Category: Community

by Joanna Rowell

Counting our Blessings: How Language Shapes Mathematical Thought

“There are three types of people – those who can count, and those who can’t.”

We take so much for granted. Human behaviors such as walking down the street, eating an apple, speaking our native language, or counting to ten seem so simple and easy. When you delve deeper, however, it becomes evident that these actions are actually incredibly complex. Take, for example, walking. As we walk we have many muscles in our legs moving synchronously. Those muscles are controlled by motoneurons in our spinal cord, which in turn are regulated by complicated networks of neurons in brain regions such as the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. Meanwhile, we are monitoring our environment with our eyes, and that visual information is processed and integrated to prevent us from tripping over rocks or other such impediments. Not to mention the fact that our legs were patterned during embryological development, and evolved over geologic time. When you really think about it, it’s amazing that we can walk at all.

Studying what we take for granted, such as walking or counting, can teach us a lot about the world and about ourselves. For instance, counting feels so straightforward that it seems safe to assume that every human being can count. But how valid is this assumption? Is the ability to count genetically encoded in our brains, or is it a learned behavior that relies on linguistic or cultural input? Dr. Liesje Spaepen, a post-doctoral fellow who works with University of Chicago psychology professor Dr. Susan Goldin-Meadow, is currently studying how language shapes the way we think about numbers and mathematics. For example, she is asking whether it is possible to understand the concept of exactly seven without a word or linguistic symbol for ‘seven.’

These fundamental psychological questions cannot be studied in a laboratory setting using animal models. Instead, Spaepen looks to a remarkable population of humans known as ‘homesigners.’ These are people that were born deaf but never had the opportunity to learn a sign language, often for economic or geographical reasons. As a result, they are among the only humans on the planet who do not receive conventional language input. To communicate with family and community members, each individual homesigner develops his own gesture system, which are collectively called ‘home’ or ‘kitchen’ signs. Although home signs are not a conventional language, they allow homesigners to live remarkably normal lives within their communities. “They do have some ways of getting around in the world, communicating with the world, and picking up the cultural milieu,” Spaepen explained, “but what they aren’t given is a conventionalized way of communicating.” Spaepen’s studies address whether these cognitively normal adults, who are exposed to every aspect of human culture except language, have developed a way of conceptualizing exact numbers.

To address this question, Spaepen works with adult homesigners living in Nicaragua. With them, she performs simple but incredibly informative exercises. For example, she places a specific number of poker chips on a table, covers the chips, and asks the homesigner to match exactly that number of chips. In another experiment, she knocks fists with the homesigner, and asks them to knock her first an equal number of times. Amazingly, the homesigners were only able to complete these tasks successfully when presented with one, two, or three poker chips or fist-knocks, and for numbers greater than three they were only approximately correct. For example, if Spaepen knocked their fist eight times, they might knock her fist seven or nine times. “It’s because he has no way of counting,” explained Spaepen. “He doesn’t have a way of clarifying how seven is somehow different from eight.” This fascinating result suggests that we need language to understand the concept of exact numbers beyond three.

This raises some intriguing questions. First, how do homesigners get by in this world, holding down jobs, using money, and even gambling, without being able to count beyond three? Spaepen explained that although understanding exact numbers is critical for learning mathematics, in our day-to-day lives we approximate most of the time. Homesigners even have a reasonable grasp of money, which inherently is a number-based system. According to Spaepen’s research, homesigners are able to use money in part because Nicaraguan denominations are different in terms of color and size, and homesigners learn that, for example, “the orange one gets me more stuff than the red one.” Homesigners are also supported by their families and communities, and Spaepen mentioned that it was unlikely they would be cheated because, “the people they’re buying goods from know their whole family.”  Nevertheless, the resourcefulness of the homesigners is remarkable, and Spaepen stated that, “I stand in awe of what they are able to do all the time.”

Another question brought up by Spaepen’s work involves how these findings relate to how children learn to count during normal human development. It turns out that children learn counting very gradually, first learning to recite the count list by rote, and then very slowly learning what each number actually means. “They learn what the word ‘one’ means,” Spaepen explained, “and six to nine months later they learn what the word ‘two’ means.” The last thing they learn is why the numbers are in order, which is known as the ‘successor function.’ The successor function basically means that for every number n there is an n + 1, and implies that counting goes on forever. Learning the successor function requires the most language input for children, and Spaepen has found that is this aspect of counting that the homesigners never learn.

To better understand how language shapes our understanding of mathematics during childhood development, Spaepen has recently started working with Chicago preschool children from homes of varying socio-economic status (SES). Children from high SES homes generally hear a lot about numbers from their educated parents, as they are often asked to, for example, count the number of cheerios in their afternoon snack. Low SES children, conversely, get less counting input from their parents, and this can result in their being two years behind the high SES children in terms of counting by the time they are four or five years old. Spaepen’s preliminary studies suggest that the low SES children develop non-counting compensation strategies, such as using one-to-one correspondence between fingers and objects in the world, that are similar to those used by the homesigners. This demonstrates that there are common strategies used by those with less or no language input when thinking about numbers.

Spaepen’s studies highlight both the amazing resourcefulness of the human mind and the injustice of our world. It is troubling that there are people on our planet who do not have access to language, and it is hard to imagine the feelings of isolation they may experience. “I definitely don’t think it’s OK that the homesigners are stuck in this situation,” Spaepen emphasized. “Learning language is a human right.” Similarly, it seems wrong that some children in Chicago are disadvantaged to the point that they get substantially behind in learning how to count. Overall, despite how easy it might feel for many to count, after speaking with Spaepen it now seems foolish to take counting for granted. In fact, the ability to understand a concept like the number seven is a gift not given out equally to people in our world, and we should perhaps count it a blessing.

