the young scientist: a career guide for underrepresented science graduates

Volume 4 · 2009

Spectrum Joins the Fight to End Health DisparitiesSpectrum Healthcare Diversity & Informat-ics, publisher of The Young Scientist, was recently awarded a contract through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to develop a centralized computer database. This database will enhance our efforts to encourage students to enter and serve in the challenging fields of science, bioscience, and other research areas that allow them to fight and eliminate health disparities.

We encourage all those involved in research through NIH to share their experiences with us. For more information, please visit www.spectrumunlimited.com.

contentsgetting your own lab coat!.....................2

study hard—study science......................4

discover something cool about yourself—with science!...........................5

the young scientist profile— laty cahoon............................................10

2009 gilliam fellows introduction......12

thinking of becoming a scientist? consider community college.................13

what’s it like to be an...ecologist.........17

what’s it like to be a...biophysicist......20

what’s it like to be a...virologist.........22

marc program helps students achieve their dreams.............................27

alternative careers...............................29

abrcms 2009!...........................................30

resources for the young scientist.......32

ad index...................................................32

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2 the young scientist

Are. you. curious?. Do. you. like. num-bers?.Do.you.like.adventures?.If.so,.maybe.you.should.become.a.scien-tist..A.good.scientist. is.curious.and.asks. lots. of. questions,. such. as…How does something work? What is inside? Why does that happen?

Scientists.seek.answers.to.these.and.other.ques-tions.. The. answers. help. solve. problems. in. our.world.. If. you. like. numbers,. science. can. be. for.

you. too,.since.scientists.make.many.measurements..Things.such.as. length,.weight,. time,.and.volume.are.measured.frequently..Numbers.are.recorded.in.a.book.called.a.“log.book”.or.“record.book,”.and.usually.are.stored.and.analyzed.with.the.help.of.a.computer..So.it’s.good.to.like.working.with.a.computer.too!

Movie. heroes. like. Indiana. Jones. live. lives. of. high.adventure.. Scientists. experience. adventure. too,. es-pecially. when. new. information. is. discovered. which.might. explain. how. something. works,. or. even. help.cure.people.of.a.killing.disease..Consider.some.of.the.discoveries.of.science:.X-rays;.vaccines.for.dangerous.diseases;. antibiotics;. rocket. engines;. the. transistor;.and.more.recently,.a.gene.which.is.responsible.for.breast.cancer.in.humans,.discovered.by.scien-tists. at. National. Institute. of. Environmental.Health. Sciences. (NIEHS).. The. scientists.and. their. teams. who. made. these. dis-coveries.sense.excitement,.adventure,.and.satisfaction.because.they.are.un-derstanding. how. something. works.for. the.first. time,.and.maybe.solv-ing. a. serious. problem. too.. These.discoveries.can.also.be.fun!

Some.scientists.specialize.in.study-ing.living.things..We.call.them.biolo-gists..Some. try. to. learn.more.about.the. ground. and. the. earth.. They’re.called.geologists..Physicists.are.sci-entists.who.study.physical.phenom-ena.such.as.light.or.electricity..At.the.(NIEHS).in.the.Research.Triangle.Park.in.North.Carolina,.dozens.of.dedicat-ed. toxicologists. study. the.effects.of.

different.chemicals.on.living.things..A.toxicologist.is.a.specialized.type.of.biologist.who.investigates.chemi-cals. to.see. if. they.act.as. toxins. (poisons)..These.are.just. a. few. examples. of. the.many. kinds. of. scientists.that.make.discoveries.every.day.which.make.life.bet-ter. for. all. of. us..We.become.healthier,.with. a. better.understanding.of.our.world.and.the.other.animals.and.plants.that.live.here.with.us.

Finally,. a. good. scientist. needs. to. communicate.with. other. scientists. through. speech. and. in. writ-ing..That.means.solid.skills.in.English.are.necessary..Though.not.easy.for.many.of.us,.these.skills. come.with. time. and.prac-tice..They’ll.come.to.you.too,.and.you’ll.find.lots.of.help.from.your.teachers,.ad-visors,.and.even.oth-er.scientists.

Our. world. needs.dedicated. science.p ro f e s s i ona l s ..Maybe.you.will.be-come.one.of.them!

getting your own lab coat!by dick sloane, national institute of environmental health sciences

photo courtesy of nhlbi


Today.we.face.more.complex.challenges.than.we.have. ever. faced. before:. a. medical. system. that.holds. the. promise. of. unlocking. new. cures. and.

treatments—attached. to. a. health. care. system. that.holds.the.potential.for.bankruptcy.to.families.and.busi-nesses;.a.system.of.energy.that.powers.our.economy,.but.simultaneously.endangers.our.planet.

At. such. a. difficult. moment,. there. are. those. who.say.we.cannot.afford. to. invest. in.science,. that.sup-port. for. research. is. somehow. a. luxury. at.moments.defined. by. necessities.. I. fundamentally. disagree..Science.is.more.essential.for.our.prosperity,.our.se-curity,.our.health,.our.environment,.and.our.quality.of.life.than.it.has.ever.been.before..

We. know. that. the. progress. and. prosperity. of. fu-ture.generations.will.depend.on.what.we.do.now.to.educate.the.next.generation,.and.that’s.why.I’ve.an-nounced.that.states.making.strong.commitments.and.progress.in.math.and.science.education.will.be.eligi-ble.to.compete.later.this.fall.for.additional.funds.un-der.the.Secretary.of.Education’s.$5.billion.Race to the Top. program..My.administration.has. set. a.goal. that.will. greatly. enhance. our. ability. to. compete. for. the.

high-wage,.high-tech. jobs.of.the.future—and.to.fos-

ter. the. next. gen-eration. of. sci-

entists. and.engineers..

In.the.next.decade—by.2020—Amer-ica.will.once.again.have.the.highest.proportion. of. college. graduates. in.the.world..That.is.a.goal.that.we.are.going.to.set..And.we’ve.provided.tax.credits.and.grants.to.make.a.college.education.more.affordable.

