People Behind the Science Podcast

By Dr. Marie McNeelyScience

People Behind the Science Podcast episodes

April 17, 2023 704: Dr. Tessa Hill: Navigating the Seas of Change Studying Ocean Acidification and Marine Ecosystems
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Dr. Tessa Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Davis. She is part of the Bodega Ocean Acidification Research group there at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. Tessa received her B.S. in Marine Science from Eckerd College and her Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Next, Tessa was awarded a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at UC Davis before joining the faculty there. Tessa has received many awards and honors during her career, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, as well as an NSF CAREER Award. She is also a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences, an American Association for the Advancement of Science Leshner Public Engagement Fellow, and a panelist on the West Coast Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Panel. In this interview, Tessa shares more about her journey through life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:21)
Tessa and her husband have two children who are seven and ten years old. They spend a lot of time gardening, skiing, hiking, camping, and going on vacations together. Additionally, Tessa is a long-distance runner, so she enjoys running half and full marathons. In fact, Tessa comes up with a lot of great research ideas while she’s running.
The Scientific Side (3:33)
Research in Tessa’s lab focuses on the ocean and the impacts of climate change on environments in the ocean in the past, present, and future.
A Dose of Motivation (4:13)
“The right to search for the truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true.” – Albert Einstein
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” – Rachel Carson
What Got You Hooked on Science? (6:57)
Growing up on Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, Tessa spent a lot of time examining and asking questions about rocks, shells, and the sea. Her family encouraged her curiosity, and Tessa attended a small liberal arts college in Florida where she majored in marine science. During college, Tessa had many opportunities to work with her professors on their research, and she learned many things about the process of science. Tessa was delighted at the prospect of having a job where she could ask questions for a living, and this motivated her to continue on her scientific career path.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (23:31)
Failure is common in science. Tessa has come up with many potential research projects that she thought were fantastic ideas. After writing her ideas up in proposals and sending them off to different funding agencies, Tessa has many times been met with rejection. Getting used to rejection is important for scientists. Feelings of self-doubt lead many scientists to feel the imposter syndrome, where you worry that others will discover that you are not as smart or capable as they thought you were. Confronting these feelings and sharing them out loud to trusted colleagues can help.
A Shining Success! (28:06)
About a year ago, Tessa was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by President Obama. The entire process was exhilarating. Tessa was invited to come to Washington DC along with the other awardees for several days of receptions and ceremonies. She was excited that her parents, who had been so supportive of her scientific interests from the very beginning, could accompany her to many of the events. As an awardee, Tessa was also able to tour the White House and meet our former President.
Book Recommendations (30:54)
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Most Treasured Travel (32:09)
Shortly after starting her postdoctoral position, Tessa participated in a research cruise that left from Bergen, Norway and sailed for about 3 weeks, ending in Reykjavík, Iceland. They were collecting sediment cores from the bottom of the ocean to better understand an interesting event in the fossil record. Tessa spent her shifts immersed in the science and then fell asleep in her bunk to the sounds of nearby whales. It was a phenomenal experience.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (36:33)
Tessa and her lab members spend a lot of time together, both within and outside the lab. They started an annual tradition of going away somewhere nearby in northern California for a lab retreat each summer. Last year, it was so much fun to play games, cook meals, and hang out together. The group is looking forward to another great retreat this year.
Advice For Us All (43:57)
Stay to true to yourself and listen to your inner voice. Think about who you are, what your goal is, where you’re headed. Listen to those people who can beacons for you to get to where you want to go. For people who are thinking about a career in science, stay true to your curiosity and the questions that interest you.
Guest Bio
Tessa and the members of her laboratory group utilize the geochemistry of microfossils and corals to determine rates and magnitude of climate change, the response and adaptation of species to environmental change, the instability of methane hydrates, and the impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems. Stable isotopes, trace elements, radiocarbon, and foraminiferal species assemblages are used as proxies for temperature and geochemical changes. Their current projects are investigating climate and environmental change captured by California margin sediment records, the oceanographic impacts of ocean acidification and its impacts on native species, and deep sea corals as archives of recent circulation and environmental change.

Photo by Nat & Cody photographers
This episode was originally published on May 1, 2017.
The post 704: Dr. Tessa Hill: Navigating the Seas of Change Studying Ocean Acidification and Marine Ecosystems appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
48 min
April 10, 2023 703: Dr. Kevan Shokat: Using Chemical Genetics to Understand Cell Signaling Networks to Treat Human Diseases
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Dr. Kevan M. Shokat is Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California San Francisco, Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California Berkeley, and an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received his B.A in chemistry from Reed College and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Afterwards, he received a Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellowship to conduct postdoctoral research at Stanford University, and he served on the faculty at Princeton University before joining the faculty at his current institutions. Kevan has received numerous awards and honors over the course of his career, including the 2023 Sjöberg Prize from the The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the 2023 National Academy of Sciences Award for Scientific Discovery, the 2023 Howard Vollum Award for Distinguished Accomplishment in Science and Technology from his alma mater Reed College, the 2022 American Association for Cancer Research’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research, and many others. He was also named a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, a Searle Scholar, a Cottrell Scholar, a Glaxo-Wellcome Scholar in Organic Chemistry, and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. In addition, Kevan is an elected Member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In our interview, he shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (3:02)
When he’s not working, Kevan enjoys spending time with family, cycling with his friends, getting exercise, being out in nature, and reading biographies of scientists.
The Scientific Side (4:08)
Kevan’s lab uses approaches from chemistry to address unsolved challenges and opportunities for discovery in biology and medicine. His goal is to apply chemistry to biology in the most impactful, interesting, and meaningful ways while pursuing his curiosity. The lab has been investigating key signaling proteins in diseases such as cancer to develop new treatments.
A Dose of Motivation (5:07)
“You did the hardest thing — you got on the bike!” – Kevan’s Peloton Instructor.
Often, getting moving and being in the room is the hardest part.
What Got You Hooked on Science? (8:13)
Kevan was a curious kid, and he often thought about the origins of life and what might have been the first living thing. In high school, he became interested in chemistry and biology through his classes. During college, Kevan had fantastic professors, and he got even more excited about research and the possibility of making new discoveries. As graduation approached, Kevan applied to both MD/PhD and PhD programs. Though Kevan was initially disappointed when he wasn’t accepted into the MD/PhD programs, getting a PhD and focusing on research turned out to be the best fit for his interests.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (21:21)
During the first four years of graduate school, Kevan worked really hard, but none of his projects were getting to the point where he had something that would lead to a publication. Those four years went by, and the frequent failures didn’t bother him. He just kept working and believing that the next experiment would work. At that point, Kevan’s advisor started to get worried. Kevan realized that it was important to take a step back and think strategically about his career and how he was going to make it through graduate school. Fortunately, one of the postdocs in the lab had a few projects in process when they were getting ready to leave the lab. Kevan was able to pick up the projects to wrap them up, and every one of those projects worked, allowing him to piece together his dissertation.