Profile and nomination by Joanna Rowell.

by Heather M King

When you visit Chi-Chi at the 5710 Building on the University of Chicago Campus, you follow a winding sidewalk, and see a variety of terra cotta pots containing plants in various stages of growth. You enter the recently renovated building, and see a peaceful space full of plush, grass-green chairs and blonde wooden tables, laid out and ready for students to use. Overall, it is a relaxing and pleasant space, perfect for Chi-Chi to thrive in the newly-created position of Director of Graduate Diversity Recruitment at the University of Chicago, a position intended to increase the population of traditionally underrepresented groups in the graduate population.

Though Chi-Chi now works in higher education administration, she earned a PhD in pathology from the University of Chicago in 2009. Though biology became her passion, it wasn’t always her focus. In high school, she had many interests and abilities, and at one point wanted to be a choreographer. It wasn’t until college, when she took a human physiology course and realized that biology could satisfy both her thirst for knowledge and her desire to help others that she committed to biochemistry as an undergraduate major at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne (UIUC). Chi-Chi described her path, “Science was like a drug to me. First you get learn about cool stuff, then you get to play with cool equipment, and then you’re addicted!”

Through research opportunities as an undergraduate, Chi-Chi realized that lab work provided the intellectual freedom she craved, and through work in several human-disease centered labs, such as Christian Raetz’s lab at Duke University and Paul Worley’s lab at Johns Hopkins, she also realized her vision of attaining a career that would help make peoples’ lives better.

This desire to help heal people led Chi-Chi to a graduate career in Stephen Kron’s lab at University of Chicago, where she studied cell cycle checkpoints and DNA damage signaling cascades within the context of epigenetic regulation in baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This research had applications to cancer biology. As time went on, however, she felt a disconnect between the research she was doing and a sense of helping people within the greater community. During her time at University of Chicago, she explored career options that would allow her to impact the community on a larger scale. “Sometimes people think that when you leave the bench, it’s because you don’t like science – that’s not true. It’s about finding the right path for you,” she said.

After earning her PhD in 2009, Chi-Chi tried her hand at consulting, but soon found herself back at the University of Chicago. Through a conversation with the Deputy Provost of Research and Minority Issues, Bill McDade, she learned of a newly created position: the Director of Graduate Diversity Recruitment.

“As an African-American woman in science, I am acutely aware of how few of me there are,” Chi-Chi says, and she hopes to change the landscape of graduate education at the University of Chicago to make this imbalance disappear. “My job is to work myself out of a job,” she jokes, meaning that when she accomplishes her vision of establishing a sustainable recruitment strategy and consistent infrastructure for identifying and recruiting talented minority students, her goal will be achieved. “I want to get more stellar minority students into our applicant pools and help them identify the University of Chicago as a great fit.”

We wish Chi-Chi luck in her new position, and look forward to watching the changing landscape of higher education in science.

by Eun Ji Chung, Ph.D.

Tracy Gluckman has been a Clinical Veterinarian and Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology at Northwestern University since 2008. In high school, Tracy knew she was interested in science and took seminar-based courses in science for 2-3 years in which the goal was to develop scientific thinking and present scientific posters at local or state level competitions. Although she found studying science interesting, she had always gravitated more towards animals. She frequently visited the zoo, loved watching nature specials, and often read National Geographic articles on animals; however, Tracy had never considered pursuing this passion as a profession, nor that her interests in science and animals could merge as a veterinarian.

When considering colleges, Tracy decided to pursue a major in marine biology, and chose to attend Occidental College, a liberal arts college in Southern California with a strong departmental program. She took courses such as oceanography and ichthyology (study of fish), and conducted field work throughout college. In particular, she recalls her time on the college-owned marine research vessel, the R/V Vantuna, to be particularly fulfilling. The courses taken on this vessel were designed to utilize the  live research laboratory was onboard. Students were able to participate in a “hands-on” study of marine biology and oceanology through water sampling and marine biota collections. Tracy was actively involved as a student in the marine biology courses but was also employed as a student instructor for visiting grade school, high school, and undergraduate students.

Although Tracy loved teaching others about marine biology, by her junior year she realized that a career in marine biology may not be the path for her. By examing what had drawn her to study marine biology, Tracy realized that her passion was for working with animals. Since Occidental did not have a pre-veterinary track, she completed all the pre-med courses as a biology major and started actively volunteering in veterinary clinics and at the Los Angeles Zoo with the veterinary staff. In order to gain more animal experience, after college, Tracy worked as a laboratory technician in an independent research group in Pasadena, CA and studied cardiac ischemia in a rabbit model. This was Tracy’s first interaction with mammals and she considers this experience as influential in her career path as she was able to work closely with the veterinary consultant. This consulting veterinarian was also the attending veterinarian at The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and made Tracy aware of the role of veterinarians in providing care for research animals. Tracy decided to explore this path by taking courses in animal handling and care offered at Caltech. She soon realized this was an amazing opportunity to merge her passion for animals and her interest in science, while also serving as an advocate for animal welfare and an educator to researchers who had little experience with animals. Tracy recalls how valuable the mentorship of this veterinarian was to her.

