People Behind the Science Podcast

By Dr. Marie McNeelyScience

People Behind the Science Podcast episodes

October 05, 2020 574: Dr. Julia Bailey-Serres: Researching Flood Resistance in Rice and Other Plants
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Dr. Julia Bailey-Serres is Director of the Center for Plant Cell Biology and Distinguished Professor of Genetics at the University of California, Riverside. She also holds the University of California John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair and is Professor of Rice Physiology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. She was awarded her B.S. in biology from the University of Utah and her Ph.D. in botany from the University of Edinburgh. Afterwards, Julia conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley before joining the faculty at UCR. She has received many awards and honors over the course of her career, including being named an elected Member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists. In addition, she has been recognized with the Stephen Hales Prize from the American Society of Plant Biologists. In our interview, Julia shares more about her life and research.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:30)
When she’s not working, Julia enjoys gardening, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family. She also has fun baking and cooking with fresh vegetables from her garden.
The Scientific Side (3:19)
A major focus of Julia’s lab is to investigate how plants survive water extremes with the goal of improving the ability of crops to survive a temporary flood.
A Dose of Motivation (4:01)
“In wilderness is the preservation of the world.” – Henry David Thoreau
What Got You Hooked on Science? (7:39)
Julia’s love of nature and plants began early in her childhood. She grew up in San Diego County with access to a thriving coastal sage community in the hills behind her house, and she loved exploring and playing outdoors. Initially, Julia thought she wanted to go into forestry, so she enrolled in a forestry program in college. However, she soon realized that her true interests were in botany. As an undergraduate student, she had an opportunity to take a course in electron microscopy and subsequently work in a research laboratory. This experience had a tremendous impact on Julia and put her on course for a career in scientific research.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (15:31)
Over the years, Julia has faced a variety of different types of challenges. In one case, her lab and another group were both working at the same time to discover the mechanism through which plants can sense oxygen and sense a decline in oxygen levels. While this type of situation can be very difficult because science is highly competitive, it is also important to embrace collaboration and try to work together. In this scenario, both groups came to the same conclusions, and the methods they used were complimentary. The situation ended up being a big success since their findings were independently confirmed by another research group, and their data had important implications for the field.
A Shining Success! (18:00)
Julia has been excited to launch a new graduate program called Plants 3-D at the University of California, Riverside. This program aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge to translate basic plant biology to address important issues relevant in agriculture and biotechnology. The program was made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation. At first, Julia thought she would be successful in obtaining funding with the first grant she submitted to create the Plants 3-D, but she ended up having to re-write the grant multiple times before it was funded. It was a lot of work, but Julia is really looking forward to training students for careers in areas that can have a big impact, as well as providing opportunities for diverse students in science and engineering.
Book Recommendations (27:11)
The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf
Most Treasured Travel (20:33)
One of Julia’s most memorable trips involved visiting farmers and farm advisors in Bangladesh and India. Regional farm advisors had provided farmers with packets of rice seeds to plant in areas that are sometimes impacted by floods from the monsoons. When these areas get flooded, the rice plants there often die, so they were hoping these new rice cultivars would be better able to survive the floods. While there, Julia had a chance to speak with women in the farming communities to understand their thoughts about the new rice cultivars. She will never forget how one woman was beaming with joy when she told the translator that she was so happy to see that the rice regrew after the flood. It was incredibly rewarding for Julia to see their work having real world impacts on people in these communities. Julia also got a greater appreciation of some of the other issues these farmers face, including droughts, and the importance of understanding how genes that may impact flood resistance affect other characteristics of the plants.
A second particularly meaningful trip was one that Julia took with her son to visit the Amazon Rainforest in Peru. As a biologist who studies the impacts of floods on plants, it was fascinating for her to spend a week on a boat in the Amazon to see firsthand the dynamics of a flooded ecosystem and the diversity of plants that live in that ecosystem. There are many traits present in plants there that we may not fully understand that allow them to endure the regular flooding. During their trip, Julia and her son did a lot of birdwatching and saw so many amazing species of plants and animals.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (29:12)
Scientists are people too. There are many different personalities in science, and anyone can feel free to be themselves. It has been wonderful for Julia to build a network of collaborators and colleagues throughout her career, and she continues to stay in touch with many of these people. In her own lab, Julia and her team always have a party when someone from the lab is ready to move on to the next stage of their career. Prior to the pandemic, they would get everyone together at her house and play croquet. While they have stopped having their traditional parties, the games of farewell croquet have continued on the university campus with proper social distancing.
Advice For Us All (35:20)
Think through things before you act. Make sure you spend time working through your ideas and thinking about potential challenges for a hypothesis you are going to address or a technology you are going to develop before starting a project. Also, remember that nature is critically important to us and to our world. It is essential to think about climate change and to be proactive. This is the most important thing we can do for mankind and for the future.
Guest Bio
Julia’s research is focused on learning how plants survive a dynamic environment, especially too much or too little water in order to improve the production of crops. Her research considers the genetic variation that exists in nature that enables rice to be productive in environments that have floods of different depth or duration during the growing season. She also studies the minute details of how rice and less flood resilient plants keep key cells alive when oxygen and energy levels are dangerously low. Julia leads the Plants3D graduate program, funded by the National Science Foundation, which trains teams of biologists and engineers to address challenges in agriculture and biotechnology using synthetic biology and entrepreneurship. When she is not focused on science, she is often with family, on a walk, or in her kitchen garden with her dog. She tries to use as little water as possible to keep her fruit trees happy.
The post 574: Dr. Julia Bailey-Serres: Researching Flood Resistance in Rice and Other Plants appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
38 min
September 28, 2020 573: Dr. Saad Bhamla: Investigating the Physics of Ultra-Fast Movements in Animals and Developing Low-Cost Scientific Tools
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Dr. Saad Bhamla is Assistant Professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University. Afterwards, he conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University and was awarded a Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellowship in Bioengineering. In addition, Saad has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, a Beazley Design Award, Medgadget’s Best Medical Technology Award, an award from The Index Project (formerly INDEX: Design to Improve Life), an Innovation in MedTech Award from the American India Foundation and Stanford University, the Centennial Teaching Award from Stanford University, and The Milton van Dyke Award from the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics. Saad has also been named an Accel Innovation Scholar and a National Geographic Explorer. In our interview, Saad shares more about his life and research.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:40)
In his free time, Saad loves to go running. Whether he is training for his next marathon or just taking his dogs out for some exercise, running has been a great way for him to think through problems and brainstorm new ideas.
The Scientific Side (4:33)
Research in Saad’s lab spans two different focus areas. Some of his projects are dedicated to developing very low-cost scientific tools and medical devices in order to make these items more accessible and affordable worldwide. One example of his work in this area is development of a $1 centrifuge that can be used to help diagnose diseases like anemia and malaria. Another area of research examines questions in biology and organismal physics. In this area, he is investigating how animals are able to move very rapidly, as well as how organisms can form aggregates that can sense their environment and share information. Through his research, he is using his expertise in engineering to solve problems to help society.
