April 2010 Scientist of the Month: Guillermo Antonio Ameer, ScD

by Eunji Chung

Dr. Guillermo Antonio Ameer is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Surgery at Northwestern University. His research focuses on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and current research topics range from developing biodegradable materials for bone and anterior cruciate ligament replacements to understanding mechanisms of nitric oxide delivery for cardiovascular applications. He has contributed over 100 peer-reviewed journal publications and conference abstracts, book chapters, and has several patents issued and pending. In addition, he is also an entrepreneur and founder of two biotech companies. Originally from Panama, Guillermo moved to the United States in 1988, where he attended a community college before transferring to the University of Texas, Austin. He then moved on to MIT where he developed an interest in regenerative medicine in the department of Chemical Engineering.  Guillermo received his doctoral degree through the laboratory of Dr. Robert Langer.

Today the Langer laboratory is a first-class juggernaut with over 100 members at any given time. It wasn’t as big during Guillermo’s studies, closer to 35 members. When asked how he chose his lab, he explained that having an open mind was crucial to his fortuitous meeting with Dr. Langer. This open-mindedness became a theme in pivotal decision-making moments and a quality that gave him strength to steer his career.

In graduate school Guillermo worked closely with a subgroup within the lab, which became a source of great support for his future research success. After graduating, he took a joint postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University in the laboratories of Hidde Ploegh and William Harmon. Guillermo was also open to other scientific careers, such as patent law or consulting, but wasn’t ready to part with research entirely. Developing novel ideas in science and technology within an academic career was a great way to reaffirm his research direction and interests, and he found this challenge exciting.

Guillermo’s passion for science as a young faculty member is evident. Always full of novel and potentially impactful ideas, he worked with experts in a variety of fields to hone in on the right scientific focus for developing early grant applications. He was successful, and advises young scientists today to: “pursue high impact projects with team members with the right expertise. Find where the deficit in the field is and address it.” Looking back, he realized that those original collaborations helped establish his name in the field while his conviction to his research allowed him to actualize his scientific vision. Although today Guillermo has already established himself in his field, he continues to pursue the next set of goals. “In the next ten years, we hope to have the EPC (endothelial progenitor cell) project in clinical trials -to see if it is useful for patients. We also want to know if polymer-based technology will be impactful in patients.”

In addition, Guillermo has been involved in entrepreneurial pursuits since 2007. He acts as President and Chief Scientific Officer for ProSorp BioTech, Inc. and as manager and Chief Scientific Officer for VesselTech BioMedical, LLC. When asked how he knew it was the right time to start a company, Guillermo replied, “You never know.” Development of products through the academic pipeline can be time consuming, so Guillermo started his own business ventures. Being an entrepreneur, he says he learned not only what his peers thought of his work, but also how the world viewed his work. Although it might seem like academia and starting a company are different worlds, he adds, “It’s like interdisciplinary research. Just another collaboration.”

Although quite busy with his scientific endeavors, Guillermo plays basketball, watches films, and enjoys eating various cuisines in his down time. He tries to minimize stress levels because of the negative impact it can have on one’s health. He understands that although his attention must be given to specific demands, stressing over it will not benefit the situation. Guillermo attends to demands such as financial deadlines for his business ventures, or preparation as an instructor for an upcoming class, or personal plans within his relationship as they emerge.

Guillermo’s ambitions and open-mindedness to ideas and discussions both in and out of science has been one of the best experiences I have had as a graduate student in his lab. He trusts the expertise his people demonstrate in the lab regardless of their seniority, and through this type of respect, fosters taking ownership of their knowledge and project. I’ve learned a lot myself by witnessing his collaborative nature which attracts good people and ideas. His trust in his own decisions and direction instills confidence in his work as a scientist as well as an individual. He has guided my career by introducing me to the right people to help me gain a better understanding of various scientific and medical principles that push my project forward and keep it on track. Through directing me when needed but giving me the freedom to formulate and assert my own ideas, I have grown as a woman in science both through my ability to think independently as well as work collaboratively, and for that, I will always be thankful.

Nomination and article submitted by AWIS Chicago Staff Writer Eunji Chung.  Ms. Chung is a PhD candidate at Northwestern University in Dr. Ameer’s laboratory.  Her current research involves the use of biodegradable materials and mesenchymal stem cells for orthopaedic applications. Although her plans after graduation are not solidified, she is interested in careers in academia, patent law, and entrepreneurship.

*Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to Jessica Reimer.  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.

March 2010 Scientist of the Month: Nicole Neubarth

by Heather King

Nicole Neubarth, a third year undergraduate at the University of Chicago, has a lot on her plate.  She works part time in Dr. Melina Hale’s lab as an undergraduate research assistant.  She also takes a full load of biology and core curriculum courses, volunteers for the university’s film society, and is a fellow in the Computational NeuroscienceResearch Training Program, funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse at NIH.  Despite the time she spends on these activities, she maintains her enthusiasm for biology and research.