Tracy received a Master’s degree in Veterinary Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before starting veterinary school at the UW-Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine. She finished her internship in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery at Kansas State University, College of Veterinarian Medicine before heading to The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for a residency program in Laboratory Animal Medicine. After completing the board certification examination in Laboratory Animal Medicine, Tracy relocated to Chicago to accept her first position as a clinical veterinarian at Northwestern University

“Every day is different and there are a lot of opportunities to teach, learn, and provide the highest quality of care for our animals,”  Tracy says when explaining why her career fits her so perfectly. She also emphasizes that utilizing her knowledge in comparative anatomy and physiology in order to help researchers work efficiently and effectively to answer their scientific questions, while minimizing animal use and promoting strong animal welfare is extremely rewarding and are the reasons why she gravitated towards laboratory animal medicine over private practice. In addition to preparing researchers to work with animal models of human disease or disabilities, Tracy also provides the most recent advances in anesthesia, analgesia, surgical techniques, and medical care for those animals. Another important aspect of Tracy’s position is the review of study protocols that are required for investigators  proposing to work with animals. “Most people don’t realize the intense scrutiny study protocols go under when researchers propose to work with animals.” All protocols are carefully reviewed by a committee composed of veterinarians, scientists, and even members of the Chicago community to ensure that procedures are performed properly, animal health is being closely monitored, and federal regulations of animal care are being followed. As a veterinarian, Tracy works closely with researchers to help write the study protocols to ensure the the researchers maintain the health and welfare of the animals  and properly work with the animals under their care.

Tracy feels that there are occasionally challenges working with animals in a research environment, but understands that valuable knowledge has been and continues to be gained from such work.   She believes that researchers that work with animals, herself included, should always be aware of the privilege they are afforded by conducting such work.. Tracy realizes that her passion to provide the optimal care and oversight for animals in the research environment and being able to provide a bridge between scientific research and animal health and welfare makes her job meaningful and constantly fulfilling.

Despite her dedication to her career as a veterinarian, Tracy also appreciates and strives for a good work-life balance. She admits that while pursuing her education, she didn’t recognize what her hobbies actually were because her time was mostly spent either in classes or studying in the library. Now out of school, she has a dog, strong personal relationships, and has finally discovered some hobbies, such as rock climbing, wheel throwing, yoga, and knitting. She emphasizes the importance of making time for herself and separating her work from her personal life. Tracy is looking forward to having a family, now that her formal educational training is completed.

From her experience, Tracy sees no gender-specific limitations in the veterinarian field, and has seen a rise in women veterinarians in the current generations. She continues to see herself in clinical care for animals while educating scientists, and hopes to be involved in creating a veterinarian residency program in Laboratory Animal Medicine at Northwestern University, training the next generation of laboratory animal veterinarians.

I’ve known Tracy since 2008 and have continued to work with her for various research projects. Tracy always expected excellence, preparation, thoughtfulness, and integrity when working with animals, and my research, as well as I, have benefited from it. She was also opened to mentoring and working with an undergraduate student I TA’ed who also wanted to find out more about clinical veterinary science. I have witnessed firsthand her passions to advocate for animal welfare and to educate scientists, the fruits of a dedicated clinical veterinarian.

Article and nomination by Eunji Chung-Yoo

Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to communications@awis-chicago.org. Your nominee does not need to be an AWIS member or a woman, but should promote the advancement of women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

By Heather King

Elsa Rodriguez is currently the Girls Programs Coordinator at the Chicago non-profit Project Exploration (PE).  She brings professional scientists and middle school girls together in the south-side of Chicago during the after-school program Sisters4Science, and runs a number of summer programs, including the nationally recognized All Girls Expedition and Junior Paleontologists programs.

Elsa’s love of science and learning was fostered early in childhood.  Elsa’s parents are Mexican immigrants, who brought with them to Chicago a deep knowledge and appreciation of the outdoors and the power of nature to support human lives.  Elsa says that the knowledge of rural living she learned from her parents contrasted with the urban environment that surrounded her while growing up in Chicago.  “This led to curiosity and lots of questions asked about the natural world,” Elsa says. This curiosity led Elsa to discover science as a way of knowing, beginning with a kindergarten science project about how rainbows form.

While a student at Whitney Young High School in Chicago, Elsa became involved with Project Exploration.  “They gave me a direction within science, and helped me discover the steps I needed to take to become a scientist,” Elsa says of PE.  During their programs, she met professional scientists and not only learned scientific concepts, but the steps the scientists took in their own lives to succeed.

Elsa enrolled at Dartmouth College, and was set on becoming a paleontologist.  She majored in geology, and enjoyed many field experiences during her college experience.  At the end of her sophomore year, she acted as a mentor in the Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth (SEAD) program, which allows high school students from under-resourced backgrounds to spend time on the Dartmouth campus, interacting with college students.  Elsa’s mentee was a first generation Chinese student from the San Francisco/Bay Area with whom Elsa had a lot in common.  “This was my first experience with education and outreach, and I loved it!” says Elsa of her SEAD experience that summer.  Elsa became more involved in education outreach during the rest of her time in college, including a spring break spent on a South Dakota reservation doing afterschool outreach and working as SEAD staff.