A Dose of Motivation (6:48)
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” by Albert Einstein
“I know where I’m going and I know the truth, and I don’t have to be what you want me to be. I’m free to be what I want.” by Mohammed Ali
What Got You Hooked on Science? (10:38)
As an undergraduate student, Saad applied for a competitive fellowship to work over the summer at a national lab in India. Though he was excited to be selected for the opportunity, Saad initially had some reservations when he discovered that the project would require him to step outside of the computational biophysics that he was familiar with to do experimental work. They were working with a bread company to more systematically characterize dough and determine how dough characteristics impacted the end products. It was fascinating for Saad to work on a real-world problem, and he enjoyed the freedom that his mentor gave him in the lab. In order to have unfettered access to the instruments in the lab, Saad flipped his schedule so he worked through the night and slept during the day. It was exciting to check in with his mentor each evening and update him each morning on the progress he had made. This experience showed Saad how much fun research could be, and he determined that this was the direction he would like to take his career.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (19:29)
One of the projects Saad is working on in the lab involves studying worms. These worms form aggregates or “blobs” by interweaving and tangling together. Once aggregated, the worms can move together to change shape, flow like a liquid, climb steps, and solve simple mazes. Saad is interested in understanding how information is shared throughout the aggregate to produce collective behavior. This is an exciting project, but the worm blobs are a challenging system to work with. It has been difficult to attract people who want to work on this system and aren’t squeamish about handling the worms. Saad’s work on extreme accelerations in slingshot spiders in the Amazon Rainforest involved similar challenges. He hired a postdoc to work on this project, and it wasn’t until they arrived in Lima, Peru that he learned that the postdoc was actually afraid of spiders. In both cases, the people in Saad’s lab have overcome their aversion to these organisms, and the projects have yielded fascinating findings.
A Shining Success! (23:32)
Getting a paper published is a long process, and Saad and his lab have developed a tradition of celebrating every little step along the way, including the initial submission, receipt of reviews, manuscript acceptance, and publication. Saad was particularly excited recently to celebrate the publication of their work on acceleration in slingshot spiders. This was the first organism he began studying when he started his faculty position, and he was determined to do this project regardless of whether he could secure funding for it. The project was somewhat risky, and there was some pressure on him to wait until he had funding or until he had tenure. However, Saad decided not to put it off for later. His determination paid off, and they made some interesting discoveries about the spiders and the three-dimensional triangular webs that they use to launch themselves at their prey.
Book Recommendations (27:34)
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Most Treasured Travel (29:01)
Though he will never forget the time he spent in the rainforests of Madagascar and the Amazon, one of Saad’s most memorable trips was to Egypt. Around the time Saad got married, he had an opportunity to apply to attend a National Academy of Engineers Frontiers conference that was to be held in Egypt. He knew that his wife had grown up watching documentaries on Egypt and that it was her childhood dream to one day visit the country. It was so rewarding for Saad to be able to take her with him when he went to the conference. The conference was amazing, and Saad forged valuable collaborations with other scientists while there. In talking to other researchers from across North Africa, he also got a better understanding of the environments in which people worked and the kinds of challenges they faced doing their science and outreach. While Saad was engaged in conference activities, his wife had a wonderful time exploring the pyramids and seeing the sights she had wanted to see for so long.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (33:23)
Saad has developed a tradition called “Super Happy Fun Time” in his lab. The lab is home to a diverse group of people, and regular lab meetings have been a great opportunity to bring everyone together. They start each meeting off by talking about science and getting updates from lab members, but the second part of the lab meeting is dedicated to doing something that isn’t science-related. They take turns coming up with an activity that may involve lab members answering questions to get to know each other better, playing games, doing puzzles, or other activities. Through these activities and sharing stories, they have found commonalities that bring them together. Sometimes the scientific updates are laden with negative findings or problems with experiments, so Super Happy Fun Time is also a great way to end lab meetings on a positive note.
Advice For Us All (38:59)
Try to be the best version of yourself. Do things that you care deeply about, and surround yourself with people whom you respect, admire, and know will support you.
Guest Bio
Through his research Saad investigates fundamental and applied questions in science by developing new experimental tools and techniques at the intersection of soft matter, organismic physics, and global health. One research area in his lab explores the physics of ultra-fast movements across different species. In particular, the physical biology of ultra-fast movements at a single-cell level are poorly understood. What is the fastest motion a single cell can achieve? How do single-cell organisms amplify power and survive repeated high accelerations? Saad and his team are examining these fundamental questions in different unicellular and multicellular organisms to discover the principles of extreme motility at cellular scales. Another research area is focused understanding how the fundamental principles of biological soft matter and complex fluids allow us to perform dynamic processes. These range from the self-assembly of proteins to the stretching of a spider web. Saad’s lab studies a variety of different kinds of biological soft matter, including the tears from our eyes and foams created by insects in an effort to connect microscale structures (lipids, proteins) to their consequences for macro scale biological function (contact lens-eye interaction, microbiome health). This research has important applications for human health for diagnostics, monitoring, implants, and biomedical devices. A third research focus in the lab is frugal science and global health. Saad is interested in designing and building tools that are scientifically rigorous, but cost just a few cents. He and his group are working to find innovative solutions for global challenges in science education, agriculture, and healthcare. Outside of the lab, Saad loves to go hiking with his family and two dogs (Ollie and Bella).
The post 573: Dr. Saad Bhamla: Investigating the Physics of Ultra-Fast Movements in Animals and Developing Low-Cost Scientific Tools appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
42 min
September 21, 2020 572: Dr. Kathryn Medler: Studying Signal Transduction in Taste Cells
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Dr. Kathryn Medler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at The State University of New York at Buffalo. She was awarded her B.S. in biology from Texas A&M University, her M.S. in physiology from San Diego State University, and her PhD in neuroscience from Louisiana State University. Afterwards, Kathryn conducted postdoctoral research at Louisiana State University and subsequently at Colorado State University before joining the faculty there at the University at Buffalo in 2004. In our interview, Kathryn shares more about her life and research.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:07)
In addition to spending time with her family, one of Kathryn’s passions outside of work is travel. While she hasn’t been able to travel as much lately, she has managed to escape the city and spend some long weekends hiking and enjoying nature in the Finger Lakes Region of New York.
The Scientific Side (3:12)
Kathryn’s lab is dedicated to understanding how the taste cells in our tongues are able to detect the chemicals in our food and send this information to the brain so that we can decide whether to eat something or spit it out. The sense of taste is critical for survival, and there are many complex signaling mechanisms involved.
A Dose of Motivation (5:29)
“Determination is what you need now.”
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:59)
As an undergraduate student, Kathryn was fortunate to have the opportunity to work in a research lab studying reproduction in sea turtles. This work was critical at the time because many species of sea turtles were on the verge of extinction. This experience sparked her interest in research, and she went on to enroll in a master’s degree program at San Diego State University. While there, Kathryn worked with alligator embryos at the San Diego Zoo to better understand temperature-sensitive hormonal changes that occur during embryonic development. At that point, her plan was to pursue a career as a scientist studying reproductive biology. However, partway into her PhD program, the professor Kathryn planned to work with moved to a different institution. As a new mom, Kathryn didn’t want to uproot her family to continue working in that lab, so she changed the trajectory of her dissertation research to work in a different lab studying the olfactory system in catfish. Through this research, Kathryn’s interests in neuroscience and signaling deepened, and she has continued answering interesting questions in sensory systems ever since.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (16:22)
During her PhD research, Kathryn struggled to get a particular set of experiments to work. She was trying to clone a receptor peptide into a cloning vector to perform gene expression studies. At the time, this was a very manual process that involved a lot of time and many complex steps. Over a period of about four months Kathryn ran 50 samples, and none of them worked. In every case, the cloning vector was backwards, and she didn’t know what to do. When she asked her advisor, he suggested that maybe the next 50 samples would work. Kathryn needed to get these expression studies to work to complete the final chapter of her dissertation, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to finish her PhD until they were done. She was frustrated and out of ideas. Fortunately, one of Kathryn’s peers shared a suggestion for something she could try, and it worked! Being persistent, talking to people, thinking about different approaches, and researching different techniques can be important to keep moving forward in science.