A Shining Success! (24:01)
The earliest project in Kevan’s lab involved engineering protein kinases, and it was one of his most memorable successes. The first time they successfully ran the experiment and saw the expected activity, it was a thrill for Kevan and the trainees working on the project. And then for two months, they were not able to replicate the findings. This was an incredibly nerve-wracking time. Fortunately, a serendipitous series of events turned things around. Kevan’s student asked if he could put the cells they were working on in the refrigerator overnight and finish the experiment the next day because he wanted to watch an event in the summer Olympics that was going to be broadcasted that evening. Kevan agreed since they had worked many late nights over the past two months. When they resumed the experiment the next day, they successfully replicated the original findings. It turned out that waiting overnight was critical for giving the protein they were working on enough time to fold correctly. For two months, they had been moving too fast to allow this step to occur, and this was a major breakthrough.
Book Recommendations (3:31)
The Brain in Search of Itself: Santiago Ramón y Cajal and the Story of the Neuron by Benjamin Ehrlich
Most Treasured Travel (27:51)
One of Kevan’s most enjoyable scientific travel experiences was a trip to Erice in Sicily. About 15 years ago, there was a structural biology meeting in Erice, and it was remarkable to stroll down the cobblestone walkways in this Medieval mountaintop town. The meeting was excellent, and the conversations he had there led to successful recruitment of students to his lab, including a talented student who brought crystallography methods to Kevan’s lab. Now they are able to do their own crystallography, and this was critical for finding a previously undiscovered pocket in a cell signaling molecule that became a successful drug target for lung cancer. Without that fateful meeting in Erice, Kevan may not have met the student, learned these methods, and made this discovery.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (30:25)
It is easy to get very absorbed in the work you are doing, but Kevan has made it a priority to make a conscious effort to engage with people more. This started during the pandemic where it was really quiet on campus. Whenever you happened to see someone, it was natural to stop and say hello because they were in many cases the first person you saw all day. Now the campus is back to normal, but Kevan still tries to pause his thoughts to smile and connect with people. Everyone contributes so much to success in science, including his lab members, facility staff, building security, custodians, and others. Taking time to acknowledge people can help build a happy and supportive environment.
Advice For Us All (34:54)
Follow your gut. Your gut and intuition can be important engines for discovery. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions and challenge assumptions. This is how we communicate and find the missing pieces to solve big problems in science. Force yourself to ask a question, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.
Guest Bio
Kevan’s research group is focused on the discovery of new small molecule tools and drug candidates targeting protein/lipid kinases, GTPases, and RNA helicases. His laboratory utilizes the tools of synthetic organic chemistry, protein engineering, structural biology, biochemistry, and cell biology. He was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences (2010), the National Academy of Medicine (2011), and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2011). In 2023 he was awarded the Vollum Prize from Reed College, the National Academy of Sciences Award for Scientific Discovery and the Sjöberg Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for ‘discoveries that enable the inhibition of mutated K-Ras in cancer treatment’. He has commercialized discoveries from his laboratory through co-founding several biotechnology companies including Intellikine, Araxes, Wellspring Biosciences, Kura Oncology, eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Mitokinin, Revolution Medicines, Erasca, and Kumquat Biosciences.

Support for this episode of People Behind the Science was provided by LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories.
The post 703: Dr. Kevan Shokat: Using Chemical Genetics to Understand Cell Signaling Networks to Treat Human Diseases appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
38 min
April 03, 2023 702: Dr. Adam Abate: Building High-Throughput Technology to Characterize Biological Systems
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Dr. Adam Abate is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California San Francisco. He is also a co-founder of the startup company Mission Bio. Adam received his B.A. in Physics from Harvard College, his M.S. in Physics from the University of California Los Angeles, and his PhD in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Adam conducted postdoctoral research in Physics and Engineering at Harvard University, and during this time, his research became the foundation for the sequencing company GnuBIO. Adam is currently a member of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) program that helps launch start-up companies on the UC campuses. He has received a number of awards and honors during his career, including the NSF CAREER Award, the NIH New Innovator Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award. Adam is here with us today to share stories about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:24)
Adam’s latest weekend hobby is home improvement. He and his wife bought their first home, and they have been working on various projects around the house including painting and installing new lighting. The instant gratification of remodeling is a refreshing contrast to work in the lab.
The Scientific Side (4:25)
The overall goal of Adam’s lab is to make biology a new kind of computer science. Cells and organisms operate as highly complex systems that transmit genetic information. Like computers, biological systems have programs they execute to perform different activities. It is important to characterize the state of a biological system in detail so you can manipulate the system successfully to get the outcome you want. For example, a disease represents a problem with a biological system, and you have to understand the system and know what to change to successfully cure a disease. Adam builds technologies, focusing on microfluidic technologies, to allow us to comprehensively characterize cells in a system.
A Dose of Motivation (8:29)
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” by Steve Jobs
What Got You Hooked on Science? (13:02)
Adam didn’t come from a particularly scientific family. However, one of his childhood friends was interested in math and physics, and this sparked his interest in the subjects as well. They both ended up going to Harvard together for college, and it seemed natural for Adam to go on to graduate school afterwards. In choosing a career, Adam had to decide whether to pursue academic science or work in the private sector. He had always wanted to be a professor, and he was excited by the prospects of being able to pursue research on his own ideas.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (24:13)
The whole career arc of becoming a scientist supported by government funding is a long and continuous struggle. One of the challenges is that the training you receive as a young scientist does not cover the multi-faceted training you really need to be a successful senior scientist. A specific challenge Adam has faced involved a methodological component that was critical to the technology he was developing to perform high-throughput single cell genetic sequencing. Scientists thought they had figured out a piece of the methods needed, but the methods in the literature didn’t work well. Adam wasn’t able to move forward on the big project without solving this technical limitation first, so he spent two years optimizing the basic method. They were able to publish their work, but this type of advance is not viewed as novel or a major breakthrough by many in the field.
A Shining Success! (29:49)
Despite being a seemingly mundane problem, addressing the methodological limitation mentioned above was a critical advance that allowed Adam’s group to build the machine that can perform ground-breaking extremely high-throughput single cell genome sequencing. It also led to the creation of his company Mission Bio to commercialize this technology. This is one of the biggest scientific successes that Adam has had recently, and he is proud of what he and his team accomplished.
