different microscopes to see changes as they were occurring in the brain. These interests in visualizing cells in the brain continued during her PhD work where she examined injuries to the axons of neurons in concussion. Seeing images of cells in the microscope was like bringing the figures from her textbooks to life, and Rachel was hooked.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (18:17)

    About eight years ago when Rachel first started as a postdoc, she was trying to track changes in individual neurons over time. At the time, Rachel did everything she could think of to get the project to work. They used various compounds and dyes to label neurons and the twisted bundles of protein tangles in neurons, but nothing was effective. Rachel got to a point where she had one solution that worked for labeling neurons and one for labeling tangles, but when she tried to use them together, they weren’t compatible. They put the project on the back burner, and Rachel occasionally tried again whenever she saw a new dye available. Every time, her experiments failed. Eventually. a colleague got a different kind of small molecule dye to successfully label the tangles, and they worked together to finally get the project done. They submitted a paper, and it was immediately rejected. With feedback from the reviewers, Rachel and her colleague improved their methods and repeated the entire set of experiments again in a separate model. Even with the new data added, the paper was immediately rejected again. This was devastating because Rachel had invested so much time and effort into the project. After brainstorming with a colleague, Rachel went back to the bench and collected a third set of data, and eventually their revised paper was recently accepted for publication. The paper represents years of struggle, but Rachel is really proud of it, and it opened the door to many more questions to study.

    A Shining Success! (24:12)

    When she’s not sitting at her desk writing papers and grants, Rachel likes to troubleshoot and help out where she can in the lab. Her lab is one of the groups in a large, open laboratory space shared by multiple investigators. This set-up is great because there are a lot of shared resources, and individual investigators aren’t limited by the equipment and instruments that they can personally afford to purchase for their lab. At the same time, everything gets used a lot, and things often break and need to be fixed. They had this one shaker that Rachel loved because her sample tubes fit in it perfectly. Shakers are tabletop electronic devices with a moving platform that can mix or agitate liquid samples. When her favorite shaker broke, Rachel took it upon herself to open it up, take it apart, clean it, fix it, and put it back together. She was elated when she turned it on, and it actually worked again. This was a small, but particularly meaningful win.

    Book Recommendations (25:56)

    The Southern Reach Series by Jeff VanderMeer

    Most Treasured Travel (26:53)

    Rachel had the opportunity to attend the Charleston Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease in Hawai’i for the organization’s big 10th anniversary. It was absolutely remarkable. She went out to snorkel with sea turtles and then, after a short walk on the beach, was sitting in the conference room talking about fascinating science. The meeting was hosted by New Vision Research, a private non-profit that has been supporting and bringing together early-career investigators with a focus on collaboration and networking. The experience was also  particularly special because her mom accompanied her on the trip, and they spent some quality time together.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (29:13)

    Over the years, Rachel has worked with a really diverse group of colleagues from all over the world, and it has been fun to get to work with people from different backgrounds. At the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, they have a tradition of sharing recipes at Thanksgiving. They create a new recipe book every year, and it’s cool to see what traditional foods are like for people from other countries and cultures. While Rachel is not the most confident chef, she has enjoyed experimenting with some of the recipes in the book.

    Advice For Us All (32:17)

    It is critically important to find the right people and form a strong team. Remember that the right people may not necessarily be the ones who appear to be the most qualified candidates on paper.  Talk to people, listen to them, and get to know them to help you decide if they are a good fit for your group. Working as a team is fun and is critical to scientific success, because forming the best team will allow you to do the best work and get the best results. Also, if you feel like you are failing, you’re probably doing science right. There is a lot of failure involved in science, and you are not alone. Be persistent, and it will eventually work out.

    Guest Bio

    Rachel’s research is aimed at understanding why neurons are lost in Alzheimer’s with a focus on studying tau, a protein that aggregates into dense tangles in disease.  Using a combination of advanced microscopy tools, MRI methods, and gene expression analysis, her work has recently uncovered the unique impact of tau on blood vessels in the brain and has identified new molecular pathways of Alzheimer’s-related vascular dysfunction. Through these continued explorations, she hopes to develop new treatments that may prevent the loss of neurons in Alzheimer’s.  When she’s not in the lab, you can find her hiking one of the 48 peaks over 4k in New Hampshire, relaxing on the beach with her family or reading a science fiction novel with her cat.

    Support for this episode of People Behind the Science was provided by Innovative Research, Inc.