That’s. because. you’ll. need. the.knowledge.and.problem-solving.skills.

you.learn.in.science.and.math.to.cure.diseases.like.can-cer.and.AIDS,.and.to.develop.new.energy.technologies.and.protect. our. environment.. You’ll. need. the. insights.and. critical-thinking. skills. you. gain. in. history. and. so-cial. studies. to.fight.poverty. and.homelessness,. crime.and.discrimination,.and.make.our.nation.more.fair.and.more.free..You’ll.need.the.creativity.and.ingenuity.you.develop.in.all.your.classes.to.build.new.companies.that.will.create.new.jobs.and.boost.our.economy.

We.need.every.single.one.of.you.to.develop.your.tal-ents,.skills,.and.intellect.so.you.can.help.solve.our.most.difficult.problems..

The.story.of.America.isn’t.about.people.who.quit.when.things.got.tough..It’s.about.people.who.kept.going,.who.tried. harder,. who. loved. their. country. too.much. to. do.anything. less.than.their.best.. It’s.the.story.of.students.250.years.ago.who.sat.where.you.sit,. and.went.on. to.wage.a.revolution.and.found.this.nation;.students.who.sat.where.you.sit.75.years.ago.who.overcame.a.Depres-sion.and.won.a.world.war;.who.fought.for.civil.rights.and.put.a.man.on.the.moon..And,.it’s.the.story.of.students.20.years.ago.who.sat.where.you.sit.and.who. founded.Google,.Twitter.and.Facebook.and.changed.the.way.we.communicate.with.each.other.

So.today,. I.want. to.ask.you,.what’s.your.contribution.going.to.be?.What.problems. are. you. going. to. solve?.What.discoveries.will.you.make?

So.today,.I.want.to.ask.you,.what’s.your.contribution.going. to. be?.What. problems. are. you. going. to. solve?.What.discoveries.will.you.make?.

I.expect.you.to.put.your.best.effort.into.everything.you.do..I.expect.great.things.from.each.of.you..Don’t.let.us.down..Don’t. let.your.family.or.your.country.or.yourself.down..Make.us.all.proud..I.know.you.can.do.it..

Editor’s Note: Comments from President Obama culled from recent speeches and statements about science and education.

study hard—study scienceby president barack obama

5the young scientist

When.someone.mentions.the.word.scientist,.it.might.make.you. think.of.a.nerdy.white.guy.who.looks.like.he’s.been.holed.up.in.a.dark.

lab.for.too.long..But.really,.there.are.LOTS.of.different.kinds. of. people. doing. LOTS. of. different. kinds. of. sci-ence..Some.people.do.work.in.labs,.but.there.are.lots.of.other.places.to.do.science:.in.a.rainforest,.in.a.classroom,.on.a.mountaintop..

What’s.more,.almost.everything.you.see.or.use.during. the. course.of. your.day.was. in-fluenced.by.a.scientist..Physicists.did.the.research.that.eventually.resulted.in.cell-phone.and.other.wireless.technologies..Chemists. did. the. research. that. even-tually.resulted.in.the.creation.of.your.prescription.medications.. Geologists.use. computer. models. and. field. re-search.to.find.the.oil.that.heats.your.home. each. winter.. Meteorologists.make. the. weather. predictions. that.help. leaders.decide.whether.to.take.actions. like.evacuating.citizens. from.areas.about.to.be.hit.by.storms.

discover something cool about yourself—with science!

types of scientistsWith. few.exceptions,. scientists.who.work. in.the.private. sector. are. involved.with. applied.research.and.development..While.their.work.deals. with. the. same. concepts. as. scientists.employed. at. universities,. private-sector. sci-entists. generally. cope. with. a. tighter. time.frame,. and. are. more. attuned. to. the. bottom.line.. Scientists. are. in. business. to. turn. their.ideas.and.hypotheses. into.products. their. com-panies.can.sell.Engineers. also. apply. scientific. principles. to. cre-

ate.products..But.unlike.engineers,.applied.scientists.usually.work.on.more.fundamental.research.and.are.re-moved.from.the.production.lines..If.you.want.to.think.of.it.in.terms.of.a.continuum,.research.scientists.at.univer-sities.deal.with.abstract.principles.of.science..Applied.scientists. use. the. same. principles,. but. shape. them.into. more. specific. ideas,. materials,. and. equipment..Engineers.then.use.such.equipment.to.make.products.within.a.budget,.on.a.timetable.

1) To be one of the few people in the world to know a lot about a par-ticular thing.

2) To be able to put all the things I see around me into one picture.

3) Because I just cannot stop asking questions. (My mom says I started doing this at age 2)

4) There is no better way to play as an adult.

5) EVERYTHING is more inter-esting because you know more about it.

6) I get to spend a lot of time on boats.

7) I get to go on field trips where you collect information from nature.

8) To build an understanding of the world I live in.

9) Being able to find out exciting new things throughout one’s life.

10) To serve as a custodian of understanding [knowledge] of the world, and especially to help society preserve it.

11) We study a lot of the major problems in the world today—global warming, ozone hole—and try to help work out solu-tions.

12) For the opportunity to study important phenom-ena that may influence life on earth, and make important contributions to society.

13) To add to the human knowl-edge base.

14) You learn something new every day.

15) I like to live near the water and work with animals in the water, and the scenery is great.

16) To expand our understand-ing of how nature “works.”

Top 38 reasons to be a scientistA.group.of.graduate.students.in.the.University.of.Washing-ton.School.of.Oceanography.were. recently. asked. why.they. like. being. a. scientist..You. might. be. surprised. by.some.of.their.answers.

photo courtesy of the nhlbi

17) I get paid to think about fun puzzles every day.

18) I get to go out on a lot of boats.

19) Doing science is like doing a puzzle.

20) I like to try to figure out ways to solve some of the problems in the world (like problems related to ocean pollution).

21) I like to use to my mind.

22) It is like being an explorer.

23) You get to learn from the mistakes you make.

24) I learn something new every day and do fun things in the lab.

25) You get to study the way things work in nature.

26) Being allowed to be curious about whatever you want.

27) You never know where your research (ex-plorations) will lead you.

28) I love to explore the under-water world!

29) You never get bored.

30) You get to learn the answer to questions about things that happen in nature; even ques-tions that your teachers or par-ents sometimes can’t answer.

31) I like trying to find out some-thing new all the time rather than doing a routine job.

32) Even Bill Gates will still have to call me doctor.

33) Wanting to find connections and patterns between separate natural events.

34) Wanting to learn the details that make the world work.