After graduating from Dartmouth, Elsa returned to Chicago, ready to work full time on helping students achieve their goals.  She worked for City Year, a non-profit that partners 18-24 year olds with urban students, and helps the students stay on track to graduate from high school.  Elsa tutored six 4^th graders in Bronzeville for a year, and helped them improve their literacy skills.  She also planned afterschool sessions and got first-hand teaching and classroom management experience.   “At City Year, I further understood what it meant to be a student in an urban area, and saw everything that goes into educating a child,” Elsa says.  “This piqued my interest in working to help students that are falling behind.”

A mantra at Project Exploration is “once you’re part of PE, you’re always part of PE,” and Elsa was no exception.  She had kept in touch with Gabe Lyon, the cofounder, since graduating from high school.  When Elsa’s year at City Year drew to a close, she heard that PE was looking for a Girls’ Programs Coordinator.  “The position was a perfect combination of everything I was interested in, including science, discovery, mentoring, education, and the sharing of different perspectives,” says Elsa.  “And the idea of coming back to the place that sparked my path to science was really cool.”  Elsa applied for the position and landed it, coming full circle in her Project Exploration experience.

Elsa has some advice for aspiring young women scientists, based on her own journey and on what she’s learned from the many students she’s mentored.  “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” she says.  “It took me a long time to understand who to ask for help, and how, in college, and that was really isolating.”  She also says to find what you’re most passionate about, to figure out what the end game to that passion is, and to learn what steps to take to reach that goal.  “Sometimes people have a romantic vision of what it means to be a scientist, and that can leave you unprepared for reality.  Learning what steps other scientists took to reach their career goals can really help you stay on track.”  Elsa’s final piece of advice applies to all of us: “Never stop wondering and never forget what it’s like to discover.  That feeling keeps you inspired and makes our work meaningful.”

Sometime in the future, Elsa hopes to build on her experiences teaching urban youth by pursuing a graduate degree in urban sociology.  We wish her luck in this and all future endeavors!

Elsa is always looking for scientists to share their knowledge and experiences with urban Chicago middle and high school students.  If you are interested, contact Elsa at erodriguez@projectexploration.org

Article and nomination by Heather King

Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to communications@awis-chicago.org. Your nominee does not need to be an AWIS member or a woman, but should promote the advancement of women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

by Eun Ji Chung, Ph.D.

Ramille N. Shah has been an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University in the departments of Material Science and Engineering and Orthopaedic Surgery since 2009. Dr. Shah is a native of the Chicago area and graduated with a B.S. in Material Science and Engineering from Northwestern before moving to MIT to pursue her Ph.D.

In high school, Ramille knew her strengths were in art and math and had a desire to pursue architectural engineering in college. She first attended a local community college during freshmen year in order to save costs before transferring to Northwestern as a sophomore. Northwestern didn’t have an architectural engineering major, so she declared her major as civil engineering. However, through her first research experience with Dr. Hamlin Jennings, her interest in materials was ignited. By studying highly flowable cement, she was quickly drawn to the structural, processing, and property relationships of materials and felt this field had more opportunities for her. She switched majors and took her first biomaterials class with Dr. Samuel I. Stupp during her senior year. The class immediately sparked her interest in the field and she asked for an opportunity to work in Dr. Stupp’s lab for her senior thesis project. It was during this experience where her enthusiasm for biomaterials and tissue engineering research became evident. Studying biomaterials was not only exciting, but it had a direct connection to health and provided an opportunity to improve the quality of life for patients. In addition, Ramille’s then boyfriend, now husband, was pursuing a career in medicine. Through both personal and educational influences, it became clear to her that developing technologies for regenerative medicine was her passion.

At MIT, Ramille studied cartilage tissue engineering with Dr. Myron Spector, first at the Brigham and Women’s hospital and later at the VA Medical Center when the lab relocated. Not only did these settings provide an ideal environment for collaborations between medical and research scientists, but it also provided a great motivation for her research because patients who may one day benefit from the type of research she was pursuing were also present. At the same time, back in Chicago, her boyfriend’s medical interests were also in orthopaedics (which would eventually lead to collaborative projects together). As both interests converged and Ramille finished graduate school, she decided to return back to Chicago for both professional and personal reasons. There was an opportunity to continue research in orthopaedic tissue engineering with her former advisor Sam Stupp, and she also wanted to be in the same location as her boyfriend to continue to develop their relationship.

Although unsure of whether academia or industry would be her career path, she knew the post-doc experience in the Stupp group would be ideal. During her time in Boston, the Stupp group had developed a research presence in the field of bionanotechnology, especially regarding the development of self-assembling peptide amphiphiles for applications in regenerative medicine. This was a research area in which Ramille wanted to expand her knowledge and skill set. After a year and half as a post-doc, Dr. Stupp promoted Ramille to a research assistant professor position in his laboratory, and also appointed her as the assistant director for research at IBNAM (Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine), where he is still currently the director. In these new roles, Ramille took on more administrative responsibilities and acted as a liason between scientists and administrators, making decisions on various aspects such as space allocation, equipment purchasing, and staff hiring. She also played a significant role in preparing applications for grant submissions.

Dr. Stupp gave Ramille many opportunities to expand her network and develop her leadership skills. For instance, not only was she able to attend conferences and meetings to present her own research, but she also gave talks on behalf of Dr. Stupp, presenting the group’s research as well.  This ultimately became great practice for giving more comprehensive talks, and exposed her to many different areas in regenerative medicine. In addition, these experiences allowed her to gain a sense of confidence in herself that contributed to her  decision to pursue a career in academia.