A Shining Success! (19:49)
Recently, Kathryn and her colleagues published a paper that provides evidence to support that there are taste cells that are broadly responsive to multiple taste qualities (i.e. sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami). This was an exciting success because for many years, it has been thought that taste cells are selective and only primarily respond to one taste quality. They had to overcome many challenges to convince the scientific community that their data were correct, including performing additional experiments to address feedback that was raised about their work. Along the way, there were many moments where Kathryn questioned herself and worried that perhaps they were wrong. It was surprising that this sort of signaling pathway for taste cells had been there all along, but it had never been documented before. In the end, the additional studies supported their original findings, and it was a major victory.
Book Recommendations (22:47)
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Most Treasured Travel (24:27)
In 2014, Kathryn had an opportunity to visit the city of Aix-en-Provence in the South of France to attend the European Calcium Society Meeting. That year, the meeting focused on calcium signaling in sensory systems, and she was invited to give a presentation at the conference. The meeting was excellent, the town was gorgeous, the architecture was remarkable, and the food was superb. In her free time, Kathryn enjoyed exploring the open air markets stocked with clothes, delicious food, and fresh flowers.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (27:06)
It has become a tradition in Kathryn’s lab to celebrate each graduate student’s graduation with a photo cake. When a graduate student enrolls in their program, they have an official departmental photo taken. Years later when they graduate, Kathryn has this photo printed on their cake to celebrate the occasion and reflect on how much they have learned and grown throughout their time in the lab. The students in the lab are very enthusiastic about this tradition, and it is now a requirement for every graduate student send-off.
Advice For Us All (31:42)
Don’t get too attached to your hypotheses. You base your hypotheses on the data you have at the time, so it is usually the simplest answer, but it is not always the most interesting answer. When your data doesn’t match or confirm your hypothesis, this is where the interesting science begins. Also, don’t feel like it is necessary for you to go to the best and most prestigious schools to have a successful career in science. Focus on where you are, and try to make the most of the opportunities that you have.
Guest Bio
Kathryn’s work is focused on understanding how the taste receptor cells in our mouth detect and convert the chemicals in potential food items into output signals that the brain can understand. Using mouse as a model system, the lab has identified new signaling proteins that are important players in the detection of bitter, sweet and umami stimuli. They have also recently discovered a novel population of taste cells that are broadly responsive to multiple taste stimuli. These cells are required for the normal perception of bitter, sweet and umami stimuli and when they are not functional, the mice are severely impaired in their ability to perceive these taste stimuli. Outside of work, Kathryn enjoys putting her own taste buds to work and loves to try new foods that she encounters as she travels. She is the proud mother of three boys and is still officially a soccer mom as her youngest son plays high school soccer.
The post 572: Dr. Kathryn Medler: Studying Signal Transduction in Taste Cells appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
36 min
September 14, 2020 571: Dr. Katie Mack: Shedding Light on the Nature of Dark Matter and the Mysteries of Our Universe
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Dr. Katie Mack is Assistant Professor of Physics at North Carolina State University and member of the Leadership in Public Science Cluster there. In addition, Katie is an avid science communicator and author of the recently released book The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking). Her writing has also been published in popular publications including Scientific American, Slate, Sky & Telescope, Time.com, and Cosmos Magazine. Katie received her undergraduate degree in physics from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) and her PhD in astrophysics from Princeton University. Afterwards, she accepted a Science and Technology Facilities Council postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Cambridge and Kavli Institute for Cosmology. Next, Katie was awarded a Discovery Early Career Research Award Fellowship to conduct research at the University of Melbourne. Katie accepted her current position at North Carolina State University in 2018. In our interview, Katie shares more about her life and work.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:26)
When Katie isn’t doing research or science communication, she enjoys traveling and exploring new places, playing basketball, rock climbing, trail running, reading science fiction books, and watching science fiction shows and films.
The Scientific Side (3:37)
As a cosmologist, Katie studies the universe as a whole over the full scale of time, including how the universe evolved, what it is made out of, and how it works. She is interested in understanding how new theories about the universe could be tested with new experiments or observations. Her lab does a lot of calculations and computer modeling to determine how new observations may be able to tell us more about the universe.
A Dose of Motivation (4:45)
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” by Earl Nightingale
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:39)
Katie spent her childhood taking apart electronics and tinkering at home. She loved reading about black holes, the big bang, and time travel in science magazines, and she was inspired by Stephen Hawking’s book A Brief History of Time. Her mother used to listen to Richard Feynman lectures in the car and would take Katie to attend local scientific lectures that were open to the public. As Katie’s interests in cosmology developed, she decided to major in physics in college. Along her career path, Katie also developed a keen interest in science communication. She got involved in science writing in college and soon after began discussing science on social media. Katie’s current faculty position allows her to combine her passions for research, teaching, and public engagement.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (20:41)
Rejection and failure are common in science. Katie has had many experiences where her grants were rejected, she didn’t get positions she applied for, presentations went poorly, or her ideas or calculations didn’t work out. For example, towards the end of her time as a postdoc, Katie applied for about 70 different jobs in a variety of different places. Getting a tenure track faculty job is really difficult, and Katie knew she wanted a position where public engagement would be recognized as a valuable addition to her research. It takes a lot of resilience to keep picking yourself up after each rejection or failure and to realize that these events aren’t the end of your career.
A Shining Success! (23:37)
It means a lot to Katie every time one of her papers is accepted or a presentation goes well. However, at the moment, one of the most exciting successes she is celebrating is the recent release of her first book. She put so much work into writing, editing, and promoting the book, and it has been thrilling and rewarding to see that people from all over the world have been reading it and leaving positive reviews. Another exciting recent success was being invited to give a colloquium at a workshop at the Aspen Center for Physics last summer. This invitation was an honor because the Center draws a diverse group of physicists together from a variety of research areas. Katie presented an overview of the different ways of looking for dark matter in the universe, and her talk was very well-received by the audience. This was a validating experience and reinforced that Katie’s work was valuable and useful for her peers.
Book Recommendations (26:02)
Network Effect by Martha Wells and The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal
Most Treasured Travel (27:32)
Katie had an opportunity to spend about a month in Rwanda to teach a course on astrophysics at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences. The course was an intense graduate class on physical cosmology that included 30 hours of instruction over three weeks. It was a lot of work, but it was amazing to meet students from different backgrounds from across the continent. While she was in Rwanda, Katie also participated in a guided trek through the mountains to see gorillas at one of the national parks there. It was remarkable to be able to observe wild gorillas in their natural habitat.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (31:23)
While Katie was working at the University of Melbourne, several students completed their PhDs, and it was cool to see how the PhD process works in different countries. The students each had to write their dissertation, make all the requested revisions, and turn in the final version at the Registrar’s office. When the final version is turned in, the Registrar’s office gives the student a balloon on a stick to celebrate the occasion. It was really charming to see students returning to the department with their balloons and beaming with joy at having finished their degrees.