35) I believe it is ultimately one of the most purely creative endeavors that one can under-take, and I have the hope that my work might make a contribution toward a body of knowledge.

36) Getting to do interesting and challenging work in order to answer questions others don’t know the answer to.

37) It always [satisfies] me to build a career out of imagina-tion.

38) It can lead to a career that focuses on discov-ery, excitement, and working outside, with the added bonus of continu-ous intellectual chal-lenges.

what you’ll doScientists. who. aren’t. working. in. academic. research.typically. apply. their. skills. to. develop. and/or. under-stand.materials,.products,.equipment,.and.production.methods.in.a.variety.of.ways..Physicists,.for.instance,.might. be. hired. by. biotechnology. firms. to. design. the.equipment. needed. to. work. on. materials. at. the. mo-lecular. level;. by. semiconductor.manufacturers. to. ap-ply.their.knowledge.of.solid-state.quantum.mechanics.(the.study.of.crystalline.solids.such.as.silicon).to.create.computer. chips. that.will. run. faster.at. lower. tempera-tures;.or.by.computer.software.firms.to.write.and.de-velop.computer.programs.used.to.model.complex.pro-cesses,. such.as. the.blood.flowing. through.a.heart.or.money.through.a.stock.exchange.

Chemists.work.at.companies.like.petroleum.refining.plants,. pharmaceutical. companies,. paint.manufactur-ers,.and.food-processing.plants.

Many. biological. scientists. work. in. the. biomedical.field. and. are. known. as. medical. scientists.. They. re-search. infectious.diseases.(such.as. the.common.cold.

and.AIDS).and.develop.vaccines,.new.drugs,.and.treat-ments.. They.may. be. employed. by. government. agen-cies,.such.as.the.U.S..Centers.for.Disease.Control.and.Prevention,.or.work.for.large.drug.companies.such.as.Merck.or.Pfizer.

who does wellScientists.need.to.be.analytical.thinkers.and.comfort-able.with.math..There’s.a.reason.why.scientists.are.of-ten.portrayed.as.people.who.speak.in.technical.jargon.impenetrable.to.the.common.ear:.all.fields.of.science.require.mastery.of. a.host.of. precise. terminology.and.complicated.theories.that.have.been.piling.up.since.the.dawn.of.the.Enlightenment.

Of. course,. that’s. not. to. downplay. the. role. of. solid.communication.skills..In.today’s.business.climate,.sci-entists.typically.work.in.teams.and.need.to.be.able.to.communicate.efficiently.what. they’ve.been.doing.and.why. it’s. important,. especially. if. they’re. looking. for. a.bigger.budget.


beyond scienceGetting.a.well-rounded.education.is.important.because,.whether. right. after. school. or. after. getting. experience.in.a.hardcore.science.setting,.you.may.want.to.change.careers. to. something. outside. the. laboratory.. For. in-stance,. if. you.study.biochemistry,. you.may.eventually.decide.to.go.to.work.for.a.financial.services.institution.as.a.biotech.stock.analyst..Increasingly,.employers.are.realizing. that. the.analytical. skills.and.computer.expe-rience.picked.up.learning.science.can.be.put.to.use.in.

a.host.of.other.professions,.such.as.sales,.marketing,.and.business.consulting..If.you.have.good.social.skills.and.interests.outside.of.science,.you.may.find.that.you.have.a.better.chance.making.such.a.career.change..In.addition,.scientists.can.always.teach.high.school.or.go.back.to.academia.to.research.or.try.to.land.a.job.as.a.professor..As.one. industry. insider.puts. it,.“People.are.beginning. to. realize. that.someone.who.has.mastered.

quantum.physics.usually.treats.something.like.analyzing.the.stock.market.or.

a.complex.business.problem.as. an. enjoyable. break..

Your.options.are.really.wide.open.”

If.you’re.looking.for.a.science-related.career,.at.a.min-imum.you’ll.need.a.bachelor’s.degree.from.a.four-year.university,.which.shouldn’t.be.a.problem.. If.you’re. in-terested.in.a.career.in.science,.you.should.naturally.be.drawn.to.its.study..In.fact,.for.most.research.positions,.the.industry.requires.a.master’s.degree,.and.many.em-ployers—particularly.large.labs.run.by.corporations.or.the.government—require.a.PhD.before.they’ll.consider.hiring.you.into.a.research.division.

Without.an.advanced.degree,.you.might.find.yourself.pushed.into.a.new.line.of.work.such.as.sales,.marketing,.or.an.engineering.role..If.you.want.to.stay.near.the.test.tubes,.the.jobs.can.resemble.those.done.by.lab.techni-cians,.where.you’ll.find.yourself.doing.things.like.labeling.hundreds.of.petri.dishes.and.cleaning.the.centrifuge.

Along.with.a.degree.from.an.accredited.school,. lab.experience. can. help. you. find.work.. Internships. are. a.great.place.to.start,.as.much.because.they.allow.you.to.network.in.your.field.as.because.they.give.you.practi-cal.experience..“I.think.one.of.the.biggest.differences.between. the. hard-science. programs. and. engineering.programs. is. that. the. engineering. programs. usually.have.the.channels.set.up.to.give.their.students.real-life.experience,”.says.one.industry.insider..“So.students.[in.the.sciences].who.want.to.work.in.industry.after.school.need.to.make.sure.to.establish.contacts.in.the.business.world.while.still.in.school.”

job outlookThe.U.S.. Bureau. of. Labor. Statistics. projects. the. jobs.outlook.in.various.fields.of.science.as.follows:

•. Opportunities.for.hydrologists.will.grow.much.faster.than.jobs.overall.between.2004.and.2014.

•. Opportunities. for. environmental. scientists,. agricul-tural. and. food. scientists,. biologists,. atmospheric.scientists,.will.grow.at.about.the.same.rate.as. jobs.overall.between.2004.and.2014.

•.Opportunities. for. chemists,. physicists,. astrono-mers,. and. geoscientists. will. grow. more. slowly.

than. jobs. overall. between. 2004. and. 2014..However,.there.will.be.plenty.of.opportu-

nities. for. chemists. within. the. growing.pharmaceutical.and.biotech.arenas.