Six months later, with significant publications under her belt, an opportunity arose to attend Rice University’s workshop about negotiating a faculty position. Fortuitously, the workshop was led by committee members who were looking to hire a faculty member within the field of tissue engineering. Ramille applied for the position and was invited for an interview that eventually led to a job offer. In the mean time, Ramille applied for the NIH Pathway to Independence grant. Although not granted, her application fell into the hands of a reviewer from John’s Hopkins University where they were looking to hire a new faculty member in the Biomedical Engineering department, and another interview resulted.

With momentum and timing on her side, but accepting the reality that her life was more than just herself (she was soon to be married) and that Chicago would be the ideal location, she sought out the Chair of the Material Science and Engineering department at Northwestern and presented her case for a position. The Chair responded positively, and an official interview and negotiations resulted in the faculty position she holds today.

Ramille attributes her success to always taking advantage of important opportunities and making the most out of experiences. She believes in making your own luck by proactively seeking opportunities and knowing what you are worth. Especially “for women researchers, developing a sense of what you are worth and asking for what you deserve would help females move up into higher positions,” she says. Instead of waiting for opportunities to be offered to us, Ramille encourages everyone to seek out opportunities to be had.

She also stresses the importance of networking and collaborating with many people. In addition to being a new faculty member, Ramille is also a new mom with a 5-month old baby girl. These combined new roles have been extremely rewarding and pivotal, but at the same time, test her time-management skills. Although she could have waited to start a family until after receiving tenure, Ramille did not want to compromise a smooth pregnancy or risk potential complications. In the end, she counts this as the most satisfying decision of her life, and speaking to many others who have experienced it beforehand helped make the decision clear. Although her to-do list includes researching neighborhoods with good school systems as well as applying for grant funding for supporting her group’s research – which all at once can be overwhelming – Ramille gets through this busy time by disciplining herself to take care of urgent matters well while making sure she doesn’t miss out on her constantly changing daughter. In addition, she realizes that being a good delegator and giving up control in various areas is necessary.

Ramille feels lucky to have a supportive work environment and talented research group that allows her to be creative in science while giving her the flexibility needed during this time of transition. Looking onward professionally, she strives to attain tenure and become a scientist respected in the field. She also looks forward to the future discoveries and technological developments made in her lab that can eventually lead to clinical applications. On a more personal level, she wishes her family to be healthy and happy, and is looking forward to reaching that state of equilibrium where she can have time to take a breath and enjoy the simple things in life.

Article and nomination by Eunji Chung-Yoo:

“I recently graduated from Northwestern and am currently a post-doc in Ramille’s lab. Part of my decision in coming to a smaller lab was because I also wanted to understand, learn, and prepare for how a female assistant professor balances the critical and urgent nature of both professional and personal life. I feel fortunate to have Ramille as my PI and friend because not only does she give me the freedom to be creative scientifically, but she is open and transparent about the busyness in this chapter of her life. With pursuing academia as part of my future ambition, my month in the lab has already proved to provide much insight into managing professional and personal life well. Like Ramille mentioned, learning and talking to others who have gone before you may just be what is needed to prepare you for your next big step.”

Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to communications@awis-chicago.org. Your nominee does not need to be an AWIS member or a woman, but should promote the advancement of women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

By Marina Pazin

In science, success is often measured not by one’s ambition and determination, but rather by the more easily quantifiable evidence of conferences attended, manuscripts accepted to prestigious journals, and the number of awards and grants received. Judging by the work she’s done thus far, Isabel Rodriguez, a senior majoring in biology, with a concentration in biophysiology, at Northwestern University, is well on her way towards achieving success, no matter how it is measured. She fell in love with science in middle school and started doing research in her father’s lab at just sixteen years of age. At first, the ‘research’ performed by Isabel consisted of nothing more than learning basic laboratory techniques. Pipetting solutions was originally a project of its own, as she tried to pipette as much soap solution as she could into the pipette without creating bubbles. However, she quickly moved on from learning techniques and procedures to elucidating protein-protein signaling mechanisms in various disease models. For her persistence and dedication to biomedical research, Isabel is September’s ‘Scientist of the Month.’

For her first research assignment, Isabel was asked to analyze the effect of different stimuli on apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. As she got more comfortable in the lab, the questions she was addressing became more sophisticated. While a high school student, she spent most breaks from school in her father’s lab in Evanston Hospital analyzing the differential signaling mechanisms by which progesterone and omega-3-fatty acids regulate ovarian cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. Three years ago, as a freshman in college, Isabel joined the lab of Drs. Tamas Jilling and Michael Caplan as a summer student. This allowed her to experience a different area of research from what she had been working on. “I work with rat intestinal epithelial cells, and have been concentrating on the interactions between different cell surface receptors. My first two summers in this lab I looked at the interaction between TLR4 and NOD2 receptors. This summer I’m focusing on the effect of stimulating TLR4 on cell migration.” Though her current research topic is very specific, Isabel ultimately is hopping to identify how pro-inflammatory molecules (in this case, TLR4) regulate cell migration, a process necessary for proper immune response, organ development, and tissue regeneration after injury.