Book Recommendations (35:25)
Adam doesn’t read much outside of the scientific literature, but he likes to listen to a variety of podcasts. Some of his recommendations are: Hardcore History by Dan Carlin, The Theoretical Mimimum by Leonard Susskind, This Week in Virology by Vincent Racaniello, Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective by Kenneth Stanley and Joel Lehman (YouTube video series and book).
Most Treasured Travel (38:35)
Recently, Adam traveled to Hawaii for a conference along with many of his colleagues over the past decade. It was wonderful to be on the beautiful Big Island of Hawaii with everyone dressed casually in Hawaiian shirts, shorts, and flip flops while listening to scientific lectures together. Adam’s wife accompanied him on the trip, and they went scuba diving for the first time. He thought he would be terrified by scuba diving, but ended up really enjoying it. They even saw a sea turtle up close on their first dive.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (41:02)
Though not particularly quirky, Adam’s lab is a wonderful and supportive place to work. Like many other scientific labs, there isn’t a rigid hierarchy. Everyone is encouraged to question and challenge everything to ensure that they produce the best science. Adam supports these open discussions and active questioning, and it makes him feel proud to see young scientists in the lab begin to think more independently and recognize that they have their own great ideas and expertise to contribute to the group.
Advice For Us All (46:25)
All of the amazing and impressive things around us were created by normal people who worked hard and dedicated the time to understanding something deeply. Remembering this will allow you to take on challenges that may initially seem insurmountable. It is important for scientists to be grateful for the opportunity to pursue our own research ideas with the support of taxpayers. Because of this generous support, we have an enormous responsibility to deliver on the public’s investment in us and our work.
Guest Bio
Adam graduated from Harvard College in 2002 with an A. B. in Physics. He then received a masters in physics from UCLA in 2004 before moving to the University of Pennsylvania where, in 2006, he received his Ph.D. in Physics studying the physics of soft materials with Douglas Durian. He returned to Harvard for a postdoc in Physics and Engineering in the lab of David Weitz, working on a variety of projects in soft matter physics, chemical and microparticle synthesis, and biological applications of microfluidics. While a postdoc, he developed a droplet-based microfluidic sequencer that became the foundation for the sequencing company GnuBIO. He is now an Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences in the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy. He is in QB3 and part of the joint Berkeley-UCSF bioengineering graduate program, PSPG, and iPQB. His research interests are in high-throughput biology with microfluidics, protein engineering through directed evolution, and biophysics.
The post 702: Dr. Adam Abate: Building High-Throughput Technology to Characterize Biological Systems appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
48 min
March 27, 2023 701: Dr. Germán Forero-Medina: Studying and Preserving the Giant South American River Turtle and Other Species
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Dr. Germán Forero-Medina is the Science and Conservation Director at the Wildlife Conservation Society Colombia. He also coordinates the projects for the conservation of freshwater turtles and tortoises in the Amazon Orinoco region. Germán completed his undergraduate training in Biology at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He received his MSc in Ecology from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and was awarded his PhD in Ecology and Conservation from Duke University, in North Carolina. He has been recognized for his exceptional work by being elected as a Member of the National Academy of Sciences. In our interview, Germán shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:31)
Outside of his work, Germán loves spending time with his wife and twin sons. They enjoy traveling and exploring the outdoors together. Germán also likes playing basketball with friends on the weekends and supporting his sons at their soccer and water polo matches.
The Scientific Side (3:36)
In his research, Germán studies the way animals live in nature and the problems that challenge their survival. He works with local communities and people in Columbia and across Latin America to find solutions for the environmental problems that affect the species they work with, as well as the people who co-exist with those species.
A Dose of Motivation (4:57)
History is not about what happens to great people and heroes, but history is what happens to everyday people in their everyday lives across our country. (Paraphrased from Alfredo Molano.)
What Got You Hooked on Science? (8:25)
Germán has always loved the outdoors. When he was young, he enjoyed traveling with his family and catching frogs at his grandmother’s farm. In college, Germán quickly discovered that a career in biology would allow him to learn more about wildlife and spend time in nature studying wildlife. As an undergraduate student, Germán began to travel for field work and learn about ecosystems and species across the country of Colombia. He realized he wanted to study the biodiversity of his country and to preserve it. This set him firmly on the path of pursuing research and conservation.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (19:22)
Early in his PhD, Germán wanted to survey animals across elevation gradients on mountains to see if climate change was forcing species to move to higher elevations. This is known as an elevation range shift, and it had been observed in other parts of the world, but Germán wasn’t sure whether it was also happening in the tropics. Germán decided that, as part of his PhD, he would travel from the U.S. back to Colombia to do transects to sample amphibians in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the highest coastal mountain range in the world. He found historical records from someone who had done an expedition along the elevation gradients there, and he was excited to start collecting data. Once he began visiting the places where the prior samples were collected, he realized that the historical records were very imprecise. Each record of an amphibian was listed with the farm on which it was found. However, the farms spanned 1,000 – 2,000 km above sea level, and it wasn’t clear where within that range a sample was collected 50 years ago. Working in the field by himself in Colombia, Germán began to realize that he wasn’t going to be able to identify the locations with enough precision to determine whether the species were migrating. This was disappointing, but he knew he had to cancel the project and move on. Later, through a collaboration with one of his professors, Germán was able to do a similar project in Peru, resampling the elevation gradients of mountains there for prevalence of different bird species. This project worked out really well, and it provided the first evidence showing that birds were moving upslope and shifting their ranges, though this was happening a little slower than the climate changes that were observed.
A Shining Success! (23:44)
The Orinoco crocodile is a critically endangered species that is only found in parts of Colombia and Venezuela. In Columbia, the last population estimate had been conducted over 20 years ago, and researchers had estimated that less than 200 of the crocodiles remained in the wild. Since then, no one had returned to re-survey the area due to the prevalence of armed conflict in the area. However, in 2016, the government signed a peace agreement with the armed groups, and the situation has improved substantially. Germán was excited to have the opportunity to travel there to check on the population of Orinoco crocodiles. During this project, they captured the first ever drone footage of this critically endangered species, and they were able to generate a new population estimate. The project was a big success, and they are continuing to work with the local communities to mitigate human-crocodile conflict.