Advice For Us All (35:42)
Make sure your time doesn’t get too fragmented. If you are going a lot of different directions and working on a lot of different things, you won’t be able to find the time to really think about a project or problem and see it through to completion. You’ll be interrupted and distracted, and it will be a lot more difficult to make progress.
Guest Bio
Katie is a theoretical astrophysicist in the field of cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. Throughout her career, Katie has investigated dark matter, the early universe, galaxy formation, black holes, cosmic strings, the ultimate fate of the cosmos, and distant cosmic explosions known as fast radio bursts. She specializes in the connections between astrophysics and particle physics. Precision measurements of the cosmos on the largest scales can reveal the nature of elementary particles and the structure of fundamental physical laws. Katie examines how the particle physics of dark matter can influence the evolution of stars and galaxies and, thus, what we might see in new observations. In addition to her academic research, she is a dedicated science communicator.
The post 571: Dr. Katie Mack: Shedding Light on the Nature of Dark Matter and the Mysteries of Our Universe appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
38 min
September 07, 2020 570: Dr. Amanda Rabinowitz: Researching Rehabilitation After Traumatic Brain Injury
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Dr. Amanda Rabinowitz is an Institute Scientist and Director of the Brain Injury Neuropsychology Laboratory at Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute (MRRI), as well as a Research Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. Amanda received her B.A. in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating, she worked there as a Research Coordinator for a few years before enrolling in graduate school. Amanda was awarded her M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Penn State University. During graduate school, she completed her Residency in Neuropsychology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Amanda conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania before accepting her position at MRRI. In our interview, she shares more about her life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:18)
Much of Amanda’s free time is spent with her family, including her two young kids. In addition, she loves cooking everyday meals and experimenting with more ambitious recipes. Over the past year, Amanda has really enjoyed exploring the art of sourdough baking.
The Scientific Side (4:52)
Amanda is a clinical psychologist who studies rehabilitation after brain injury. There are often cognitive and emotional changes after brain injury, and Amanda is interested in characterizing these changes and developing treatments to help people cope with them. She is also interested in understanding the impacts that having a brain injury earlier in life may have on people later in their lives.
A Dose of Motivation (7:06)
“When I look at the world I’m pessimistic, but when I look at people I’m optimistic.” by Carl Rogers
What Got You Hooked on Science? (12:25)
When Amanda enrolled in college, she was really interested in computer science and artificial intelligence. She started off taking computer science and engineering classes, but it was a struggle. As Amanda reflected on her interests, she realized that she was drawn to the idea that complex functions could be broken down into discrete elements that could be described to a computer in the language of a program. What really captivated her was cognition and cognitive science. After this revelation, Amanda changed her course of study to pursue cognitive psychology and neuroscience. She worked in a cognitive psychology lab as an undergraduate student, and it was a great experience. As graduation approached, Amanda wasn’t sure what career path she wanted to pursue. She decided to work for a few years as a research assistant doing clinical research while she considered her options for graduate school. Amanda ultimately chose to enroll in a graduate program that would prepare her to become an independent investigator answering questions about clinical psychology and higher order cognitive functions.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (27:04)
Doing research in a clinical population is challenging because you need to be able to recruit enough research participants, and you have to design your studies in ways that are sensitive to the individual needs of that population. When Amanda was a postdoc, she worked in a lab where there was a lot of expertise in basic science and animal models. She was tasked with launching a new project in which the lab would be recruiting a clinical population for the first time. The study involved collecting data from patients with mild traumatic brain injury. These patients can be difficult to reach because they may receive care in a variety of different places, including an emergency department, primary care doctor, neurologist, etc. This means that there isn’t one single place to focus recruitment efforts. This was a major change from what Amanda was used to in her previous research on sports-related concussion while she was at Penn State. There, they had a strong sports program, and it was easy for her to collect data on athletes in the program. Trying to create a new recruitment pipeline for research is difficult. Ultimately, Amanda didn’t meet her recruitment goals, and she had to change her eligibility criteria multiple times, but it was a good learning experience.
A Shining Success! (30:14)
Part of Amanda’s current research program involves participating in a large, multi-site collaboration called the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems. Within the TBI Model Systems, they recruit TBI patients from inpatient rehabilitation facilities and collect data longitudinally on these individuals for years after their brain injuries. They are now following approximately 10,000 patients, and the earliest patients have been tracked for up to 25 years post-injury. The data they have collected is a tremendous resource for research, and Amanda is thrilled to work with this exceptional group of collaborators from across the country. Recently, Amanda was delighted when she ran the analyses on a project she is leading using this dataset, and the results were easy to interpret and confirmed her hypothesis. No extensive post hoc analyses were needed, and everything made sense. It almost felt too good to be true! She is looking forward to publishing these results to share her findings.
Book Recommendations (33:16)
The Behaviour Change Wheel: A Guide To Designing Interventions by Susan Michie, Lou Atkins, and Robert West and Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change by Eitan Hersh
Most Treasured Travel (34:56)
When Amanda was a graduate student, she attended a meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society in Kraków, Poland. This was her first time attending an international conference, and it was wonderful. She was selected to present in a symposium with one of the most imminent and well-known brain injury researchers. Though it was nerve-wracking to present after this scientist, it was also an exciting opportunity. After the conference, Amanda spent some time exploring Kraków as a solo tourist. She visited several important historical sites and enjoyed sampling the local cuisine.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (38:27)
In her early years at MRRI, Amanda worked closely with Dr. Tessa Hart, and Tessa had cultivated some fantastic traditions within the TBI research group. Each fall, the group got together for a party at Tessa’s house. Before the party, Tessa would go to a second-hand store and dig through the big bin of metal buttons to find one that was a good fit for each person. These often had funny sayings on them that reflected some element of a person’s personality, and she’d tell a story about why she picked a particular button for each person. This tradition fostered a sense of humor and a playful environment in the group. When Tessa retired, everyone custom made a button that included something Tessa used to say or something that reminded them of her, and they each got to present their buttons to her. It was a fun way to commemorate Tessa and her career.
Advice For Us All (42:06)
Sometimes the dumb way is the smart way. You don’t always have to have the most elegant approach when solving a problem, and it is okay to start working on a problem in a clunky way. In addition, you shouldn’t be afraid to think big and think small. You’re not likely going to be the one to fully answer a big research question, but you can build towards that big question in small, meaningful ways. If you can keep the big picture in mind and taking small steps allows you to make progress, you may end up being more productive and having a bigger impact than you expected.
Guest Bio
Amanda’s research focuses on outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) across the spectrum of TBI severity. She is particularly interested in psychosocial factors that may confer resilience after brain injury and how self-regulation may be a key mechanism. Several of Amanda’s recent and ongoing research projects leverage mobile technology as a tool to augment brain injury assessment and intervention. In addition, Amanda works both with local and national collaborators to study longterm brain injury outcomes, including neuroimaging studies to better understand the neuropathological substrates of chronic and neurodegenerative effects of brain injury, as well as large epidemiological studies that examine participation in contact sports as a risk factor for cognitive and emotional dysfunction later in life.