Someone.who. has.mastered. quan-tum. physics. usually. treats. some-thing.like.analyzing.the.stock.market.or. a. complex. business. problem. as.an.enjoyable.break.


career tracksWhile. some. people. who. study. biology. in.school. may. end. up. doing. the. work. of. a.chemist,.for.the.most.part,.where.you.work.will. depend. to. a. large. extent. on.what. you.studied.in.school.

physicistsHistorically,.physicists.who.didn’t.teach.at.uni-versities. worked. at. large. government-funded.laboratories,. unlocking. the. physical. secrets. of.nature,. or. at. defense. corporations,. developing.stronger.explosives.or.faster.aircraft..But.as.a.result.of.the.fall.of.communism.and.the.advent.of.federal.belt.tightening,.only.about.20.percent.of.all.physicists.in.the.United. States. now. work. in. government. labs,. though.that.may.change.with.the.ongoing.war.on.terrorism.

Physicists. usually. pick. a. specific. subfield. while. in.school,. such.as.astronomy,.elementary.particle.phys-ics,. optics,. acoustics,. plasma. physics,. or. solid-state.physics..That.doesn’t.mean.physicists.get.pigeonholed:.Each.subfield.is.related.to.understanding.the.elemen-tary.nature.of.matter.and.energy,.so.career.crossovers.are. common.. Someone. with. in-depth. knowledge. of.atomic.and.molecular.physics,.for.example,.might.work.alongside. a. solid-state. physicist. at. a. semiconductor.manufacturer.

Most. physics-related. research. positions. require. a.PhD;.those.who.get.only.their.bachelor’s.degrees.usu-ally.work.in.more.traditional.engineering.positions..The.analytical-thinking. skills. and. mathematical. expertise.gained.studying.the.intricacies.of.matter,.outer.space,.and. Einstein’s. theories. of. relativity. are. readily. put. to.use.in.the.aerospace.and.defense,.computer.hardware,.and.heavy.manufacturing.industries.

chemistsChemists.working.in.applied.research.laboratories.use.their.knowledge.of.the.basic.building.blocks.of.all.ma-terials. (i.e.,. chemicals). to. keep. America. filled. to. the.brim. with. low-priced,. high-quality. consumer. goods..Chemists.take.credit.for.creating.such.products.as.ny-lon,.plastic,.and.Viagra.

As. with. physics,. the. field. of. chemistry. is. split. into.subfields..Organic.chemists,.for.instance,.study.carbon-based. chemicals. found. in. living. things,.while. physical.chemists.study.the.fundamentals.of.chemical.reactions.

Chemists.have.been.finding.fewer.university.and.ba-sic-research.openings,.but.more.opportunities. in. cor-porate.applied-research.departments,.although.there’s.an. increasing. trend. for. large.companies. to.outsource.research.and.development.to.smaller.consulting.firms..

Some.of.the.strongest.job.growth.will.continue.to.take.place.at.pharmaceutical.companies.and.biotechnology.firms.eager.to.create.new.drugs.to.treat.America’s.ag-ing.population..The.consumer.products.and.semicon-ductor. industries. also. have. abundant. opportunities.for. chemists,.and.many.chemists.move. from.applied-research. labs. to. quality-assurance. roles. traditionally.filled.by.chemical.engineers.

biological scientistsIf.you’re.not.sure.whether.you’d.rather.work.in.a.high-tech. lab. somewhere. in. New. York. or. camp. out. in. the.middle.of.an.Amazon.rain.forest,.take.the.safe.bet.and.study.biology.or.related.fields.such.as.biochemistry.

Many.biological.scientists—such.as.zoologists,.bot-anists,. and. ecologists—work. in. the. field,. conducting.research.on.animals.and.plants.to.see.how.they.inter-relate,.and.measuring.the.effects.of.human.civilization.on.the.environment.

Within. city. limits,. biologists. generally. work. in. re-search. and. development. labs,. and. use. their. knowl-edge.of.living.organisms.to.create.solutions.and.prod-ucts. related. to. the. health. fields,. including. vaccines.and.new.drugs.

Throughout. the. past. couple. of. decades,. rapid. ad-vances.in.understanding.the.structure.of.DNA.led.bio-technology. firms. to. employ. an. increasing. number. of.biological.scientists..Their.work.includes.research.into.how.altering.genetic.material.of.plants.and.animals.can.lead. to.new.and.better. consumer.products.and.phar-maceuticals,. such. as. the. discovery. of. human. growth.hormone.and.human.insulin.


agricultural scientistsThe.federal.government.employs.a.third.of.agricultural.scientists;. many. of. them. are. involved. in. researching.new.ways.to.increase.the.nation’s.agricultural.output..Those.employed.by.private.companies.work.in.pure.or.applied.research,.though.some.work.in.more.traditional.engineering.roles.and.oversee.production.of.farm-relat-ed.equipment.and.supplies,.such.as.pesticides.

Agricultural. scientists. must. have. a. strong. back-ground. in. biology..While.many.universities. have. spe-cific. programs. for. agricultural. science,. many. biology.graduates.end.up.working. in.agricultural.science..For.example,.one.of.the.faster-growing.areas.of.research.is.the.study.of.how.to.alter.a.crop’s.genetic.composition.(DNA).to.improve.net.yields.

For.the.most.part,.agriculture.scientists.stay.close.to. the. farm. and. work. with. crops,. the. soil,. or. ani-mals.. But. large. food-processing. corporations. such.as. Kraft,. or. government. agencies. such. as. the. U.S..Food. and.Drug.Administration,. employ. agricultural.

scientists.to.develop.and.test.methods.of.consumer-food.production.

compensationThe. following. figures. show. typical. salary. ranges. for.scientists:•. Physicist:.$50,000.to.$130,000•. Astronomer:.$40,000.to.$140,000•. Geoscientist:.$35,000.to.$130,000•. Chemist:.$30,000.to.$100,000•. Conservation scientist:.$30,000.to.$55,000•. Environmental scientist:.$30,000.to.$90,000•. Hydrologist:.$35,000.to.$95,000•. Atmospheric scientist:.$30,000.to.$110,000•. Biochemist or biophysicist:.$40,000.to.$110,000•. Microbiologist:.$30,000.to.$105,000•. Zoologist or wildlife biologist:.$30,000.to.$85,000•. Food scientist:.$25,000.to.$95,000•. Soil or plant scientist:.$30,000.to.$90,000

THE YouNG ScIENTIST PRofIlE

laty cahoon, PhD student, Northwestern universityLaty.Cahoon.grew.up.in.the.San.Fernando.Valley,.Cali-fornia.and.is.now.a.graduate.student.in.microbiology.at.Northwestern.University.in.Chicago..Cahoon,.whose.career.goal.is.to.become.a.professor,.hopes.her.work.will. inspire. other. minority. students. to. become. in-volved.with.the.sciences..She.currently.is.a.member.of.SACNAS,.a.society.of.scientists.dedicated.to.fostering.the.success.of.Hispanic/Chicano.and.Native.American.scientists,.as.well.as.Northwestern.University’s.AGEP.program.to.increase.the.number.of.underrepresented.minorities.in.science.