Book Recommendations (32:39)
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen, The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould
Most Treasured Travel (27:04)
A few years ago, Germán had an opportunity to travel to Cambodia for a workshop and meeting of turtle conservationists. This was his first time in Southeast Asia, and he enjoyed making new friends and learning more about how people do things there. It was interesting to see parallels in their work, and he enjoyed the wonderful people, food, and biodiversity.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (30:14)
Field work is filled with funny moments, and seeing how people react to these moments can be equally funny. When Germán was a PhD student conducting bird surveys in Peru, there was an ornithologist working in the field with them. He was looking for a particular species of a bird called a curassow. This bird is only present in the area they were working, and this was the researchers main purpose for joining the expedition. After weeks, he still had not spotted the elusive bird. One afternoon while Germán and another colleague were working in the field, they saw the bird just standing on a log in the forest with a brilliant beam of light shining down on it. There was no doubt that this was exactly the bird the ornithologist was seeking, and of course it quickly flew away. When they returned to camp, it was already dark. As they settled in to eat dinner, no one knew how to share the news that the bird was spotted in the ornithologist’s absence. When Germán finally mentioned it, the ornithologist jumped from his seat and ran off into the forest determined to see if he, too, could catch a glimpse. While he was not successful in seeing the bird in the dark forest that evening, he did manage to see it a few days later.
Advice For Us All (35:42)
Respect others’ points of view, especially if they are coming from different backgrounds. The way we see the world is not the only way to see the world. Also, careers in science are great. Science gives you the freedom to think, and thinking freely is one of the most valuable things in life.
Guest Bio
Germán’s research combines his early love of nature with his desire to study and preserve the biodiversity of his home country Colombia. As an undergraduate, he studied the population ecology and natural history of the white-throated mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides albogulare), reptile living in the island of San Andrés, Colombia. During his master’s degree, Germán investigated small marsupials from the Atlantic Forest and the functional connectivity in the landscapes where they live. He continued to expand his research expertise as a PhD student, conducting research in ecology and conservation, including studies on elevation range shifts of Peruvian birds. Germán’s main research interests are tropical ecology, conservation biology, natural history of tropical vertebrates, landscape ecology, climate change effects on tropical ecosystems, and environmental education. His current work spans a variety of species, including river turtles, crocodiles, and birds, and he has led multiple initiatives for the conservation of threatened vertebrates in the tropics, particularly freshwater turtles.

Support for this episode of People Behind the Science was provided by LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories.
The post 701: Dr. Germán Forero-Medina: Studying and Preserving the Giant South American River Turtle and Other Species appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
39 min
March 20, 2023 700: Dr. Debbie Senesky: Making Materials and Developing Devices for Extreme Environments
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Dr. Debbie G. Senesky is an Assistant Professor in the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department at Stanford University. She received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Debbie was next awarded her M.S. and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining the faculty at Stanford, Debbie held positions at GE Sensing, the Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center, GE Global Research Center, Hewlett Packard, and Delphi Automotive Systems. In recognition for her excellence in research, Debbie has received many awards and honors, including an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Ph.D. Fellowship, a Galiban Faculty Fellowship at Stanford University, the Frederick E. Terman Faculty Fellowship at Stanford University, and the Space Technology Early Faculty Award from NASA. Debbie is with us today to tell us about her life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:39)
When Debbie isn’t working in the lab, you can find her hanging out with her husband, her daughter, and the family dog. Lately, they have been enjoying going swimming together since her daughter has gotten into swimming. Debbie also enjoys volunteering for the non-profit organization Scientific Adventures for Girls. This program engages elementary school students in activities to get them excited about STEM fields.
The Scientific Side (4:57)
At work, Debbie is dedicated to creating materials that are tiny and tough enough to operate in extreme environments like outer space. They also study the impacts of space-like conditions on these materials. In particular, they leverage the properties of a class of nanomaterials called wide band gap semiconductors. The ceramic properties of these materials make them resistant to extreme temperature, chemical, and radiation environments, and Debbie’s research group fabricates these materials into small sensors and other devices. It is important to make these things tiny because transporting things into space is really expensive, and it is critical to make them tough because the conditions in space are incredibly harsh.
A Dose of Motivation (6:24)
“The way of progress is neither swift nor easy.” – Marie Curie
What Got You Hooked on Science? (11:23)
In elementary and high school, Debbie excelled in math, science, and art. She was the first in her family to go to college, so it was a challenge to navigate the application process and choose a major on her own. At the time, Debbie didn’t even know what engineering was. While leafing through a book of careers at the library, she came across civil engineering. It seemed to combine all of her interests in math, science, art, and architecture, so she decided to pursue engineering in college. During college, Debbie shifted her focus to mechanical engineering, and she had a phenomenal experience working on a summer project in a laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. This convinced her to pursue her PhD there.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (25:12)
Towards the end of Debbie’s postdoctoral fellowship, she applied for several academic faculty jobs. She went on a few interviews and received positive feedback, but was ultimately not offered a position. After this failure, Debbie was discouraged and wasn’t sure if she was going to attempt another round of applications. She took the risk and put herself on the market again, this time applying for a variety of mechanical engineering and aerospace positions. The second time around, Debbie was successful, and she has been really happy in her position at Stanford.
A Shining Success! (28:28)
Recently, research from Debbie’s lab on their tiny and tough devices for space exploration was highlighted in the Stanford News. It was exciting to have others at Stanford interested in her work, and even more exciting to see additional articles popping up afterwards in the popular media, including an article on space.com. Debbie never imagined she would end up doing research relevant to space exploration, but it has been thrilling to have her work recognized by the space community.
Book Recommendations (31:45)
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
Most Treasured Travel (34:42)
Debbie was able to travel to Japan for for one of the major conferences in her field, and she was delighted to bring one of her cousins along for the trip. They started in Tokyo and enjoyed shopping, dining, and exploring the city. After a ride on the Shinkansen (high-speed train), they were immersed in the beautiful city of Kyoto. Debbie had a great time meeting with her colleagues at the conference, and had a wonderful time in Kyoto.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (37:03)
Debbie’s lab group has fun sending each other messages in their group chat throughout the day, and they have been really getting into their nature chat channel. The Stanford campus was recently overrun with caterpillars, and there were so many fantastic pictures of caterpillars posted on their chat. One of the students even found a few caterpillars crawling on her while she was sitting in class. Another great tradition that Debbie has is awarding students prizes out of her XBag (a bag of fantastic nerdy toys named after their extreme environments lab or “XLab”) when they have a big accomplishment. The lab’s favorite toy so far has been a mini robot made using a toothbrush head called a Bristlebot.
Advice For Us All (42:06)
Follow your passions. As you do so, you will hit walls and roadblocks. Perseverance will help you overcome these obstacles to reach your goals. Don’t be afraid to change fields or go in a different direction than you expected as you pursue your passions.
Guest Bio
Debbie’s research interests include the development of micro- and nano-scale sensors, wide bandgap electronics, and novel materials for operation within extreme harsh environments. These environments, including deep space, combustion engines, and wellbores, require unique solutions to address extreme temperature, chemical, and radiation challenges. Debbie currently serves as co-editor the for IEEE Electron Device Letters and Sensors journals. In addition, she serves on the advisory board of a non-profit called Scientific Adventures for Girls. This organization offers after-school and summer programs for kids to spark and sustain interest in STEM fields. In her spare time, Debbie enjoys spending time with her family, listening to podcasts and creating art.