The post 570: Dr. Amanda Rabinowitz: Researching Rehabilitation After Traumatic Brain Injury appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
46 min
August 31, 2020 569: Dr. Franklin West: Developing Stem Cell and Extracellular Vesicle Therapies to Treat Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury
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Dr. Franklin West is an Associate Professor in the Regenerative Biosciences Center at the University of Georgia. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Morehouse College and was awarded his Ph.D. in stem cell biology from the University of Georgia. Franklin then worked as an Assistant Research Scientist at the University of Georgia for a few years before joining the faculty there in 2010. He received the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Science’s Young Alumni Award in 2019 and recently received the University of Georgia Alumni Award “40 Under 40” distinction. Franklin was also named an “Emerging Scholar” in 2012 by Diverse Magazine and among the “Top 40 Under 40: Georgia’s Best and Brightest” by Georgia Trend Magazine. In our interview, Franklin will share more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:26)
Traveling is a passion for Franklin. Though he had to cancel his trip to Seoul, South Korea planned for this summer, he is looking forward to his next big travel adventure. In the meantime, Franklin has been having fun taking care of his garden at home.
The Scientific Side (3:51)
In the lab, Franklin and his team are developing and testing stem cell therapies to treat stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI). They use induced pluripotent stem cells, which are cells that can be reprogrammed to develop into any kind of cell in the body.
A Dose of Motivation (6:04)
Franklin gets motivated by reflecting on the number of people who are affected by stroke and TBI. These conditions greatly impact them and the people in their lives, and Franklin is eager to contribute to developing better treatments.
What Got You Hooked on Science? (10:44)
Growing up in a military family, Franklin moved every few years to different places across the U.S., Italy, and Japan. As a result, he was exposed to a wide variety of different environments and wildlife. Franklin remembers his dad helping him build his first net to collect bugs, and they developed a sizable collection of different insects over the years. Based on his initial interest in nature, he was drawn to biology and ecology in school. Franklin’s family always had pets in the house as well, and this fueled his interest in becoming a veterinarian. He pursued opportunities to shadow veterinarians and work at veterinary offices after school and over the summer in high school. During college, Franklin participated in different programs and internships, and through these projects, he was able to travel to Kenya to research baboons and study snails at the Shoals Marine Laboratory in Maine. Working in the field and doing research firsthand got Franklin excited about science, and he decided to pursue an academic research career.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (24:31)
Getting used to failing has been one of the biggest challenges for Franklin. Many people who pursue science careers have worked hard and been successful throughout their school years. When you’re so used to success, it can be difficult to cope with failure, and scientists fail most of the time. Franklin runs a lot of experiments, and the majority of them don’t work out. There are also many failures when it comes to teaching and writing grants. After a while, you learn to accept failure, and this is something that Franklin works through with each of his students. Having a good support system and talking to others have been key for getting through tough times.
A Shining Success! (27:38)
In addition to celebrating the big wins, Franklin makes sure to celebrate all the small successes in his lab. Recently, he was working with his team and an expert collaborator to develop a new animal model to study alcohol use disorder. They spent an entire year and three pilot studies trying to get the animals to consume alcohol, and it just wasn’t working. Ultimately, they were successful when they tried the same protocols with older animals. Currently, they are working on a project trying to add a fluorescent label to the neural stem cells they are studying to make them easier to find in the brain. They have tried a lot of different approaches, but they haven’t been able to get the neural stem cells to express the genes for the fluorescent protein. Franklin is looking forward to solving this challenge and celebrating with a lab lunch or ice cream outing.
Book Recommendations (31:07)
A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin
Most Treasured Travel (31:59)
Visiting Kenya as an undergraduate student to study yellow baboons was a remarkable experience. While observing the baboons in their natural environment, Franklin was also able to see a lot of other amazing wildlife. He also had a chance to meet local Maasai people and learn about their culture. More recently, Franklin visited the National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal, India to collaborate with colleagues and teach a workshop on growing induced pluripotent stem cells. Talking to the students was phenomenal because they were so excited about science and the work they were doing. While in Karnal, Franklin also enjoyed exploring the city, visiting the Taj Mahal and other attractions, meeting people, and sampling excellent food. It was a transformative travel experience.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (34:45)
Franklin’s lab established a tradition called the West Lab Day of Fun where the group gets together outside the lab for some quality time doing fun activities. Most recently they all went kayaking together, and it was a great way to unwind after working long hours in the lab.
Advice For Us All (37:24)
The value of hard work cannot be understated. There are a lot of good ideas out there, but hard work and dedication really make things happen.
Guest Bio
Franklin’s research focuses on the development of stem cell therapies and extracellular vesicles for the treatment of stroke and traumatic brain injury. Both of these neural injuries have a great therapeutic need due to the large population of people affected and there being limited or no FDA approved treatments. One of the parts that he most enjoys about being an academic researcher is working with graduate students. He truly enjoys helping them learn about the scientific process and the enthusiasm and energy that they bring to every research study. Outside of the laboratory, Franklin enjoys traveling, gardening, and reef aquariums. Each year he tries to travel to a different country and has lived (Italy, Okinawa) and visited (Kenya, India) places all over the world. The pandemic has stopped him from traveling this year, but his garden and reef aquariums are looking better than ever. He has also brought on a new assistant gardener (his daughter), that has truly enjoyed growing flowers and learning about garden critters (ladybugs to frogs) this year.
The post 569: Dr. Franklin West: Developing Stem Cell and Extracellular Vesicle Therapies to Treat Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
39 min
August 24, 2020 568: Dr. Sharlene Santana: Determining the Drivers of Diversity in Bats and Other Mammals
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Dr. Sharlene Santana is Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington and Curator of Mammals at the University of Washington’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. She completed her undergraduate training in biology at the University of the Andes in Venezuela, and she was awarded her Ph.D. in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Afterwards, Sharlene conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute for Society and Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles. She joined the faculty at the University of Washington in 2012. In our interview, Sharlene shares more about her life and research.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:24)
Sharlene loves trying new restaurants in Seattle, as well as traveling to other countries and learning about other cultures. In her free time, you can find Sharlene hiking or swimming with her dog, attending ballet performances, and listening to music and podcasts. She is also a fan of good storytelling in books, movies, TV series, and documentaries.
The Scientific Side (3:46)
As an integrative and evolutionary biologist, Sharlene explores questions about evolution from a variety of perspectives. She is working to understand why some groups of organisms are more diverse in terms of their number of species, appearance, or behavior. There are over 1,400 species of bats that fulfill a variety of ecological roles, and much of Sharlene’s research focuses on diversity in bats.
A Dose of Motivation (7:39)
“Everything changes.”