    The post 778: Dr. Rachel Bennett: Examining the Role that Blood Vessels in the Brain May Play in Alzheimer’s Disease appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    36 min
  • 777: Dr. Jamie Voyles: Epic Research Investigating Epidemics and Infectious Diseases in Wildlife

    Dr. Jamie Voyles is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Nevada, Reno. She received her B.A. in Zoology and Anthropology from the University of Washington, her M.S. in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and her Ph.D. in Public Health from James Cook University in Australia. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at University of Idaho and at the University of California, Berkeley before accepting her current position. In our interview, Jamie speaks more about her experiences in life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (2:03)

    With so many spectacular mountains nearby, Jamie loves spending her free time outdoors skiing, rock climbing, or mountain biking. Her adorable dog often accompanies her on these adventures.

    The Scientific Side (3:06)

    Research in Jamie’s lab focuses on diseases of wildlife. This is an exciting area that spans many different subdisciplines of biology including immunology, physiology, microbiology, ecology, and evolutionary biology.

    A Dose of Motivation (4:14)

    Never give up.

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (8:02)

    Both of Jamie’s parents were scientists, and they encouraged her to follow her interests. Initially, Jamie was fascinated by space and wanted to become an astronaut. She won a scholarship to attend space camp, and it was an awesome experience. Over time, Jamie’s interests shifted towards biology. As an undergraduate student, she participated in field research on birds. These projects brought her to Argentina where she studied penguins and to Alaska where she investigated a type of bird called the pigeon guillemot. Jamie’s interests next led her to amphibians and her current research in wildlife diseases.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (14:29)

    A major dilemma in doing research on infectious diseases is that it can be tough to do robust science when the organisms you are trying to study are disappearing or dying for unknown reasons. It has been particularly challenging for Jamie when working in remote areas that don’t have all the normal lab resources. In Panama, Jamie and her colleagues needed to isolate a particular pathogen while working in a secluded part of the jungle. They had to transport liquid nitrogen containers into the mountains on horseback and were using kerosene lanterns for their microbiology sterile technique. Despite these difficulties, Jamie’s team was ultimately successful in isolating the pathogen and getting the needed samples.

    A Shining Success! (17:20)

    Jamie and a colleague conducted research on amphibians in Panama when their populations began declining due to disease. The disease spread much faster than Jamie expected, and when she returned to Panama, it was really difficult to find any Panamanian golden frogs. There were even rumors that the frogs had gone completely extinct. After two months of searching the jungle, they finally found one frog alive and well. This was extremely exciting, and it showed that at least some of the frogs survived. It also prompted a lot of interesting scientific questions that they could begin working to answer. The discovery of this single frog made all the long days of hard work, rain, mud, and bug bites worth it.

    Book Recommendations (21:26)

    On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss

    Most Treasured Travel (23:05)

    When Jamie was in Australia, she was able to travel to Christmas Island to help colleagues with a study on the crabs there. Christmas Island is famous for its red crabs and large coconut crabs. Some of the coconut crabs were as big as house cats, and it was remarkable to watch them slowly lumbering around and climbing up trees. The crabs were also very curious. Many of them approached the researchers and tried to check out what they had in their backpacks. Running around catching crabs for data collection was an amazing experience, and Australia is a paradise for biologists with its remarkable wildlife.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (27:38)

    Many scientists Jamie has worked with have quirky senses of humor, and they have a lot of fun together. Jamie and her lab members recently had a lab meeting that involved a competition for creatively decorating the lab’s ethanol bottles. These bottles are used to spray down the countertops to keep the lab clean. This chore isn’t very fun or exciting, so they used stickers, markers, and other materials to dress up their lab cleaning supplies. Now the decorated ethanol bottles are scattered around the lab, and they make cleaning the lab benches a lot more fun.

    Advice For Us All (33:59)

    Never give up. Persistence and determination are key to success in science, and it’s important to follow what the data tell you. Also, doing science is a fun and fantastic career.

    Guest Bio

    The Voyles lab studies emerging infectious diseases and conservation of wildlife. We take a “One Health” perspective, recognizing that human, plant, animal, and ecosystem health are inextricably connected. Because disease is a dynamic interaction between hosts, pathogens, and their shared environments, our research bridges many different scientific fields, ranging from microbial biology and organismal physiology to evolutionary biology and ecology. The Voyles research group uses a very wide variety of techniques (both in the laboratory and in the field) to pursue key questions in the study of infectious disease. The ability to work across multiple levels of biological organization, and implement many different techniques, allows us to actively pursue exciting questions in disease ecology and investigate how emerging disease is shaping our natural world.