*This episode was originally released on May 22, 2017.
The post 700: Dr. Debbie Senesky: Making Materials and Developing Devices for Extreme Environments appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
46 min
March 13, 2023 699: Dr. Daniel Czyż: Battling Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Investigating Microbial Contributions to Neurodegenerative Disease
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Dr. Daniel Czyż (chysh) is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida. He completed his undergraduate training in biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was awarded his PhD in molecular biosciences from Northwestern University. During his PhD, Daniel spent two years as a Visiting Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. Afterwards, Daniel conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago and Howard Taylor Ricketts Regional Biocontainment Laboratory on the campus of Argonne National Laboratory before joining the faculty at the University of Florida. In our interview, he shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:28)
Outside of work, Daniel spends his free time with his wife and three daughters. They enjoy a variety of outdoor activities, including camping, fishing, traveling, and visiting many of the nearby beaches in Florida.
The Scientific Side (3:21)
Daniel’s lab has two main research areas. Part of his lab is dedicated to developing new treatments to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria using methods such as bacteriophages (viruses that kill bacteria), silver nanoparticles, and enhancing the ability of our immune system to fight bacteria. The other part of his lab is working to understand the effects that bacteria in our gut have on our brain and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease.
A Dose of Motivation (8:41)
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” – Steve Jobs
What Got You Hooked on Science? (11:52)
When he was about seven years old, Daniel’s mom got him a high-quality professional microscope, and he became fascinated with the microscopic world. He and his family moved from Poland to the United States when he was entering high school. At the time, Daniel didn’t know any English, but he started taking classes and was able to finish high school in three years. He was really motivated to go to college because he knew he wanted to pursue science. In his freshman year, Daniel started working in a lab, and this was the first time he was exposed to scientific research. He was captivated, and he continued working in different labs throughout college. Throughout his graduate school and postdoctoral fellowships, Daniel continued to hone his research interests as he prepared to launch his own independent lab. His early passion for imaging and microscopy continued throughout his career, and Daniel uses cutting-edge microscopy in his research today.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (25:04)
As a postdoc working at Argonne National Laboratory, Daniel spent over a year trying to purify heat shock protein fragments and develop antibodies for the protein. After all of his hard work, none of the antibodies he created were able to detect the protein that occurs naturally in organisms. He views this as an important learning experience. It was extremely difficult or nearly impossible to develop antibodies against this protein, and it was time to move on. In addition to scientific challenges, Daniel went through personal struggles as a postdoc as well. He was a postdoc for six years, and during this time, he and his wife had three children. Raising a new family on a postdoc salary and with a busy schedule wasn’t easy. In addition, Daniel’s father who had been a source of support passed away. However, Daniel pushed through because he knew he wanted to ultimately get a faculty position.
A Shining Success! (27:55)
Recently, Daniel celebrated the graduation of the first PhD student from his lab. The student completed their degree in only four years and published four first-author papers, both of which are tremendous accomplishments. This student was working on a project examining the effect of the gut microbiome on neurodegenerative diseases in a microscopic roundworm called C. elegans, and this is an exciting new area of research. Daniel also celebrates the publication of every paper from his lab. Not long ago, they published an interesting article in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology investigating the effect of combining silver nanoparticles with antibiotics to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They discovered that when they combined these spheres with commonly used aminoglycoside antibiotics, they could potentiate the effects of the aminoglycosides by over twenty-fold. This is important because this type of antibiotic is commonly used in pediatric medicine, but one of the side-effects is irreversible loss of hearing. Now with their combined nanoparticle plus antibiotic approach, they can lower the concentration of antibiotics to nontoxic levels while still effectively fighting antibiotic-resistant microbes. This project was in industry collaboration, and it has the potential to have major impacts on medicine.
Book Recommendations (32:52)
The 5AM Club: Own Your Morning. Elevate Your Life. by Robin Sharma
Most Treasured Travel (34:16)
Daniel will never forget traveling to China as a graduate student. The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has a branch in the city of Suzhou, and Daniel was invited to give a presentation at a scientific meeting there. He flew into Shanghai and visited two friends who were living there at the time, and then he traveled west to Suzhou for the meeting. After the meeting, Daniel was able to travel to different cities in China for sightseeing. This part of his trip coincided with a national holiday where much of the country has a week off from work, so all of the attractions were bustling with people.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (36:47)
The people in the labs that Daniel has been a part of felt like family. This social component to lab life is really important because science often involves doing a lot of work independently. For Daniel, this was many long hours at the microscope or working with cell cultures by himself. In his current lab, Daniel and his trainees enjoy conversations in the lab as well as a variety of group activities outside the lab. They have gone kayaking in the Gulf of Mexico together, enjoyed many BBQ dinners at his house, and held holiday and end-of-term parties. These events bring the lab together, build camaraderie, and enhance productivity.
Advice For Us All (41:01)
Think of failures as part of the process of getting better. We want to succeed in everything we do, but there are a lot of challenges and failures in science. These are how we improve. Never give up.
Guest Bio
Dr. Czyż’s research group utilizes various non-traditional approaches to battle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including drug repurposing, bacteriophages, silver nanoparticles, and targeting the host to enhance the ability of phagocytic cells to scavenge and kill bacteria. The Czyż lab also employs the Caenorhabditis elegans model to study the effect of bacteria on protein conformational diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Antibiotics are the major contributor to AMR and gut dysbiosis, which is implicated in the pathogenesis of protein conformational diseases; therefore, these distantly related fields nicely converge on a possibly common culprit. In addition to research, Daniel developed and teaches two courses on AMR: an online lecture and an advanced lab. His passion for science is not limited to work – at home, Daniel utilizes his microbiology skills to ferment kombucha, sauerkraut, kefir, natto, and yogurt. When not working, he spends time with his wife and three daughters visiting Florida beaches, fishing, and exploring new places. When everyone is already sleeping, Daniel seizes the night with a 5k run to clear his mind.

Support for this episode of People Behind the Science was provided by LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories.