What Got You Hooked on Science? (10:09)
Sharlene was drawn to animals and the natural world early on in her childhood. She grew up in the tropics in Venezuela, and she had a large backyard, so she was surrounded by wildlife. In college, she chose to pursue the biology track, and her initial plan was to specialize in molecular biology. However, as Sharlene had opportunities to do field research and learn more about evolution, anatomy, and behavior, her interests shifted. Each student had to do a research thesis, and Sharlene worked on a project with a professor who studied bats. She was quickly hooked. Through her experience doing field research on a tropical fruit bat, Sharlene developed a solid understanding of what it was like to be a scientist, and she was convinced that this was the career she wanted to pursue.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (16:12)
While working in the field in Costa Rica, Sharlene and her team endured an entire month where it seemed like everything went wrong. During their trip, Costa Rica experienced the wettest July in the past 60 years. It was nearly constantly pouring rain every day and night. They started this trip with ambitious goals of collecting plant samples during the day, collecting bat samples at night, and doing behavioral experiments. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to collect as many plants as planned because the forest trails were flooded and there was a constant threat of falling branches and debris. They also couldn’t collect bats most nights because bats typically don’t fly and forage for food during heavy rain. It was frustrating and demoralizing. However, Sharlene and her lab adapted to the situation they were facing. They managed to collect some data whenever there was a break in the rain, and they reshaped their ideas and projects as they determined what would be feasible. Further, Sharlene made the most of the time spent sitting in her cabin waiting for the rain to stop. She wrote a fellowship application to do more related research, and she ultimately received this fellowship award. As a result, Sharlene was able to return later to continue research in this area.
A Shining Success! (19:11)
Recently, Sharlene was awarded funding by the National Science Foundation for one of her grant applications. This is an exciting collaborative project that will take her research in a new direction. Her prior work has predominantly examined how external factors, such as anatomy and behavior, shape evolution in bats and other mammals. However, this new project will investigate the genetics underlying the development of bat teeth, how genetic factors affect the diversity of dental shapes in bats, and the relationships with diet. After having submitted this series of studies unsuccessfully a few times previously, being able to finally dive into this research is particularly thrilling.
Book Recommendations (27:10)
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Most Treasured Travel (28:14)
Panama is among the most memorable places Sharlene has visited. She went for the first time in graduate school, and she conducted field research there for several months at the Smithsonian Field Station on the island of Bocas Del Toro. The amount of biodiversity packed into such a small space, both in the land and in the water, was absolutely remarkable. There were also beautiful beaches within walking distance with excellent opportunities for snorkeling. It was paradise.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (32:07)
Sharlene’s PhD mentor planned a big Superbowl party at her house each year when Sharlene was in graduate school. Even though the lab wasn’t particularly interested in football, it was a fun way to build camaraderie, hang out, meet everyone’s families, and talk about things outside of science. Having grown up in another country, it was also fun for Sharlene to experience this tradition for the first time. In her current lab, Sharlene tries to get her lab members together for a barbecue each year, they plan lab retreats in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington, and they also do a lot of great outreach events with the Burke Museum of Natural History.
Advice For Us All (35:58)
Perseverance and adaptability are critical in science, particularly in our world where things are always changing and failures are common. Also, right now, it is critical that we all follow the measures necessary to contain the current global pandemic. This means washing your hands, wearing a mask, helping your community, and following the advice of experts.
Guest Bio
Sharlene’s research focuses on understanding why some groups of mammals (particularly bats) are more diverse than others. As an integrative biologist, she combines expertise from multiple fields, including evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology, comparative anatomy, and biomechanics. While most of her work takes place in her lab at the University of Washington, it also involves fieldwork in biodiverse places like Costa Rica and Panama. Sharlene’s current projects examine various external and internal factors that may have driven the diversification of bats, or of highly diverse groups within bats. These include the anatomical and biomechanical specialization of the skull for different sensory and feeding strategies, the evolution of frugivory, and the facilitation of morphological change by development. Outside of work, Sharlene enjoys exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and dog, reading books, watching movies and documentaries, listening to music and podcasts, attending ballet performances, and traveling to exotic places.
The post 568: Dr. Sharlene Santana: Determining the Drivers of Diversity in Bats and Other Mammals appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
39 min
August 17, 2020 567: Dr. Steve Townsend: Studying the Chemistry of How Carbohydrates Contribute to Human Health and Wellness
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Dr. Steven Townsend is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Oakland University and his PhD in Organic Chemistry from Vanderbilt University. Prior to accepting his current appointment, Steve conducted postdoctoral research at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Columbia University. Steve has received numerous awards and honors, including the Oakland University Alfred G. Wilson Founders Medal, the Ruth A. Lawrence Investigator Award for Research in Human Milk Science, Vanderbilt University’s Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, the Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Award for Research, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the American Chemical Society Young Investigators Award, and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation’s Teacher-Scholar Award. In addition, he has been named a Vanderbilt University Dean’s Faculty Fellow and one of Chemical & Engineering News’s “Talented 12”. In our interview, Steve will share more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:29)
When he’s not doing science, Steve enjoys spending time with his wife and two young daughters, reading psychological thrillers, exercising (running, basketball, and weight lifting), composting, and gardening.
The Scientific Side (6:15)
As an organic chemist, Steve’s work involves making drugs and other molecules that are drug-like. He is interested in why people get sick and how he can use chemistry to prevent or treat disease.
A Dose of Motivation (7:11)
“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X
What Got You Hooked on Science? (8:11)
Steve and his four younger siblings grew up in a single-parent home in Detroit, and most of his family members had blue collar jobs. His first exposure to chemistry was learning about how his great grandfather distilled moonshine. During Steve’s school years, there were serious issues with widespread use of cocaine in the city of Detroit. Seeing people with addiction problems on the streets on his way to school made Steve think more about how addiction happened and how it could be cured. Steve continued to become more interested in science in school, and he was particularly fascinated by chemistry. When he started college, Steve had an opportunity to work with an excellent mentor in a biochemistry lab. This was a great experience, and it got him connected with other scientists and jump-started his academic research career.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (17:45)
One of the biggest challenges in science is obtaining funding for research. Currently, Steve has four external grant awards, but he had to write about 65 grant applications to get those awards. Maintaining funding for his lab is particularly important because he has eight graduate students and a postdoctoral fellow depending on him for support. When Steve fails to get a grant, he feels like he is letting them down. When he began his independent research career, Steve wrote a grant to propose a project that would use chemistry to find out what the molecules in human milk do to provide health benefits for breastfeeding babies. This was his first original research idea, and he was convinced that it was excellent. The feedback Steve got from reviewers was not positive, and looking back, he can see that the project he proposed was flawed. However, Steve’s grants got better over time, and it really helped to get as many colleagues as he could to review his grants before submission so he could address any issues before the formal review process.
A Shining Success! (21:22)
Steve tries to give his graduate students and postdocs as much intellectual freedom as possible, and he encourages them to develop skills in creative problem solving. The small victories that Steve finds particularly meaningful are those moments when you are talking to a student, and you see them figure out how to solve a problem or understand a concept. These small victories happen both in the lab and in the classroom with the graduate and undergraduate students he teaches.