What made you decide you wanted to be a scientist?Laty.Cahoon:.Ever.since.I.was.a.child,.I’ve.loved.nature.and.I’ve.always.wondered.how.things.worked..When.I.was.in.high.school,.I.had.a.biology.class,.and.discov-ered.I.really.liked.the.molecular.part.of.that.class,.the.molecular. biology.. So. in. college. at. UCLA,. I. pursued.a.degree.in.microbiology.where.I.was.exposed.to.re-search.in.the.lab.setting,.and.I.realized.I.could.pursue.a.career.as.a.scientist..Before.that,.I.didn’t.even.know.there. was. a. thing. called. graduate. school.. After. fin-ishing.my.degree,.I.applied.to.grad.school.and.really.

liked.Northwestern.and.came.here.knowing.I.wanted.to.study.either.bacteria.or.viruses.

What do you love about science?LC:.I.like.problem-solving..I.like.asking.some.sort.of.bio-logical.question,.and.then.just.systematically.figuring.out.ways.to.answer.that.question..It’s.kind.of.like.put-ting.a.puzzle.together..That’s.one.of.the.main.reasons.I.love.coming.to.the.lab..Well,.that,.and.I.also.get.to.play..For.me,.research.is.like.playing,.but.it’s.actually.doing.the.experiments.and.the.work.[laughs].

When you’re doing research, things often don’t work out like you hope or expect they will. How do you handle that?LC:. I. think. that’s. really. the. most.frustrating. thing. about. it.. You.invest.a.lot.of.time.and.energy.on. an. experiment. and. then.it. either. doesn’t. work,. or.gives. you. an. answer. you.didn’t. expect,. or. you. can’t.understand.the.answer.it’s.giving.you..But.I.think.even.though. that’s. frustrating,.it’s. even. more. satisfying.when. you. do. figure. it. out,.because.you.worked.so.hard.to.get.the.answer..

What does a typical day or week look like for you in the program that you’re in right now?LC:. I. really. like. graduate. school. because. it. gives. you.a. lot.of. freedom.to.set.your.own.schedule.. I. typically.wake.up,.go.to.the.labs,.set.up.a.few.experiments..I.get.to.eat.lunch.with.friends.and.then.I.keep.doing.experi-ments.the.rest.of.the.day..The.people.I.work.with.in.my.lab.make.this.a.great.work.environment..I.have.a.really.good.relationship.with.everyone,.and.I.think.that’s.the.reason.why.we.all.succeed,.because.we.respect.each.other.and.we.care.about.each.other.

What did you do to prepare yourself to apply to grad school?LC:.Since.I.didn’t.know.anything.at.all,.I.was.lucky.to.be.in.the.UCLA.LEADS.Program.(Leadership.in.Excellence.through.Advanced.Degrees)..This.program.helped.me.learn.exactly.what.I.would.need.to.be.in.a.graduate.pro-gram,.presenting.papers,.reading.journals,.presenting.my. own. undergraduate. research. through. posters.and.conferences..That.really.helped.me.understand.what.it.meant.to.be.a.graduate.student.

You mentioned that you took a year off to do the applications and so forth. Were you doing any fel-lowships or working anywhere during that year? LC:. I. worked. at. Pomona. College. with. Dr.. Laura.Hoopes.. That.was. a. great. experience. because. she.

gave.me.a.lot.of.freedom.to.do.experiments.indepen-dently.. I. think. it. also. helped.me. in. graduate. school,.because.I.was.already.able.to.think.independently.and.figure.things.out.by.myself.

Is being in gradate school hard?LC:.In.the.beginning.when.I.wasn’t.used.to.it,.I.thought.it.was.hard..It’s.like.you’re.bombarded.with.classes.and.labs,.and.you’re.like,.“Oh,.my.god,.this.is.going.to.be.my.future.”.But.once.I.got.into.it.and.found.a.lab.I.liked.and.what. I.wanted.to.research,. it.got.a. lot.easier.. It’s.great.when.you.love.what.you’re.doing.

What would your ideal career look like?LC:.I.definitely.would.like.to.become.a.professor.and.have.a. lab.at.some. top. research. institution.. I.know.times. are. tough. now,. but. that’s. really.what. I’d. like.to.do.

What advice would you give a college student who’s reading this?LC:. First. get. involved. in. undergraduate. research. or.volunteer.in.a.lab,.because.I.think.the.most.important.thing.is.to.figure.out.if.you.like.being.in.a.lab.and.if.you.like.doing.experiments..You.have.to.want.to.work.with.your.hands.and.problem-solve.

2009 gilliam fellowsSpurred.by.the.impressive.quality.of.this.year’s.ap-

plicants,. the.Howard.Hughes.Medical. Institute. is.expanding.a.program.to.further.the.graduate.sci-

ence.education.of.talented.students.who.have.worked.in. the. labs.of. top.HHMI.scientists.and.awarding.nine.Gilliam.fellowships.this.year—up.from.five.in.previous.years—to.fund.these.exceptional.students.from.groups.traditionally.underrepresented.in.the.sciences.or.from.disadvantaged.backgrounds..

The.Gilliam.fellows.program,.which.is.now.in.its.fifth.year,.aims. to.enrich.science. research.and. increase. the.diversity.of. college.and.university. faculty.members.by.

supporting.the.education.of.top.student.scientists.who.will. themselves. either. become. professors. or. are. com-mitted.to.creating.a.more.diverse.academic.community..Each.Gilliam.fellow.receives.$44,000.in.support.annually.for.up.to.five.years.to.help.move.them.toward.a.career.in.science.research.and.teaching.