The post 699: Dr. Daniel Czyż: Battling Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Investigating Microbial Contributions to Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
46 min
March 06, 2023 698: Dr. Melissa Franklin: A Particle Physicist Accelerating Us Towards a Better Understanding of Our Universe
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Dr. Melissa Franklin is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard University. She completed her undergraduate studies in Physics at the University of Toronto and received her PhD in Physics from Stanford University. Next, Melissa conducted research as a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She served on the faculty of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and was a Junior Fellow in the Society of Fellows at Harvard before joining the faculty there. Melissa has been named a Fellow of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and she has been awarded the Spark Award for Women in Science from the Women in Science at Harvard-Radcliffe, as well as a Doctorate Degree in Law from Queens University in Canada. Melissa 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 (2:18)
Some of Melissa’s favorite things to do when she’s not working include reading, watching movies, listening to music, and going for walks. On a sunny day, you can often find her enjoying a scenic walk alongside the nearby pond in Cambridge.
The Scientific Side (3:35)
Melissa’s research aims to better understand the nature of space and time. To accomplish this, Melissa uses large particle accelerators to collide particles together. This produces a lot of energy in a relatively small space over a relatively short time. She and her colleagues observe what happens when these particles collide under the conditions of excited spacetime that they created.
A Dose of Motivation (4:18)
I’d rather do nothing than waste my time.
What Got You Hooked on Science? (5:08)
Learning how to play chess from her elementary school principal was Melissa’s first introduction to logic, sustained thought, and algorithms. She enjoyed playing chess and also developed an interest in math. However, Melissa did not have a strong early education in math or science. She left high school when she was 13 to become part of a free school and then later left the free school to travel through Europe. There, Melissa explored philosophy and encountered books by Heisenberg and Bohr, both celebrated physicists in quantum mechanics. This sparked Melissa’s interest in physics. Without a formal high school diploma, she didn’t meet the requirements to be admitted to college, but after visiting the nearby University of Toronto for 34 days in a row, she finally convinced them to let her study physics there. Melissa struggled during her first year of college because she didn’t know how or how much to study, but she became fascinated by particle physics. After a summer working at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Melissa knew she wanted to continue doing laboratory experiments in physics, so she decided to apply to graduate school.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (21:35)
Even today, there are relatively few women in physics. Over the course of her career, Melissa has struggled with people not treating her respectfully and also feeling like she didn’t belong. In one instance, Melissa was excited to receive a job offer from a particular institution, but before she accepted, a few people at the institution brought her into their offices and told her that they knew she wasn’t smart. Needless to say, she declined the position. The conditions for women in physics has improved over the years, and Melissa is dedicated to making the Physics Department at Harvard a supportive and encouraging environment for female scientists.
A Shining Success! (26:31)
Melissa was a member of the experimental research teams that discovered the Higgs Boson in 2012. The Higgs Boson is the most recently discovered particle and the final particle expected based on the Standard Model of particle physics. Even though there were over 3,000 people whose work led to this exciting discovery, Melissa was thrilled to have contributed an important piece to this history-making revelation. There are only about 20 particles that make up everything in the universe, and this was the second particle Melissa had a hand in discovering. While she wasn’t at CERN when the particle was discovered, Melissa was in close contact with her students who were on site. The students had to sleep inside the lecture hall to get a seat for the big announcement the next day, and there was a big celebration at CERN.
Book Recommendations (3:00)
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Most Treasured Travel (29:18)
Visiting other laboratories and working with researchers there is an experience Melissa particularly enjoys. She once visited a high energy physics laboratory in Japan for four days. They worked non-stop at the accelerator for about three and a half days, went into Tokyo for a few hours and ate a lot of different kinds of fish, and then Melissa was off to the airport to fly home. These kinds of trips are fun because you don’t feel like a tourist since you are working in a lab. You get to experience a place in a different way.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (31:09)
One of the quirky things about the building where Melissa works is that there are always people walking up and down the halls lost in thought. For many scientists, the problems they are working on are often simmering in the backs of their minds as they go about their day. Melissa shared a few examples of the funny, distraction-induced things that scientists she knows have done. In one case, a colleague started driving to the airport but realized something important was left at home. The person returned home, secured the item, forgot about the car they left running in their driveway, and promptly took a cab to the airport.
Advice For Us All (35:32)
Sometimes observing people who are successful can be really helpful. At one point in Melissa’s career, she was really struggling. By seeing how long and hard a scientist she lived with worked, Melissa realized all the effort that went into that person’s success. This helped her put her own life into perspective. For Melissa, finding things out about the universe is the most satisfying thing in the world. She recommends that you should continue to study physics if the time it takes you to solve a problem is shorter than the amount of time you remain interested in the problem.
Guest Bio
Melissa is an experimental particle physicist who is working on studies of hadron collisions produced by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory with the Collider Detector Facility (CDF) and the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). She works in a collaboration of over 600 international physicists who discovered the top quark at CDF, and 3,000 physicists at ATLAS where she studies particle interactions and symmetries at the highest energies now available worldwide. Professor Franklin was born and raised in Canada, and she received her B.Sc. from the University of Toronto and her Doctorate from Stanford University. She worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley Lab, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois in Champagne/Urbana and was a Junior Fellow in the Society of Fellows at Harvard, before joining the Harvard faculty in 1989. In 1992, Melissa became the first female tenured faculty member in the department of physics at Harvard University.

*This episode was originally released on April 10, 2017.
The post 698: Dr. Melissa Franklin: A Particle Physicist Accelerating Us Towards a Better Understanding of Our Universe appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
40 min
February 27, 2023 697: Gregory Krug: Developing and Producing Antibodies and Other Products to Advance Science and Medicine
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Gregory Krug is Founder, President, and CEO of Lampire Biological Laboratories, Inc., a biotech life science company that produces biological reagents used in the diagnostic and pharmaceutical industries. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Delaware Valley University, and Lampire Enterprises was founded shortly afterwards as a result of work that he started doing as an undergraduate student. Greg incorporated the company as Lampire Biological Laboratories and acquired full ownership several years later. He joins us in this interview to tell us more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:16)
When he’s not working, Greg enjoys spending quality time with his family. He is also very passionate about sports, especially football, lacrosse, and polo. Over the years, Greg has enjoyed coaching and watching his sons’ football and lacrosse games, and he has been highly engaged in the polo community.
The Scientific Side (4:32)
Greg and the team at Lampire Biological Laboratories supply biologic reagents and raw materials for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic industries. Their products are shipped worldwide, and they are used in a lot of different applications.