Book Recommendations (3:55)
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Most Treasured Travel (24:55)
From 2017 through the beginning of this year, Steve presented his work on the sugars in human milk in 58 seminars across the U.S. and around the world. One of the most memorable places he visited was Hong Kong. It was a fantastic experience both scientifically and culturally. Steve was struck by the juxtaposition of Buddhist temples in the hills not far from parks where religious activities were banned. The street food was delicious, and he’ll never forget how a group of kids mistook him for a famous soccer player when he visited a local shopping mall.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (29:08)
Steve’s postdoc mentor Dr. Sam Danishefsky was a particularly brilliant and quirky person. Among his quirks, Sam was convinced that he only needed about four hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, his propensity to fall asleep during the day suggested that this wasn’t actually the case. One day, Sam called Steve into his office and started telling him about a brilliant idea. While Steve was taking notes on the chalkboard, Sam fell fast asleep. About an hour later, Sam called Steve back in to see how his work was going. Steve said he had an idea that he knew Sam would love and proceeded to pitch Sam his own idea from an hour ago. Sam thought the idea was so great that he bought Steve lunch that day. Fortunately, Steve had recorded the whole incident on his phone so he could show his mentor later that he may in fact need more sleep than he was getting. In Steve’s current lab, he and his team have often gone out to Brazilian steakhouses for lunch together, and he always keeps coffee and espresso in stock. Students can get as much coffee or espresso as they want, but in exchange, they have to talk to him about their work or things going on in their life. This has been a great way to get students to open up and feel comfortable talking to him about their research and any problems they may be having. Steve also noticed that students he worked with seemed to get anxious trying to solve problems at a traditional whiteboard. As a result, he made a table for his office where the whole table top is a whiteboard. This has made the experience easier and less stressful for students.
Advice For Us All (37:47)
People are willing to help you if you ask for help. Also, try to pay it forward and help others whenever you can. During these difficult times, make sure to take care of your physical and mental health. Go to the doctor. Many people are depending on you to be the best version of yourself.
Guest Bio
Carbohydrates are the most abundant organic molecules on earth and are critical to a myriad of biological processes. For example, carbohydrates coat the surfaces of cells and carry the information needed for cell-cell recognition, one of the primary methods by which cells communicate with each other. Given their significance, it is important to understand carbohydrate involvement in human health and wellness. Steve’s research is focused on understanding the role that carbohydrates play in causing or preventing human beings from becoming ill. His research group thrives on identifying chemistry problems of a difficulty level conducive to new and significant learning experiences. For example, deciphering how the sugars in human milk protect babies from infection. As part of this work, Steve is developing outreach activities with the Martha O’Bryan center – an anti-poverty organization in Nashville – where the focus is on teaching carbohydrate science to underrepresented groups. Outside of work, Steve spends time with his wife and daughters (age 7 and 2), has a heavy sports-related carbon footprint (weightlifting, yoga, running), and enjoys the arts of meat smoking, gardening, composting, and reading psychological thrillers.
The post 567: Dr. Steve Townsend: Studying the Chemistry of How Carbohydrates Contribute to Human Health and Wellness appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
41 min
August 10, 2020 566: Dr. Kanaka Rajan: Creating Computational Models to Determine How the Brain Accomplishes Complex Tasks
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Dr. Kanaka Rajan is a computational neuroscientist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute within the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She received her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Biotechnology from Anna University in India, her M.S. in Neuroscience from Brandeis University, and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Columbia University. Kanaka conducted postdoctoral research as a Biophysics Theory Fellow at Princeton University before accepting her current position. She has received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including the Sloan-Swartz Theoretical Neuroscience Postdoctoral Fellowship, Brain and Behavior Foundation Young Investigator Award, Understanding Human Cognition Scholar Award from the James McDonnell Foundation, Sloan Research Fellowship in Neuroscience, and Friedman Brain Institute Research Scholars Award from the DiSabato Family Foundation. In our interview, Kanaka shares more about her life and research.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:58)
Running is a passion for Kanaka, and going for a run often helps her think more clearly. In addition, she enjoys sketching urban scenes and scientific themes.
The Scientific Side (5:12)
In her research, Kanaka builds mathematical and computational models of the brain to better understand how the brain works. Her goal is to better understand how the neurons and synapses of the brain work together to create complex processes like learning, memory, and decision-making.
A Dose of Motivation (7:23)
“The more involved your work, the more placid your mind.” – Kanaka’s father
What Got You Hooked on Science? (10:36)
Kanaka has been fascinated by the brain since childhood. Growing up in India, Kanaka’s grandmother with schizophrenia lived with her family, and Kanaka was driven to better understand mental illness and the brain. However, she didn’t have a straightforward path to a career in neuroscience. In college, Kanaka began studying engineering, but she also became interested in life sciences. She completed internships in neuroscience labs, and when it came time to decide what to do after graduate school, Kanaka chose to apply to graduate programs abroad. Eventually, she discovered her passion for the mathematical, theoretical, and computational aspects of neuroscience that she continues to pursue in her research today.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (22:42)
Her time as a postdoctoral fellow was a dark phase of her career. Postdoc positions were designed to be one to two year periods of apprenticeship where an early career scientist could hone certain skills before starting a permanent position. However, over the years, postdoc positions have evolved into longer and longer periods with no clear end goal and a lot of uncertainty. Kanaka had wonderful mentors as a postdoc, but she struggled with a long string of failures. In an effort to get independent funding to pursue her own research questions, Kanaka submitted over a dozen research grants. All of them were rejected. Finally, an organization called the Brain and Behavior Foundation took a chance on Kanaka and agreed to fund her proposed project. This helped launch Kanaka’s career, and things continued to improve from that point.
A Shining Success! (25:39)
Within the first two years of leading her own independent research laboratory, Kanaka has received major grant awards from both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as other foundation grants. Her lab also published a great paper in the prestigious journal Cell that they are very proud of. While these have all been extremely exciting victories, Kanaka and one of her colleagues at Mount Sinai have decided to also celebrate all of the little wins. When they submitted a big federal grant, this colleague appeared in Kanaka’s office five minutes later with a bottle of champagne. Now their whole floor makes time to celebrate these little wins together.
Book Recommendations (28:00)
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert, Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
Most Treasured Travel (31:54)
Earlier this year, Kanaka traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado to attend the Computational and Systems Neuroscience conference. This is the largest meeting of computational neuroscientists, and it was the first time Kanaka would be attending a conference as a principal investigator accompanied by her lab members. Despite only forming 18 months earlier, her lab was invited to do three big presentations at this meeting. This was a big deal for Kanaka, and it was rewarding to see her team present their research. Though Kanaka didn’t hit the slopes afterwards to ski herself, this is one of her fondest scientific travel memories.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (33:55)
Retreats have been a fun tradition in different labs that Kanaka has been a part of over the years. Whether it is the whole department or just a few related labs, it is fun to get together off campus and decompress. In graduate school, they used to stay in the Mohonk Mountain House in upstate New York for their retreats. At the time, Kanaka had not been in the U.S. for very long, and it was fun to experience the culture and get to know her fellow lab members. Kanaka’s current lab hasn’t yet planned their first retreat, but they are working on finding the perfect destination.
Advice For Us All (38:04)
Outwork them, outhustle them, and outlast them, and you will succeed. Though there are systemic issues that we are still working to address in science, if you work hard and are persistent, you will get there. Also, find something else besides your work that drives you, occupies your mind, provides a venue for success, and builds resilience.
Guest Bio
Kanaka is trained in engineering, biophysics, and neuroscience, and she pioneers novel methods and models to understand how the brain processes sensory information. The Rajan Lab seeks to understand how important cognitive functions — such as learning, remembering, and deciding — emerge from the cooperative activity of large-scale neural processes through computational modeling. The resulting integrative theories about the brain bridge neurobiology and artificial intelligence. Kanaka is passionate about promoting diversity within the sciences and making academia a safe space for women and minorities. Outside of the lab, she is an avid runner and enjoys spending time with her rescue dog Zuul. To stay up to date, follow Kanaka on Twitter.