Being able to contribute to multitude of research projects around her is just one reason why Isabel keeps coming back summer after summer to work in lab despite her commitments to her sorority, crew team, and course work. “I enjoy the act of doing research. I genuinely like running experiments and analyzing results and trying to figure out what to do next. In a lot of ways, research is a really complicated puzzle.” Although this eager senior is nervous and excited about starting medical school next year (where she hopes to focus on oncology), she in no way wants to forget about the basic science research in which she has invested so much time. “I’m looking forward to learning about the clinical side of medicine, but think that my background in research will help me understand the many dimensions of disease. I do hope to do research during med school, and am looking at a lot of programs that have a research thesis as a graduation requirement.” With her dedication to research, it is likely that Isabel will make great contributions to science as she embarks upon her career.

Nomination and article submitted by AWIS Chicago Staff Writer Marina Pazin.  Ms. Pazin is a PhD candidate at NorthShore University Health System.

Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to communications@awis-chicago.org. Your nominee does not need to be an AWIS member or a woman, but should promote the advancement of women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

By Marina Pazin

In one of her megahits, Whitney Houston proudly proclaims: “I believe the children are our future.” As true as the statement is, it’s also unfortunately the case that the future of many children, particularly those born prematurely, lies often in the hands of skilled neonatologists.  Prematurity poses a severe risk factor for these tiny infants for development of Necrotizing Enterocolitis, NEC, a common complication characterized by necrosis of the intestinal tissue within the first few weeks of life.  Depending on the severity of NEC that follows, the symptoms of the disease could range from moderate to severe, with extreme NEC leading to mortality. This realization is all too real to Dr. Brandy Frost who, as a neonatologist at the Evanston Hospital branch of the NorthShore University Healthcare System, frequently has to come to terms with the reality that sometimes human life just can’t be saved.  Yet, being part of a miraculous process by which the opposite occurs is what keeps her going. “The most interesting thing about my job is watching a premature baby go from a tiny, fragile being to a strong, resilient infant- initially they are completely dependent on technology for survival, but as they approach term gestation, they become quite like a full term baby that can breathe, eat, and maintain temperature. I think it is truly amazing! “

For Brandy, the decision to become a neonatologist was an easy one. While during her undergraduate career she toyed with the idea of becoming a physical therapist, an eye-opening experience in children’s hospital in her hometown, Kansas City, uncovered her love for pediatrics once and for all. “I found it fascinating, and I loved watching my uncle (a pediatric anesthesiologist practicing at the same hospital] help people feel better… I truly loved pediatrics. Kids are amazing in that they are so resilient, and I really wanted to be part of helping them heal.”  With a predisposition towards the pediatrics field, Brandy  successfully completed Kansas Medical School, deciding to specialize in neonatology in the process.

For her continued training, Brandy moved to Illinois and completed her fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Michael S. Caplan, a world-renown leader in the NEC field. Being a neonatologist allows her to work with kids while being very intellectually engaged and to form close relationships with parents whose children she treats. Moreover, serving as a neonatal fellow uncovered her love for clinical and basic science research, both of which she continues to pursue today. “During the time I spent in Dr. Caplan’s lab as a fellow, I was able to learn basic laboratory techniques, and develop a sense of what a challenge it can be to do good research.”  Paralleling her clinical work, the focus of Brandy’s basic research has been to uncover the signaling pathway by which TGFβ growth factor modulates proinflammatory response triggered by toll-like receptors, which, in some models has been shown to lower the incidence of NEC. Although she admits that, at times, inconsistencies in data from bench-science studies make her work as a research scientist quite frustrating, she nonetheless finds working toward a goal of further understanding diseases that affect premature infants a very enjoyable process. As a faculty member at the same hospital where she once served as a fellow, Brandy is also a principal investigator on several clinical studies. The focus of these projects ranges from comparing TGFβ levels in breast milk (which has been shown to be more beneficial over formula at lowering NEC incidence rate among preemies) among the mothers whose babies develop NEC relative to those who do not, to assessing treatments and therapeutics options to curb the incidence and the severity of this disease.

Being busy with all the projects and her patients has not precluded her from creating a family of her own. She is a mom to a preschooler and a toddler and feels fortunate to have found a balance between her working and family life. “I have been lucky… I have managed to balance all of my responsibilities as well as I can.” As someone who has gotten to know Brandy as an accomplished doctor, scientist, and a mother, I couldn’t agree more.

Nomination and article submitted by AWIS Chicago Staff Writer Marina Pazin.  Ms. Pazin is a PhD candidate at NorthShore University Health System.

Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to communications@awis-chicago.org. Your nominee does not need to be an AWIS member or a woman, but should promote the advancement of women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

by Beth Sefton

“Have you thought about scheduling your next committee meeting?” Dr Margrit Urbanek asks me. She continues, “I always thought that committee meetings were a pain when I was a graduate student. Now I realize how helpful they can be. You should really consider setting one up.”  These kind of thoughtful statements are characteristic of Dr. Margrit Urbanek, an influential woman in my graduate studies. I first met Margrit when I spent the summer working in her lab at Northwestern University prior to beginning my graduate program and she continues to be involved in my research by serving on my thesis committee. I recently spoke with her about how she became interested in science, and the challenges she has faced in securing her position at Northwestern.

Dr. Margrit Urbanek’s interest in genetics began at a young age, while she was attempting to learn English as a second language. Her family had relocated to the United States from Switzerland when she was in the fourth grade. While learning English she read many books, some of which had stories about Native American culture. These stories made her think about how people migrate and establish new cultures. This joint interest in genetics and anthropology continued into college – in fact, when she was at Pennsylvania State University she debated between undergraduate majors in biology or anthropology. She found a compromise in majoring in biochemistry while taking a large number of elective in anthropology, allowing her to begin her career as a scientist without giving up her intellectual curiosity in cultural development.