A Dose of Motivation (5:34)
The poem “If—” by Rudyard Kipling
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:04)
Though he knew he was passionate about animals, Greg didn’t have his career plan mapped out when he started college. As a sophomore, Greg was searching for direction. He wanted to do meaningful work that allowed him to give back and help people. After a fortuitous wrong turn on his way to a job interview, Greg got connected with Craig Tarlor. This led to a job working on Craig’s horse farm and veterinary clinic. When Craig decided to sell the farm, a diagnostics company proposed an interesting opportunity. They were willing to pay the farm to supply materials needed for their diagnostics products. This was Lampire’s beginning, and Greg was part of the adventure from day one. With a lot of resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, and hard work, he and his colleagues have seen the company grow tremendously over the past 45 years.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (19:23)
Lampire had a historic barn that dated back to the 1700s and belonged to the first farmer on the property. This barn had been expanded over the years and was an important part of the company’s operations. Unfortunately, there was a tragic fire that destroyed the barn. This was a tough time for Greg both personally and professionally, but he did everything he could to take care of his staff and their customers. The group demonstrated amazing resilience, and together they were able to work through this difficult time.
A Shining Success! (22:12)
One thing that Greg finds particularly rewarding is seeing the products produced by Lampire being used in the world. For example, when he is with someone who is being treated for cancer, and he sees the clinician using a product that he helped develop, it really drives home the importance of the work done at Lampire. Greg tries to remind his team members often that each day they come to work, they are helping human lives around the world.
Book Recommendations (24:35)
Books by James Herriot such as All Creatures Great and Small, Every Living Thing, If Only They Could Talk, It Shouldn’t Happen to a Vet, and Let Sleeping Vets Lie
Most Treasured Travel (26:05)
Southern California is one of Greg’s favorite places to visit, especially San Diego and La Joya. He also had a fantastic time traveling with his staff to a trade show in Europe called MEDICA. On one of these trips, Greg got to do some sightseeing in Germany, and he really enjoyed seeing some of the old castles there. It was phenomenal to learn about the history, hear stories about the people who lived there, and get to know the culture.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (28:34)
Greg and his staff are passionate about fundraising and getting involved in their community. Team Lampire participates in a variety of different fundraising events throughout the year to help raise money for important causes. They also bring their mascot Larry the Lampire Llama to events to spread cheer and get people engaged. In addition, Greg is highly involved in a variety of economic and career development activities, including programs that bring kids to Lampire to learn about their work and careers in science. These programs range in age all the way down to pre-school educational sessions through high school and college internships.
Advice For Us All (36:11)
You have to face adversity and work through difficult times with good communication and compassion. Think about the broader impacts and importance of what you do, not just for yourself, but for others as well. Also, keep in mind that you never know what other people are going through. It is easy to get busy and focus just on what you are doing, but taking a moment to share a simple greeting or check in with someone can make a huge difference for them.
Guest Bio
Greg has guided the growth of Lampire Biological Laboratories, Inc., since its inception in 1977. He completed acquisition of the corporation in 1979 and continues to hold 100% ownership. He take a hands-on approach to managing Lampire’s two expansive animal facilities, totaling over 600 acres in some of the finest agricultural country in North America. These sites house large domestic farm animals, unique breeds, and small laboratory animals for custom antisera, bulk sera, plasma, and red cell production programs. Additionally, Lampire has three separate facilities for manufacturing, processing, and finishing their products. Over the past two decades, the team at Lampire has perfected their ability to produce custom antibodies, and they offer high quality antibodies at an excellent value, intellectual property, and with quick turnaround times. They also manufacture and distribute quality purified proteins, reagents, BSA, and their own OMNI C3® Cell Culture Bags. In his role as Chief Executive Officer, Greg maintains overall responsibility for the company’s operations and financial performance. He also is responsible for their compliance with all Federal, State, and local regulatory agencies. Additionally, in his capacity as Institutional Official, Greg appoints the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to review, investigate, and report all activities related to Animal Welfare in compliance with 9 CFR Chapter (Code of Federal Regulation).

Support for this episode of People Behind the Science was provided by LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories.
The post 697: Gregory Krug: Developing and Producing Antibodies and Other Products to Advance Science and Medicine appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
40 min
February 20, 2023 696: Dr. Sapna Sharma: Looking at Lakes to Learn About the Impacts of Climate Change, Invasive Species, and Pollution
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Dr. Sapna Sharma is an Associate Professor in Biology at York University. She received her PhD in Ecology and evolution from the University of Toronto and completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Montreal and the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She served on the faculty at Loyola before joining the faculty at York where she is today. Sapna is also founder of a science outreach program at York University for refugee children called SEEDS. She 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 (1:48)
With a 14 month old son, a lot of Sapna’s time away from science is spent with her family. It has been fun to go to music classes and swimming classes together, and he just recently learned to walk.
The Scientific Side (2:35)
Sapna studies the effects of climate change, invasive species, and pollution on lakes. She is investigating how these effects are manifested through water quality, fish populations, water temperatures, and lake ice.
A Dose of Motivation (3:21)
“We’re all smart, but distinguish yourself by being kind.”
What Got You Hooked on Science? (5:44)
Growing up, she was a competitive tennis player, so athletics consumed most her her energy. However, in seventh grade, Sapna did her science fair project on the effects of climate change on plants, and in 8th grade her science fair project focused on acid rain. She was serious about athletics, but science was something she did for fun. When Sapna sustained injuries that ended her tennis career, she turned her attention towards science.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (19:04)
For her first postdoc, Sapna worked in a small town where she found many of the people weren’t welcoming to others from different cultures or races. People would say racist things to her at work during lunch or on her way home. Sapna was able to get through it by building a support network there of others facing similar problems, and she also had strong connections with colleagues in Toronto who were able to connect her to the scientists who would become her next postdoctoral advisors.
A Shining Success! (22:21)
One of her recent research projects examining global changes in water temperatures has recently been published and is garnering a lot of media attention. In fact, it was featured on the front page of the Toronto Star, and the results of their research are being used in advertisements for the Toronto Star’s new app. It’s been exciting seeing her research in ads all over the subway, buses, bus stands, and streetcars around the city. Another study that published recently uses data on lake ice collected by Japanese priests and Finnish merchants over hundreds of years to give us a picture of what the climate was like before the industrial revolution.
Book Recommendations (27:28)
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Chris Hadfield
Most Treasured Travel (29:03)
Sapna went on a 3-day whirlwind trip to Nanjing, China to give a plenary lecture about water quality and pollution problems in Tai Lake there. It made her appreciate how important lakes are to people and how important it is to manage them well. During her trip, she had an amazing time meeting warm and friendly people, visiting the markets, seeing some of the temples, and learning a little more about the culture.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (31:20)
In Sapna’s graduate school lab, they had a lot of really old computers networked together to share data. Her supervisor finally bought a fancy new computer that was supposed to be Sapna’s primary computer, but she had trouble getting it to work right. Not long afterwards, her colleagues started asking why she kept sending them viruses from this computer. After some sleuthing, they discovered that the new computer was the third most active computer on campus because someone had hacked into it and was using it as a server to distribute viruses.