The Young Scientist.is.proud.to.pro-file.several.of.these.outstanding.scholars. in.the.coming.pag-es. of. the. magazine.. For.more. information. on.the. program,. go. to.www.hhmi.org.

2009 GIllIaM fElloW

Kelly M. cadenasphoto: mark harmel

Kelly.M..Cadenas.decided.to.make.the.most.of.her.educational.opportunities.when.she.moved.with.her.mother.and.her.siblings.to.the.United.States.

from. Nicaragua.. Cadenas. was. just. beginning. high.school,.yet.she.had.already.seen.students.fall. through. the. cracks. or. discover.that.they.could.do.very.little.with.their. college.degree. in.Nicara-gua.. Indeed,. those. experi-ences.made.her.even.more.determined.to.become.an.academic. scientist. and.mentor,. especially. to.students. from. minor-ity. backgrounds.. “It. is.much.more.unfortunate.to.see.students.not.ac-tualize. their. full. poten-tial. in. a. country. full. of.resources. and.opportuni-ties”.like.the.United.States,.says.Cadenas,.now.22.and.a.graduate.student.at.the.Univer-sity.of.California,.Los.Angeles.

Growing.up,.Cadenas.was.more.in-terested. in. the.arts. than. in. science,.and.briefly.considered.becoming.a.graphic.designer..Very.few.members.of.her.family.went.to.college,.and.those.who. did. pursued. careers. in. law,. business,. or.medi-cine,.which,.for.her,.didn’t.seem.quite.right..“Medicine.didn’t.seem.to.fit.my.personality.and.the.way.I.thought.about. things,”.says.Cadenas,.who.was.valedictorian.of.her.Naples,.Florida,.high.school.class..“But.I.had.no.idea.what.type.of.career.would.suit.me.better.”

In.the.summer.before.her.senior.year.in.high.school,.Cadenas.participated.in.the.Young.Scholars.Program.at.Florida.State.University.and.joined.a.microbiology.lab,.where. she.did.experiments.with.Escherichia. coli.bac-teria..“I.really.enjoyed.my.experience.there,”.Cadenas.says.. “After. that,. research. was. a. possibility—some-thing.I.might.want.to.do.”

As. an. undergraduate. at. Harvard. University,. she.had.the.good.fortune.to.join.a.program.run.by.HHMI.Professor. Richard. M.. Losick. that. allows. six. to. 10.students.a.year.to.work.on.long-term.research.proj-ects..When.Losick. learned. that.Cadenas.was. inter-ested. in. microbiology,. he. offered. her. a. job. in. his.own.lab,.and.she.began.studying.bacterial.biofilms,.thin.layers.of.bacteria.that.aggregate.on.the.surface.of.water.or.solids.

Despite. her. success. in. the. lab,. Cadenas. felt. that.her.high.school.education.had.not.prepared.her.as.well.as.some.of.her.peers.for.the.rigorous.coursework.at.Harvard..“It.was.often.a.challenge.to.take.classes.where.a.solid.educational.background.was.automat-ically. assumed,”. she. says.. But. Cadenas,. who. took.outside. classes. to. improve. specific. skills,. such. as.writing,.said.Losick’s.advice.and.support.over.three.years.in.his.lab.helped.her.overcome.that.self-doubt..

“I.encountered.countless.obstacles.along.the.way,.but.my. three-year. commit-

ment. to. my. research. project. al-lowed. me. to. grow. both. as. a.

researcher.and.a.student.of.science,”.she.says.

At. Losick’s. sugges-tion,. Cadenas. spent. the.summer. of. 2006. work-ing. in. the. lab. of. HHMI.President-elect. Robert.Tjian. at. the. University.of. California,. Berke-ley,. as. part. of. HHMI’s.Exceptional. Research.

Opportunities. Program.(EXROP).. Under. Tjian’s.

guidance,.she.studied.a.pro-tein. that. helps. maintain. the.

self-renewal. capacity. of. embry-onic.stem.cells.

Buoyed.by.her.successes.in.Losick’s.and.Tjian’s.labs,.she.decided.to.apply.to.graduate.school..“When.I.made.the.decision.to.go.to.graduate.school,.I.had.three.years’.worth.of.hands-on.experience.and.valuable.lessons,.both.personal.and.scientific,.to.sup-port.my.decision,”.she.says.

After.earning.her.doctorate.in.neuroscience,.Cadenas.intends. to.become.a.professor.and.participate. in. the.type.of.educational.programs.that.helped.her.become.a.scientist..“I.have.often.found.it.inspiring.to.talk.to.pro-fessors.with.a.similar.background..Such.talks.gave.me.the.sense.that.I.could.succeed.too,.despite.my.disad-vantages,”.she.says..“I.hope.that.when.I.join.academia.I,.too,.will.be.a.mentor.for.these.students.”

. .. .

I. encountered. countless. obstacles.along. the. way,. but. my. three-year.commitment.to.my.research.project.allowed. me. to. grow. both. as. a. re-searcher.and.a.student.of.science.


Although.they.were.once.known.primarily.for.their.vocational. programs. and. associate. degrees,.community. colleges. have. expanded. their. pro-

grams.to.serve.a.wider.audience..And.while.community.colleges. still. do. an. outstanding. job. of. fulfilling. their.original.roles,.community.colleges.have.now.become.a.center.for.scientific.learning..

In. fact,. in. recent. years,. according. to. the. Nation-al. Science. Foundation. (NSF),. more. students. have.turned. to. community. colleges. to. prepare. them. for.a. career. in. science.. Research. from. the. NSF. study.reveals. interesting.reasons.students.begin.their.ca-reers.at.community.college..

Community. colleges. are,. without. a. doubt,. great.schools..They.offer.many.different. types.of.programs.for.a.wide.range.of.academic.interests..Truthfully,.it.is.no.longer.fair.or.even.accurate.(if.it.ever.was).to.think.of.them.as.an.“easy”.two-year.school.for.those.looking.to.earn.an.associate’s.degree..

Today,.according.to.the.NSF,.less.than.30%.of.com-munity.college.students.are.looking.to.simply.earn.an.associate’s.degree..This.means.that.over.70%.of.the. students. attending. community. colleges.are.looking.for.more.than.just.a.two-year.program.. These. statistics. reveal. that.many.people.view.community.colleg-es. as. a. viable. option.when. begin-ning.their.educational.careers..