The post 566: Dr. Kanaka Rajan: Creating Computational Models to Determine How the Brain Accomplishes Complex Tasks appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
42 min
August 03, 2020 565: Dr. Shara Bailey: Analyzing the Surfaces of Ancient Teeth to Understand Human Evolution
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Dr. Shara Bailey is Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Anthropology at New York University (NYU) and Associated Researcher in the Department of Human Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Anthropology from Temple University, and she was awarded her M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Arizona State University. Afterwards, Shara conducted postdoctoral research in the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology at The George Washington University. She then worked as a Research Scientist at The Max Planck Institute Department of Human Evolution before joining the faculty at NYU. She has received numerous awards and honors throughout her career, including The Golden Dozen Teaching Award from New York University, a Goddard Junior Faculty Fellowship, a Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences, and others. In our interview, Shara shares more about her life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:37)
Outside of her research, Shara is passionate about mentoring students to help them discover what they are passionate about and how to turn their passions into a career. In addition, she is an avid outdoors enthusiast who enjoys hiking, skiing, kayaking, going for walks, and watching the sun set. Shara is also an artist, and she specializes in painting landscapes and finding the beauty in everyday things.
The Scientific Side (5:06)
Shara studies the bumps and grooves on the surface of teeth, and she uses these bumps and grooves to answer questions about human evolution.
A Dose of Motivation (6:55)
“If you’re serious about changing your life, you’ll find a way. If you’re not, you’ll find an excuse.”
-From You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
What Got You Hooked on Science? (10:26)
As a kid, Shara was interested in horses and horse evolution. She remembers having posters with horses and labels for all of their different parts. When it came time to choose a topic for a school project, she was excited to learn more about the evolution of horses and early horse species. However, Shara was discouraged from pursuing science as a career. Along the way, Shara became interested in art and painting. She started college as an art major, but she left school partway through her degree to take a job as an interior designer. She hated it. When Shara returned to school, she decided to explore her interests in psychology. After completing all of her psychology credits, Shara still needed to take one more science class. She saw a biological anthropology course in the catalog and thought it would be more interesting and less intimidating than the alternatives. This course inspired her to learn more about anthropology. Shara added a major in anthropology, but she still didn’t know what she wanted to do after graduation. With the help of a career aptitude test, shara decided to pursue graduate studies in anthropology. She applied to one graduate program, and she was accepted. This is where her career in anthropology and research on dental anthropology began.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (19:19)
One of Shara’s biggest failures was not receiving funding for a major research grant to purchase equipment that her department could use to do high resolution 3D scans of fossils. The hope was that they could use the equipment to advance their research, as well as to train students on state-of-the-art technology in the field. This was a disappointing setback, but it has not stopped Shara from doing the research she aspires to do. By developing relationships with colleagues at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France and the Max Planck Institute in Germany, she is still able to conduct research requiring cutting-edge equipment and techniques. The relationships and collaborations you form with colleagues in science can be key to your success.
A Shining Success! (23:42)
In many of the studies Shara works on, she contributes key information on the teeth of fossils that colleagues have discovered. This is rewarding, but in these cases, the projects don’t feel fully like her own. Last summer, Shara and her colleagues published a study on a new fossil. Shara was particularly proud of this work because she conceived of the idea, collected the data, and led the project. A new fossilized jaw bone was discovered, and as Shara reviewed the micro-CT images of the roots of the teeth, she noticed something strange. Instead of having two roots, the tooth had three roots. This was exciting because lower molars with three roots are extremely rare outside of Asian and Asian-derived populations. Shara combed through the clinical literature on modern teeth to confirm this. She was surprised that this 100,000 year old fossil found on the Tibetan Plateau had characteristics from Asian populations. Shara and her colleagues proposed that this may be the first indisputable morphological evidence for admixture (inter-mating) between our species and an archaic group of humans.
Book Recommendations (27:32)
Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women who Helped Launch Our Nation Into Space by Margot Lee Shetterly, Women Don’t Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation–and Positive Strategies for Change by Linda Babcock
Most Treasured Travel (28:58)
After returning from one international trip, Shara planned to visit Yogyakarta in Indonesia to study the remains of Homo floresiensis, a small ancient hominin species commonly referred to as the “Hobbit”. Unfortunately, on her way back from the first trip, she had placed her passport in the inner pocket of her coat and left her coat on a train bench. Shara didn’t realize until she got home, did laundry, and was preparing to depart for Yogyakarta. It was a holiday weekend, she had no passport, and there was no way she was going to make her flight. After managing to frantically secure a replacement passport the following week, Shara made the 30 hour trip to Yogyakarta from where she was working in Germany. Instead of a weeklong trip, Shara arrived, collected the data she needed, stayed overnight, and immediately embarked on her 30 hour return trip. Though Shara was ultimately able to collect the data she needed, it was a particularly sad turn of events because she’s not sure if or when she will get an opportunity to return to explore this part of the world. Beyond this traumatic travel experience, Shara has had many wonderful trips to places all over the world. Her favorite place to travel for science is the Dordogne region of France. It is spectacular, and she can definitely understand why early humans decided to live there. She visited a museum in Dordogne for a few days for work, and she’d love to go back sometime to enjoy the natural beauty and kayak on the Dordogne river.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (32:00)
In graduate school, Shara took a course in advanced osteology, and she spent a lot of time in the osteology lab learning about bones and teeth. There was a rule that you weren’t allowed to eat in the lab, but one day, Shara snuck in a small bag of pretzels to snack on while she studied. Deep into her work, she accidentally popped a piece of an old arthritic lumbar vertebrae into her mouth. Shara quickly realized that it was not a pretzel, and she was disgusted. Though it wasn’t funny at the time, it makes her laugh in hindsight, and it really made her appreciate the importance of following the lab rules.
Advice For Us All (39:08)
Look with new eyes. Don’t let your preconceived ideas influence the questions you ask or how you go about answering them. Keep your eye on the road, not the mountain that lies ahead. Don’t focus on the big, seemingly insurmountable challenges. Just keep making small steps to your goal. Also, remember that if you don’t ask, the answer will always be no.
Guest Bio
Shara’s research focuses on dental morphology and morphometrics of early hominins. The Dental Anthropology Laboratory houses an extensive collection of fossil casts ranging from Paleogene primates to Late Pleistocene hominids. These are used for both teaching and research purposes. Shara has multiple ongoing research projects working with collaborators from around the world. In collaboration with the Max Planck Institute Department of Human Evolution Shara is investigating new fossil finds from North Africa and assessing their relationship(s) to other fossil hominins to better understand the origin of modern humans in Africa. In addition, Shara is revisiting hypotheses about the taxonomic attribution of and phylogenetic relationships among East and South African early hominins using crown metric and morphological information collected on nearly every fossil hominid species. Further, in collaboration with Jacopo Moggi-Cecchi, Juliet Brophy, Luke Delezene, and Matt Skinner, Shara is conducting a comparative study of the deciduous (baby) teeth of Homo naledi species. Her analyses include examining crown morphology, crown shape, and tooth development.
The post 565: Dr. Shara Bailey: Analyzing the Surfaces of Ancient Teeth to Understand Human Evolution appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
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