For her doctorate thesis, Margrit studied growth hormone receptor expression in human placentas with Dr. Stephen Liebhaber. After receiving her doctoral degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993, Margrit looked for a post-doctoral position that would allow her to unite her interests in genetics and Native American ancestry. At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), she worked on one project that focused on the population substructure of Native American populations of the American Southwest, as well as a second project dealing with the genetics of alcoholism. After being exposed to the genetics of human disease at the NIH, Margrit returned to the University of Pennsylvania to complete a second post-doctoral position, this time focusing on the genetics of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

After her second post-doctoral position, Margit began searching for tenure track positions in academia. Her search was complicated by the fact that her husband, Dr. Greg Smith was also looking for an academic position in virology. Fortunately for them, Northwestern University was conducting faculty searches for both a geneticist and a virologist, and they both managed to secure tenure track positions at Northwestern University’s Chicago campus in 2001. Margrit feels that they were able to do so because both she and her husband were on a similar time frame, and each was worthy of a position independent of the other, both of which she realizes were important factors in their hiring.

Newly tenured at Northwestern University, Margrit is enjoying her life as an academic principle investigator. While her interest in human disease may have made her a good candidate for jobs in industry, she feels she can experience more scientific freedom in academia than she would have in industry. Margrit feels that the study of genetics can often lead to surprises, since the “next gene or pathway associated with a condition can be unexpected”. Margrit is happy that when such discoveries occur, she appreciates the collaborations that can develop across broad disciplines and finds that she always has colleagues to consult with. In addition, Margrit enjoys mentoring young scientists, while learning new ideas from her mentees. She equated the graduation of her first graduate student to the “bittersweet feeling of having a child leave for college”. However, academic life is not without its drawbacks. According to Margit, “The largest disadvantage of academic institutions is securing funding.” While she enjoys the process of writing grants, as she feels it helps to “focus her thinking”, she finds it stressful that both her career, and that of her lab personnel depend on successful grant applications.

While being a woman in science has not presented Margrit with any particular challenges, she has found herself as “the only woman in the room,” highlighting a lack of women scientists. Even though Margrit believes that striking a balance between work and home life is an ongoing challenge for women and men, she does see differences between the ways men and women handle such situations. From her experiences, she believes that women will not push for higher level professional positions because they believe that such positions may compromise their abilities to attend to family matters. She has also found that men and women approach professional issues differently- while women tend not to ask for items that they need on a basic level, many men will not think twice about addressing the same issue. She thinks this stems from a tendency in women to deal with the issues at hand, rather than ask for assistance from others.  She remembers, “When I grew out of my current lab space, I did not even think to ask for more.” She encourages parents and educators to teach young women how to ask for what they need.

When asked what advice she would give to young women scientists interested in academia, Margrit thinks the most important thing is that they work to gain confidence to apply for tenure track positions. While the landmarks required for tenure may seem intimidating at first, it is really just a series of steps that can be addressed systematically. However, if a scientist is afraid to start taking those steps, she can never succeed professionally. Having the confidence to take the first step, and then the next, is the key to achieving one’s goals. In Margit’s opinion, “Women just need to go for it!”

Nomination and article submitted by AWIS Chicago Staff Writer Beth Sefton.  Ms. Sefton is a PhD candidate at Northwestern University.

Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to communications@awis-chicago.org. Your nominee does not need to be an AWIS member or a woman, but should promote the advancement of women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

Want to keep yourself up-to-date on AWIS Chicago activities? Follow AWIS Chicago on Twitter! You can request to be added to our listserve by clicking here, and join the AWIS Chicago group on LinkedIn and Facebook by clicking the icons on the bottom right of this page.

By Beth Sefton

I first met Dr. Julie Kim when I was a summer rotation student in my first year of graduate school. During my rotation, I found that  enjoyed working in the lab and appreciated Julie’s mentoring style. I opted to join the lab and have been a graduate student in the Kim lab for the past  three  years. . From the time that I rotated, Julie has never made me feel as if  I am “just a graduate student”. She treats me as an equal and respects my opinions.  As I am exploring multiple career paths, I feel that Julie will be very respectful of whatever career choices I will make, which is not always the case in academia.. Julie is extremely supportive of my participation in extra-curricular activities and taking on leadership positions that will  help me prepare for my life after graduate school. I believe Julie’s own career path and family life give her a realistic approach to life inside and outside of science. She is very  supportive of  women scientists in her lab and encourages young women to explore science careers.

 Julie received a Microbiology degree from the University of Toronto in 1990. She then went on to receive a Ph.D in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Laval University where she studied with Dr. Patricia Quinn and Dr. Michel Fortier. Her PhD research introduced to her to reproductive biology, but she implemented  her microbiology background to study how infectious agents affect the bovine endometrium. After graduate school, Julie moved to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) to train with Dr.Asgi Fazleabas from 1995-1998. While in Dr. Fazleabas’s lab Julie studied the how the primate endometrium prepares for embryo implantation, a process known as decidualization. In 1998, Julie joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UIC as a Research Assistant Professor and continued to research decidualization of the endometrium but with a focus on the progesterone receptor. Currently, Julie is an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Her lab researches the role of the progesterone receptor and AKT pathway in female reproductive tract diseases, such as uterine fibroids, endometrial cancer, and endometriosis.

 Have you always liked science even as a small child?