In. fact,. according. to. the. NSF,.44%.of.students.who.earn.bach-elor’s. and. master’s. degrees. in.the.physical.sciences,.computer.and.mathematical.sciences,.and.engineering.started.their.educa-tion.at.a.community.college..

.

equalizing the science field for all studentsRace. is,. without. a. doubt,. a. topic. of. much. discus-sion. in. colleges. and. universities. across. our. nation..America.is,.after.all,.the.land.of.the.free,.and.we.pride.ourselves.as.a.country.that.offers.opportunity.to.all..However,.as.a.nation,.we.haven’t.always. lived.up.to.the.standards.we.set.for.ourselves..At.community.col-leges,.though,. .“color.barriers”.are.being.shattered,.especially.when.it.comes.to.students.looking.for.a.ca-reer.in.a.scientific.field.

On. average,. community. colleges. do. an. excellent.job.recruiting.and.preparing.minority.science.students.for. success. in. the.post-collegiate.world.. In. fact,. 50%.of. surveyed.Hispanic. science. and. engineering. gradu-ates.attended.community.college.before.receiving.their.bachelor’s.or.master’s.degree..

While. that.number. is. impressive. (and.one. in.which.community.colleges.should.take.pride),.it.does.not.stop.with.Hispanic.students..When.asked,.45%.of.American.Indian/Alaskan.Native.graduates.reported.attending.a.community. college.first,.and. for.African.Americans,. it.is. 44%..Whites. comprised.43%,. and.Asian/Pacific. Is-lander.students.made.up.40%..

There.are.other. reasons.community.colleges.are.an.excellent. choice. for. science. students..Many. have. low.tuition.costs,.are.closer.to.home,.and.offer.open.enroll-

ment.. Clearly,. these. are. all. attrac-tive.qualities,.and.community.

colleges.appeal. to.many.students.—.not.just.

scientists.

thinking of becoming a scientist? consider community collegeby grace chen

Community.colleges.offer.many.dif-ferent.types.of.programs.for.a.wide.range.of.academic.interests.

2009 GIllIaM fElloW

Scott S. chiltonphoto: kathleen dooher

When.he.was.applying.to.college,.Scott.S..Chil-ton.was.interested.in.so.many.subjects.that.he.had.a.difficult.time.deciding.which.one.to.

declare.as.his.possible.major..When.his. favorite.high.school.teacher.advised.him.to.“choose.the.subject.that.is.the.most.fun,”.Chilton.immediately.thought.of.biology.

Now,.Chilton,.22,.is.choosing.biology. again. as. he. begins.pursing. a. PhD. in. molecu-lar.and.cellular.biology.at.Harvard. University.. But.he. says. his. broad. in-terests. in. communica-tion,. outreach,. athlet-ics,. and. the. arts. have.combined.to.make.him.a. better. scientist.. “My.interests. have. all. meld-ed. together,”. Chilton.says.. For. example,. sports.and.science.are.very.similar..“You. end. up. working. a. long.time. on. something. and. it. takes.years.to.see.the.fruits.of.your.labor..You.are.always.looking.for.new.solutions.and.making.new.goals.”

Growing. up. in.Northern. California,. Chilton. enjoyed.the.challenge.of.taking.things.apart.and.putting.them.back.together,.like.the.baseball.gloves.he.would.repair.with.his.dad..His.middle.school.and.high.school.teach-ers. recognized. his. curiosity. and. channeled. Chilton’s.energy.into.studying.science—in.the.classroom,.at.sci-ence.fairs,.and.in.a.university.laboratory..Indeed,.after.spending.a.summer.doing.experiments.in.plant.genet-ics.at.the.University.of.California,.Davis,.Chilton.tried.to.continue.his.research.as.a.high.school.senior.in.Tracy,.California..“I.was.able.to.grow.the.plants.I.needed.for.the.research,.but.for.the.most.part.I.wasn’t.really.able.to. complete. the. project,”. says. Chilton,. remembering.his.struggle.to.modify.his.experiments.to.fit.within.re-strictions.on.using.certain.chemicals.at.his.school.

Chilton.decided. to.major. in.biology.at. the.Massa-chusetts. Institute. of. Technology.. He. joined. the. var-sity. crew. and. the.mock. trial. teams,.mentored. other.students,.and.sought.out.a.research.experience.right.away..He.worked.in.the.lab.of.Sallie.Chisholm,.whose.research. team. studies. Prochlorococcus,. one. of. the.most.abundant.photosynthetic.marine.bacteria.in.the.Earth’s.oceans.

During.his.junior.year,.Chilton.was.seriously.injured.during. crew. team. practice,. and. needed. nine.months.to. recover..He.was.disappointed. to.give.up.crew,.but.he.capitalized.on.the.situation..“It.opened.up.time.for.other.things,”.says.Chilton,.who.had.been.training.12.to.18.hours.a.week.for.almost.three.years..After.the.acci-dent,.Chilton.took.on.more.responsibility.in.the.lab..He.worked.on.a.project.that.involved.developing.a.method.to. exchange. snippets. of. DNA. inside. Prochlorococcus.

to.help.identify.the.function.of.each.stretch.of. DNA.. The. research. ran. into. some.

bumps.that.caused.it.to.take.much.longer. than. planned.. Looking.

back,.Chilton.says,. “If. it.was.easy,. someone. else. would.have.done.it.already.”

Chilton’s. commit-ment. impressed. Chish-olm. and. his. other. MIT.professors,. and. they.recommended. him. for.the. HHMI. Exceptional.Research. Opportuni-ties. Program. (EXROP),.

which. connected. him.with. HHMI. investigator.

Joanne. Chory. at. the. Salk.Institute. for. Biological. Stud-

ies. in. La. Jolla,. California.. There,.Chilton.helped.to.develop.new.tools.

that.would.help.scientists.determine.the.varying.concentrations.of.important.enzymes.within.a.plant.cell..Apart.from.learning.more.about.how.sci-ence.is.done,.he.learned.about.lab.life.as.a.member.of. Chory’s. group.. The. EXROP. experience.made. him.feel.part.of.a.scientific.community..“Now.I.have.peo-ple. I. can. talk. to.who.may. be.my. colleagues. in. the.future,”.he.says.