“My interest in biology came from my fascination with animals,” Nicole says.  “There wasn’t a particular moment that I became interested in biology, it was just what came naturally to me.”  Nicole, like many future biologists, spent her childhood catching insects and fish in containers to see what they would eat and where they would hide.  As a high school student, she became interested in neuroscience by reading popular science articles and, in particular, an article about the evolution of morality in primates caught her eye.  She saw neuroscience as the study of the ‘black boxes’ between the brain and a behavior, and wanted to understand their components.  “To study these inner components would be like going back in time,” explains Nicole, “or even understanding what it’s like to be another organism, or having a better understanding of my fellow humans.”

Primate researched piqued her interest, but Nicole chose to work with Dr. Melina Hale studying locomotion in fish.  While moral behavior was very interesting to Nicole, she realized that such complex behaviors were challenging to quantify. Locomotion in fish is a much simpler system, and provides the opportunity to make direct connections between a particular behavior and its corresponding neuron or neurological pathway.  Her current project, with Dr. Hale and collaborators George Lauder at Harvard University and James Tangorra at Drexel University, is aimed at understanding the mechanism fish use to sense changes in the surrounding environment.  The group hopes to gain insight into the neurological pathways in the pectoral fins used to send information to the brain about the turbulence of the water, and the pathways the brain uses to respond and give instructions to the fins on how to respond to the turbulence.  Using this information, they hope to build an autonomous swimming robot with the ability to correct for irregularities in the surrounding fluid.

Working in Dr. Hale’s lab also inspires Nicole as a female scientist.  “Not only is Melina a respected scientist, she also has a family.  I admire her ability to perform two very difficult jobs at once.”  Nicole plans to earn a faculty position at a university, where she can continue to contribute to the field of neuroscience.  We wish Nicole the best of luck in the pursuit of her goals!

Nomination and article submitted by AWIS Chicago Staff Writer Heather King.  Ms. King is a PhD candidate at University of Chicago.  Photograph courtesy of Yen-Chyi Liu.

*Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to Jessica Reimer.  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.

February 2010 Scientist of the Month: Katherine L. Knight, Ph.D.

by Michelle Merrigan

Dr. Katherine Knight is an immunologist and recently celebrated her 20th anniversary as chair of the department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. To celebrate this anniversary, alumni and colleagues returned to Loyola for a symposium to share their recollections of Dr. Knight and her role in their development as scientists. The theme was “20 Years of Doing It Together”, which is appropriate because Dr. Knight has always emphasized that science is about relationships. “Everyone is a mentor to somebody,” she says.

The mentoring relationship between faculty members and students is at the core of the department’s educational focus. As chair, Dr. Knight has put in place programs that help students recognize and develop positive mentoring relationships. For example, at the annual department retreat, new students participate in discussions about choosing a graduate advisor. Dr. Knight advises students to choose someone that they are going to enjoy interacting with personally. She points out that everyone has different needs. “Some PI’s are more directive, and some students need more direction than others.” Ideally, a mentor should be able to respond to whatever the student requires. She suggests students choose based on the environment of the laboratory, not necessarily on the project.

Dr. Knight holds regular informal meetings to discuss any issues students choose, which can range from how to find a post-doctoral fellowship to tips on making effective PowerPoint slides for lectures. Indeed, the department has a strong focus on communication skills, which Dr. Knight feels are the most important skills to acquire outside of designing a sound experiment. All first year students participate in a special course dedicated to learning speaking and presentation skills. This gives all students a core competency on which they and their graduate advisors can build. She emphasizes always adapting your talk to your audience, and maintaining a “teaching frame of mind.”

Dr. Knight demonstrates good mentoring practices.

Dr Knight has shared her philosophy of mentoring with the department on multiple occasions. She particularly emphasizes that a good mentor sees what the student/mentee needs, rather than his or her own needs as an advisor. She admits that in the current academic climate, mentors have their own pressures to publish and be productive, and yet at the same time must allow the student time to develop his or her own scientific mind. She advises new faculty on balancing the personal motives of productivity and the care-giving motives involved in mentoring students. She insists that these motives need not be mutually exclusive. “There’s a study that shows that for people who have been well-mentored, their institutions are much better off because those people stay.” Dr. Knight also prepares senior students for the transition to being mentors themselves, saying, “If you’ve been treated well, you will subsequently treat other people well.”

On January 22, 2010, Dr. Knight gave a presentation on mentoring at the annual meeting of the Association of Medical School Microbiology and Immunology Chairs.  Not only did this event occur during National Mentoring Month, but also the day on which she gave the talk was “Thank Your Mentor Day”.  At the symposium in May 2009, a group of colleagues, alumni and students established the Katherine L. Knight Fund for Mentoring in honor of her guidance and mentorship. In keeping with her philosophy of adapting to whatever the mentee needs, this fund will be used to enhance the mentoring experience for students, whatever form that might require, such as student travel or professional development programs.

Nomination and article submitted by AWIS Chicago Staff Writer Michelle Merrigan.  Ms. Merrigan is a PhD candidate in the Microbiology and Immunology Department at Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the pathogenesis of the bacterium Clostridium difficile. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in scientific writing or communications.

*Know a scientist you think should be featured in an upcoming “Scientist of the Month” article?  Send nominations to Jessica Reimer.  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.