     

    *This episode was originally released on October 15, 2018.

    The post 777: Dr. Jamie Voyles: Epic Research Investigating Epidemics and Infectious Diseases in Wildlife appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    36 min
  • 776: Dr. Rick Myers: Expressing Enthusiasm for Decoding How Genomes are Involved in Human Health and Disease

    Dr. Richard M. Myers is the President, Science Director, and a Faculty Investigator at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. In addition, Rick is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He received is B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Alabama and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Afterwards, Rick conducted postdoctoral research at Harvard University. He served on the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco as well as at Stanford University where he contributed substantially to the efforts to sequence the human genome as part of the Human Genome Project. Rick accepted his current position at HudsonAlpha in 2008. He has received many awards and honors throughout his career including an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Alabama, the Blount Initiative Award from the University of Alabama, the Pritzker Foundation Award from the University of Michigan, and the Darden Lecture Award from the University of Alabama. He has also been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Rick has joined us today to talk about his experiences in life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (2:42)

    Rick enjoys spending time with his family, including his two adult children. One currently lives in Seattle and the other lives in London. In addition, Rick’s hobbies include cooking, gardening, and woodworking.

    The Scientific Side (3:48)

    At work, Rick balances being a scientist, running his research lab, and managing administrative responsibilities as head of a research institute. His research focuses on genetics and genomics. In particular, Rick aims to better understand how our genes and their expression contribute to our traits, health, and disease. He also examines how genes and gene expression can be regulated.

    A Dose of Motivation (5:28)

    “Since new developments are the product of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible.”  – George Washington Carver

    “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:38)

    Rick’s interest in science began with his fascination with space. When he was growing up in the 1950s-1960s, Rick collected every newspaper article and watched all the broadcast coverage related to the moon landing. However, Rick never considered a career in science because he didn’t think he fit the stereotypical characters of scientists in movies. He was convinced you had to be a nerdy genius to be a scientist. Rick’s parents were highly educated and held careers in pharmacy and nursing, so he knew he would go to college. When the time came, Rick majored in sociology and planned to work towards tackling the global issue of overpopulation. He added a minor in biology thinking it would be needed for his future endeavors. A course in chemistry was required, and the teacher of that course invited Rick to work in the lab over the summer. Rick agreed, and within a few weeks, he realized the thrill of the scientific process where researchers conduct experiments to answer questions and discover new things about the world. After this experience, Rick changed his major to biochemistry and continued along the path towards a career in research.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (22:59)

    Rick was a member of one of the first genome centers, and it was also one of the first genome centers funded by the National Institutes of Health. The group was doing really well, and they were excited to submit a renewal for their grant, but it was not selected for funding. Without funding, Rick would have to close down this great genome center with many fantastic people working there. However, after they heard the bad news, the Department of Energy approached them with an offer to work together on aspects of the Human Genome Project. Rick and his colleagues agreed, and they were able to make a substantial contribution to sequencing the first human genome.

    A Shining Success! (26:11)

    Recently, Rick, his research team, and their collaborators have been working on a project examining tumor genetics in pancreatic cancer. Using about 100 tumor specimens, they used their genetic tool chest to identify genes that were present in the tumors, but not present in healthy pancreas tissue. Unfortunately, these findings weren’t new, and they had been published previously by other groups. Rather than shelving the project and moving on, Rick’s group decided to use the dataset to answer other questions. They next investigated whether there were genetic differences in the tumors between people who died quickly of the cancer versus those who lived longer. They discovered a pronounced genetic signature that they reproduced in a public dataset. This is exciting because as soon as a patient is diagnosed, you can use their findings to know which kind of tumor a person has and tailor their treatment accordingly. In fact, they are now beginning a clinical trial with collaborators where their genomic data is being used to determine the treatment a patient will receive.