Advice For Us All (36:06)
When you get new tasks that won’t take that much time to do, just do them immediately to get them off your plate. Taking care of these little things quickly keeps things from piling up on your to-do list. Also, always keep your options open and have backup plans because you never know where life is going to take you. You should also make sure to always have a support system, because with a support system, you can get through anything.
Guest Bio
Sapna’s research interests include predicting the effects of environmental stressors such as climate change, invasive species, and habitat alteration on lakes. She and her colleagues are also working to improve the use of quantitative approaches used to generate these predictions. Sapna has also founded a science outreach program at York University named SEEDS designed to build supportive communities and captivate the curiosity of newly-arrived government sponsored refugee children and their families from around the world, including Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Burma, and Eritrea.

*This episode was originally released on August 22, 2016.
The post 696: Dr. Sapna Sharma: Looking at Lakes to Learn About the Impacts of Climate Change, Invasive Species, and Pollution appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
42 min
February 13, 2023 695: Dr. Corey Hopkins: Using Chemistry to Understand the Biology of Diseases with Unmet Medical Need
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Dr. Corey Hopkins is a Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. In his lab, Corey and his team use chemistry to answer the biological questions behind diseases and how to treat them. They make drug-like compounds and test them in biological systems to investigate whether particular proteins are involved in the disease process. They are particularly interested in diseases with unmet medical needs, including neurological diseases such as schizophrenia, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. When he’s not working, Corey likes to spend his time home-brewing beer, golfing, and lately he has started learning how to play the guitar. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Indiana University and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. Afterwards, he held industry positions at Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, and then Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals. He served on the faculty at Vanderbilt University before joining the faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2016. He has been awarded UNMC’s Excellence in Mentoring Award, Most Promising Invention Award, and Distinguished Scientist Award. In this interview, he shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:31)
When he’s not working, Corey likes to spend his time home-brewing beer, golfing, and lately he has started learning how to play the guitar.
The Scientific Side (3:45)
In his lab, Corey and his team use chemistry to answer the biological questions behind diseases and how to treat them. They make drug-like compounds and test them in biological systems to investigate whether particular proteins are involved in the disease process. They are particularly interested in diseases with unmet medical needs, including neurological diseases such as schizophrenia, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
A Dose of Motivation (5:09)
“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” – John Maxwell
“The manager administers; the leader innovates.” – Warren Bennis
What Got You Hooked on Science? (8:33)
While he didn’t have the iconic childhood chemistry set, Corey became interested in science relatively early. In high school, he took both chemistry and physics courses, and he wasn’t sure which path to pursue. Corey’s physics teacher steered him towards chemistry since he thought there would be better job prospects in that field. From his very first chemistry class as an undergraduate student, Corey knew chemistry was for him. He was focused on getting a job in the chemicals industry after graduating, and continuing his education in graduate school wasn’t really on Corey’s radar. However, the mentors he met at his first job encouraged him to look into graduate school opportunities and helped him identify a good fit. After getting his PhD, Corey returned to industry. His transition to academia several years later was a major turning point in his career, and he has really enjoyed his role in academia.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (17:47)
As medicinal chemists trying to make new drug molecules, Corey and his colleagues experience failure frequently. They have been working on a project in Parkinson’s disease to better understand and target proteins that may be able to slow down the rate of neurodegeneration. They have had success in this project showing that they can reverse a common side effect called dyskinesia that is caused by a medication commonly used to manage Parkinson’s disease symptoms. However, there was a period where he really struggled to get funding for this area of research. After wrapping up research on one grant, Corey spent years trying to secure funding for the next steps of this project to no avail. He was on the verge of giving up when he connected with a colleague in Sweden who is a renowned expert in the field, and they were able to work together to get this work funded.
A Shining Success! (19:52)
Corey and his team are working on an interesting project in colorectal cancer that involves a unique approach to drug development. Rather than leveraging the traditional lock and key mechanism of combining drug molecules with receptors, in this new approach, the compound of interest laches on to a relevant protein and breaks the protein down. This approach is called PROteolysis TArgeting Chimera (PROTAC). They had made some new compounds, and one of Corey’s students recently started working with these PROTAC compounds. They just got some exciting new data a few weeks ago, and the compounds are incredibly active and have shown to be effective in degrading a protein relevant in colorectal cancer. They are looking forward to moving this project into an animal model as a next step. This is a particularly thrilling success because they weren’t sure if the project would work, and the recent results have bolstered everyone’s mood and confidence.
Book Recommendations (22:25)
Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through the World’s Strangest Brains by Helen Thomson
Most Treasured Travel (24:41)
About eight years ago, Corey had an opportunity to travel to Scotland to attend a scientific conference. He gave a presentation there about his research and presided over one of the symposium sessions, and it was a great experience scientifically. In addition, Corey’s wife was able to join him on the trip, and they had a wonderful time before and after the conference exploring Edinburgh and touring some of the fantastic sights there. This was Corey’s first international trip, and it was personally meaningful because his wife is Scottish by birth and he also has Scottish heritage.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (27:23)
Corey has started a tradition in his research group where he gets a tattoo on his arm of each new drug molecule created by his trainees that is successful in an animal model. So far, he has three of these “success tattoos”. In one case, the new compound reduced substance-abuse disorder for heroin and cocaine. Another compound created by a lab member reversed chronic kidney disease. The third compound reversed pain effectively in an animal model. Each of these molecules means something to him personally, and it is really exciting to be able to make new molecules that no one else has made before.
Advice For Us All (32:12)
Remember that the people who you interact with are not you. In the context of mentoring, what works for you will not necessarily work for all of the people you mentor. You have to tailor mentor-mentee relationships to the needs, motivations, and desired outcomes of each individual. Also, you don’t have to keep doing whatever you started out doing. Always look out for new opportunities, even if they aren’t what you expect. Keep an open mind and try to go to presentations or have conversations with people outside of your area of expertise. Finally, don’t be afraid to reach out to other people to answer questions and get advice.
Guest Bio
Corey’s research is focused on understanding the biological processes that lead to disease. His expertise is in medicinal chemistry and his group discovers novel drug-like compounds that are used to help understand and treat diseases. He has interests in Parkinson’s disease, pain, and cancer (among others). Recently his group has published novel discoveries that have been advanced into animal models of neurodegeneration. He has a passion for drug discovery, teaching and mentoring graduate students. Outside of work, Corey has interests ranging from biking to home-brewing (and recently in tattoos) as well as spending time with his wife, two daughters and three French bulldogs.

Support for this episode of People Behind the Science was provided by LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories.
The post 695: Dr. Corey Hopkins: Using Chemistry to Understand the Biology of Diseases with Unmet Medical Need appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
37 min

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