As a child and growing up, I enjoyed doing well in school and learning.  Science was interesting to me and came easy to me.

 What sparked your decision to pursue science as a career?

Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I was unsure of what I wanted to do. I worked in a research lab at Laval University in Quebec City for the summer, under the direction of Dr. Patricia Quinn who was a Professor at the University of Toronto and was doing a sabbatical in Quebec City for a year with Dr. Michel Fortier. I enjoyed working at the bench, discussing science with Dr. Quinn and Dr. Fortier and designing experiments. I fell in love with Quebec and the people. Naturally, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to not only go to grad school but to learn French at the same time. Neither was easy but I got through it.  I defended my thesis in French and got my PhD degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. 

 Did you always want to work in academia? Why or why not?

After obtaining my PhD, I did a postdoc at UIC.  I was open to exploring different options for my career so I didn’t have a preference to work in academia. I knew that I enjoyed research and the intellectual workout it gave me on a daily basis.  However, I knew that there were lots of additional opportunities. To explore, I taught some classes at UIC, shadowed an embryologist in an IVF lab, talked to scientists in industry, considered medical school, as well as continuing in academia. I went to many scientific meetings and talked to people regarding a future in research. I was overwhelmed with all the different paths that I could take.  I decided to try out academia and told myself, if I didn’t like it, I’d do something else.  I’ve been at Northwestern University for over 7 years now and I think it was the best decision that I made.  I love what I do.  I love being intellectually challenged on a daily basis and every day holds something different.  I can’t see myself doing anything else. 

 What has been your greatest challenge as a woman in academic science? 

 If I were to pinpoint a particular challenge in my life as a woman in science, it’s hands down, work/family balance.  This can be a challenge that is faced by both men and women that have families, and not just for women. I am married with 2 children, ages 11 and almost 7.  My husband is very dedicated to his career in the corporate world and successful.  At the same time he’s extremely supportive of my career and is my biggest fan. My children were in daycare by the time they were 6 months old until they were ready for first grade at the local public school.  They also attend before and after school programs. We never had a nanny and our extended family was far away (Canada to be exact!).  So, the biggest challenge was to be able to juggle work and family life and do well in both. 

 How have you dealt with that challenge?

I can’t say that I no longer struggle to balance work and family. However, I can confidently say that I have come to a point where the juggling family and work has become a way of life for me that I find extremely gratifying. I was able to come to this point after some soul searching and implementing appropriate support systems. While my career and my family are very important to me, my family has taken that number one slot and my career comes a close second.  When faced with a tough decision where I have to choose between work and family, I weigh the pros and cons and lean towards the decision that will be best for my family.  Luckily, this doesn’t happen very often and this approach has not kept me from succeeding in my career. Another issue that I had to come to accept is that I don’t have to be the best nor have things perfect all the time. I am more realistic in what I am able to do with the time that I have. But, I began to realize that I could change the way I work to get more accomplished in a shorter time, like multi-tasking and delegating.  From a practical standpoint, it was essential that I implement a solid support system to make sure both career and family are taken care of and happy.  My husband is extremely supportive and does his best to contribute. My children went to a fabulous child care program at Northwestern University. Currently, my kids attend a great school with wonderful before and after school programs. At Northwestern, I have exceptional colleagues with whom I can truly be myself. My lab consists of dedicated and talented people who generate data and ensure smooth daily functioning. The particulars of everyday life change all the time and I have learned that flexibility is essential. It’s an incredible thing to have come to this point in my life where I feel extremely fulfilled and satisfied as a woman in science.  Recently, I asked my children, “would you rather have a mom at home all the time to take care of you and be with you whenever you want?”  And their response was, “No way Mom, your job is so cool and fun. And you’re doing something really important!”

 What do you think is the greatest obstacle for young women scientists today?

According to studies that have been done at the NIH as well as other big institutions, one of the main reasons why women leave science is because of their personal choices regarding family.  I have experienced first hand, women leaving the field because of family.  I think these choices are very personal and should be respected to the fullest. We need to realize that all women are different and have specific lifestyle preferences. Some women choose a family over career and some choose a career over family. If there are young women who want both and they are realistic about it, it is absolutely possible to be a scientist and have children. It comes with hard work but the rewards that come with having both are far beyond what can be imagined. Personally, I would like to see more women in basic science research and continue on to be tenured professors and head of departments. 

 What aspects of your job do enjoy most? What don’t you like?

I enjoy mentoring people.  I find great joy in seeing someone learn the scientific process and getting excited about the data they’ve generated. I love exchanging ideas with my trainees and coming up with new ones together.  I enjoy making discoveries together.

 I do not like the negative criticisms that sometimes come with reviews of papers and grants.  I think we should be encouraging each other more. 

 Any advice for young woman scientists?

Definitely, more women are needed in science. As with anything else, if you are good at it and are passionate about it, there is always a way to work things out to achieve your goals.  If those goals include being a successful woman scientist and having a family, YOU CAN DO IT!

Nomination and article submitted by AWIS Chicago Staff Writer Beth Sefton.  Ms. Sefton is a PhD candidate at Northwestern University.

Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to communications@awis-chicago.org. Your nominee does not need to be an AWIS member or a woman, but should promote the advancement of women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

Want to keep yourself up-to-date on AWIS Chicago activities? Follow AWIS Chicago on Twitter! You can request to be added to our listserve by clicking here, and join the AWIS Chicago group on LinkedIn and Facebook by clicking the icons on the bottom right of this page.