    Book Recommendations (30:57)

    The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis

    Most Treasured Travel (33:33)

    In 1984, there was a small scientific meeting hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE) at a ski resort in Alta, Utah. Rick’s graduate advisor passed the opportunity on to him to be one of the 19 attendees of the conference. Though Rick doesn’t ski, and he was stricken with altitude sickness for most of the trip, he still had a fantastic time. The goal of the meeting was to figure out if they could determine the rate of mutations we are born with that our parents don’t have (germline mutation rate). The group concluded that the mutation rates were so low that they would have to sequence the entire human genome to figure it out. Everyone laughed when this was announced because it seemed ridiculous and impossible at the time. A few years later, the DOE announced they had to sequence the human genome. This meeting not only solidified Rick’s interest in doing research in this field, but it also started the discussions that led to the Human Genome Project.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (39:11)

    When he was in graduate school, Rick was always in the lab. He worked about 100 hours per week, but he loved it so it didn’t feel like work. Rick and his peers would close the lab doors and listen to loud music while they worked until about midnight. There were two students from England in the lab, and they brought in a dart board so they could all play darts during breaks. It was also a tradition for the whole group (including their advisor) to to out to dinner to a nearby family-style Chinese restaurant. All of the lab members would sit around a big table, and the food went quickly. If you weren’t aggressive about getting food on your plate, you were out of luck.

    Advice For Us All (46:56)

    Work hard. Know that graduate school and various careers in science are options for you. You don’t have to be a genius to be a scientist. Also, team science and collaboration are key. Don’t feel like you have to do everything yourself to be successful. Further, you don’t have to give up your humanity. You can be a good human being and a good scientist. For scientists, it is critical that we communicate what we do to the public and convey how it affects people’s everyday lives. Also, there are many paths to meaningful careers involving science, scientific knowledge, and/or the scientific method. For those pursuing research, it will be helpful to learn quantitative, analytical, and statistical skills early on since these skills are needed for dealing with large datasets.

    Guest Bio

    While a faculty member at Stanford University, Rick served as professor and chair in the department of genetics. Under his direction, the Stanford Human Genome Center contributed more than 10% of the data in the public Human Genome Project’s efforts to sequence the human genome. Rick joined the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in 2008 as president and science director. He supplies the strategic oversight for the research enterprise at the Institute including sustaining a large, active laboratory. A native of Selma and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the son of a pharmacist, Rick brings 35 years experience in genetics and genomics to his position. Rick’s lab, in collaborative relationships with other researchers at HudsonAlpha and elsewhere, studies the human genome with the goal of understanding how allelic variation and gene expression changes contribute to human traits, including diseases, behaviors, and other phenotypes. His group uses high-throughput genomic methods – including DNA sequencing, genotyping, chromatin immunoprecipitation, mRNA expression profiling, transcriptional promoter and DNA methylation measurements – as well as computational and statistical tools to identify, characterize, and understand the functional elements encoded in our genomes and how they work together at the molecular level in normal and pathological conditions. The lab sequences whole genomes, whole exomes, and targeted regions of the genome with ultrahigh-throughput DNA sequencing technologies to identify DNA sequence variants relevant to clinical and basic biological problems. Researchers in the Myers Lab integrate these functional genomics, epigenetic, and genetic data to understand how genomes are involved in cancer, brain disorders, ALS, children born with developmental disorders, autoimmune diseases, and other traits.

     

    *This episode was originally released on June 26, 2017.

    The post 776: Dr. Rick Myers: Expressing Enthusiasm for Decoding How Genomes are Involved in Human Health and Disease appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    56 min
  • 775: Dr. Carly Anne York: Studying the Sensory Physiology of African Clawed Frogs and Other Animals

    Dr. Carly Anne York is an Associate Professor in the Biology Department at Lenoir-Rhyne University. There, she is also the founder and faculty advisor of the student organization SEEDS, which is focused on promoting diversity and accessibility in the life sciences. Carly received her B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Elon University, her M.S. in Ecological Sciences from Western Kentucky University, and her Ph.D. in Ecological Sciences from Old Dominion University. Afterwards, she was a postdoctoral teaching fellow at Virginia Wesleyan College before joining the faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne. In our interview, Carly shares more about her life and science.

    People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes

    Life Outside of Science (2:10)

    When Carly isn’t in the lab, you can find her at the farm and animal sanctuary that she runs with her husband. They have donkeys, a horse, many cats, and a chicken. In addition to taking care of the animals, Carly and her husband grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

    The Scientific Side (4:09)

    As an animal physiologist, Carly studies how animals’ bodies have evolved to perceive and interact with their environments to help them survive and thrive. She focuses in particular on sensory biology, examining how animals experience the world through sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

    A Dose of Motivation (5:02)

    “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts” – Wendell Berry

    What Got You Hooked on Science? (6:09, 8:53)

    Growing up in Washington, D.C., Carly remembers visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the National Zoo. Her mother enrolled her in zoo camp each summer, and she loved learning about animals. In college, Carly rode horses competitively, and she wanted to apply principles of exercise physiology to horses. She didn’t realize that studying animal physiology was an option she could pursue, so she majored in exercise physiology. After she graduated, Carly spent a year volunteering at the North Carolina Zoo in their Wildlife Rehabilitation Center getting experience and taking some additional biology classes she needed to apply for graduate school. Within a month of starting her master’s program, Carly was convinced that she wanted to get a PhD and pursue a career in academic science. Accepting a faculty position at a smaller liberal arts school has given her the opportunity to do research, teach, engage in science communication, and manage her farm at home.

    The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (19:04)

    In her PhD program, Carly did research on sensory biology in squid. She investigated how squid use hair cells along their bodies to sense and respond to predators. Working on squid was difficult because they had to catch their samples in the ocean, bring them back to the lab, and then hope the animals performed the expected behaviors during their experiments. In her case, Carly needed a flounder fish to chase the squid and the squid to escape from the fish. She had one flounder named Chomsky who reliably performed his part of the experiment every time, chasing the squid on command. This really helped her with data collection, and Carly grew quite fond of Chomsky. Unfortunately, one evening Chomsky jumped out of the tank overnight. When Carly found him on the floor the next morning, she was devastated. It was an emotional time, and Carly was worried about whether she would be able to get the data she needed for her project without Chomsky. She persevered and ultimately completed the project with other fish.

    A Shining Success! (22:48)

    One of Carly’s biggest successes lately has been the books that she has written. She published two children’s books and is working on her first book for an adult audience. As far as research successes, as a PhD student, Carly contributed to a project investigating the biomechanics of squid locomotion. The project involved using fancy instruments that image the flow of water around the animals as they move, and there are only a few of these instruments in the world. Before starting this project, Carly didn’t have a lot of experience in physics and mathematics, and these are the basis of biomechanics. The research project really put her out of her comfort zone, and it was very rewarding to get the paper published with the results from study four years after finishing her PhD.

    Book Recommendations (25:38)

    An Immense World by Ed Yong, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach, Red Mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson, Queens of the Jungle by Dr. Carly Anne York

    Most Treasured Travel (26:55)

    Last February, Carly went on a winter survival camping trip in Wisconsin with a group of fellow scientists and science communicators. The goal of the trip was to meet people who work in the same field, brainstorm, and learn new skills that you could incorporate into your science communication. This was another experience that was really outside of Carly’s comfort zone. It was snowy and cold, and Carly wore snowshoes for the first time while she was there. For accommodations, they could choose to sleep in a tent with a little wood stove, a yurt in the snow, or in a cabin with a heated floor. Carly chose the cabin, and not only did she survive the trip, she had an amazing experience connecting with and learning from other science communicators.

    Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (29:44)

    When Carly transitioned from studying horses in her master’s degree research to studying squid in her PhD program, she didn’t realize what studying this new organism would entail. Carly is actually not a big fan of being out on the ocean, and she gets seasick on boats. The first time she went out on a boat with her advisor, his wife, his family, and another graduate student, they were tasked with investigating a report of a sea turtle that may have become trapped in some netting. The water was rough, Carly didn’t take her Dramamine, and she was very seasick. This experience still haunts her, and her advisor even teased her about it in the introduction to her dissertation defense presentation years later.

    Advice For Us All (32:55)

    Know that failure is part of the scientific process. Rather than viewing failures as negative experiences, you should think about them as opportunities to learn something new and help you determine the choices you make next. The scientific method is not the linear process printed in textbooks. It’s more of a meandering journey to find new information.

    Guest Bio

    Carly is an animal behaviorist and physiologist who has spent her life studying how animals interact with their environments. Her current research examines the sensory physiology of the African clawed frog, an invasive species found around the world. She also works with the North Carolina Zoo and has completed research projects with students studying chimpanzees and African elephants. Carly teaches animal physiology and vertebrate zoology courses, and she is also an avid science communicator and writer. She has collaborated with TED-ED on the creation of science lessons, has participated in numerous YouTube shows and podcasts, has been featured on The Science Channel, and has written two children’s books about animals.

    The post 775: Dr. Carly Anne York: Studying the Sensory Physiology of African Clawed Frogs and Other Animals appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.

    36 min

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Science Podcast - Journey through the minds of today's brilliant scientists