My.goal.as.a.scientist.is.to.always.be.a. pioneer,. pushing. the. frontiers. of.knowledge.and.possibility.

Today. Chilton,. who. is. in. his. first. year. of. graduate.studies. at. Harvard,. is. interested. in. biochemistry. and.structural.biology..No.matter.which.field.he.ultimately.chooses.to.specialize.in,.he.expects.to.become.a.biol-ogy.professor.who.will.have.an.impact.on.science.edu-cation..“My.goal.as.a.scientist.is.to.always.be.a.pioneer,.pushing. the. frontiers. of. knowledge. and. possibility,”.says. Chilton.. “There. are. not.many. people. like.me. in.the.field.of.biology..I.want.to.lead.by.example—like.any.good.scientist.or.pioneer.”

2009 GIllIaM fElloW.

Marty a. fernandezphoto: daron dean

Growing.up,.Marty.A.. Fernandez.was. fascinated.by.watching.her.father,.a.pediatric.neurologist,.as. he. went. on. rounds. and. visited. patients. in.

their.homes..“His.work.had.a.profound.impact.on.me,”.she.says..“Many.of.the.diseases.he.treats.are. rare,. and. when. we. talked. about.his. cases,. I. could. see. how. diag-nosing. them. was. like. putting.together.a.puzzle.”

But. Fernandez. decided.early.on.she.wanted.to.be.a. biomedical. scientist.rather. than. a. doctor..That. decision. was. so-lidified.in.college.when.she.started.working.on.the.human.immunode-ficiency. virus. (HIV). in.Ben. M.. Dunn’s. lab. at.the. University. of. Florida.in. Gainesville.. Fernandez.studied.HIV-1. subtype. C,. a.virus. strain. commonly. found.in.Africa.and.Asia.. “I. started. to.see.that.research.could.help.me.un-derstand. not. just. the. diseases.my. dad.was.treating,.but.many.others.as.well,”.she.says.

Dunn. trains. his. students. to. work. independently,.and. Fernandez. soon. found. herself. working. with.graduate.students. to.study.an.HIV.protein. involved.in.drug. resistance..Dunn.was. so. impressed. that.he.asked.Fernandez.to.take.over.the.responsibilities.of.a.departing.graduate.student..“Marty.did.what.was.needed. to. carry. that. project. forward. in. a. very. ad-vanced.way,”.Dunn.says..“Her.work.was.spectacular..She.was.operating.on.at.least.the.level.of.a.third-year.graduate.student.”

Fernandez. helped. identify. the. structure. of. an. HIV.protein.using.the.tools.of.x-ray.crystallography,.which.allows.researchers.to.deduce.a.protein’s.structure.from.the.diffraction.patterns.created.when.a.crystal.is.bom-barded.by.x-rays..Fernandez.was.one.of.the.co-authors.when.the.research.article.was.published.last.year.in.the.journal.Biochemistry.

Fernandez.says.she.became.fascinated.by.the.ways.science.could.be.applied.to.improve.the.lives.of.peo-

ple.who.are.infected.with.HIV..When.she.was.nominat-ed.to.participate.in.HHMI’s.Exceptional.Research.Op-portunities. Program. (EXROP),. she. sought. out. HHMI.investigator.Stephen.C..Harrison.at.Harvard.Medical.School.because.she.wanted.to.learn.about.designing.vaccines. to. attack. the. virus. from. a. different. angle..Fernandez.put.her.x-ray.crystallography.skills.to.work.in.Harrison’s.lab.to.examine.a.protein.that.helps.HIV.enter.cells.

Fernandez.would.like.to.earn.a.PhD.by.studying. structural. biology,.but. she.

says.she.is.keeping.an.open.mind.about. what. specific. problems.

she. will. tackle.. “I’m. still.drawn.to.infectious.diseas-es. like. HIV,.malaria,. and.hepatitis.B,.but. I’m.also.getting.more.interested.in.Alzheimer’s.disease,.which. brings. me. back.to. my. dad’s. work. in.neurology,”. she. says..“There’s. also. a.person-al. component. to. this,.

because.my.grandmother.developed. dementia. just.

before.she.passed.away.”Although. she’s. aware. that.

she’ll.be.putting. in. long.hours. in.the. lab,. Fernandez. knows. she. also.

wants.to.make.time.to.teach.and.mentor.younger.students..She.wants.them.to.understand.that.stereotypes.don’t.have.to.dictate.their.goals.in.life..“I.hope.that.as.a.minority.researcher.I.can.help.advance.minority.students’.careers.in.science,.not.just.passive-ly.by.serving.as.an.example,.but.also.actively.through.teaching,.advising,.and.interaction,”.she.says..“I.don’t.want.to.simply.be.a.statistic,.a.check.in.the.Hispanic.box,. for. the.scientific.fields. in.this.country.. I.want.to.take.an.active.role.in.advancing.minority.students’.ca-reers.in.science.”.

I.hope.that.as.a.minority.researcher.I.can.help.advance.minority.students’.careers.in.science,.not.just.passively.by. serving. as. an. example. but. also.actively. through. teaching,.advising,.and.interaction.


Ecology.is.a.branch.of.biology.that.deals.with.living.organisms.and.their.relationships.with.their.envi-ronments..It.is.a.discipline.science.which.requires.

knowledge.of.various.focuses.of.biology,.in.addition.to.chemistry,. physics,. geology,. hydrology,. geography,.and.genetics,.among.others.

where do ecologists work?Ecologists. work. for. universities,. federal,. state.and. local. governments,. environmental. consult-ing. firms,. non-governmental. conservation. or-ganizations. (like. the. Nature. Conservancy),. and.numerous. other. entities.. Ecologists,. especially.those. working. for. universities,. conduct. research.outdoors. in. populated. and. remote. areas. all. over.the.world.. In. addition. to. field.work,. ecologists. also.work. in.the.lab,.analyzing.samples.collected.on.site..However,.not.all.ecologists.are. in. the. research.field..Many.are. involved. in.biological.monitoring,. environ-mental. consulting,.habitat. restoration,.and.a.myriad.of.other.types.of.work..Others.are.focused.more.with.the. policy. aspects. of. ecology,. working. with. govern-ment.agencies.to.protect.and.improve.habitat,.as.well.as.managing.natural.resources.

what does an ecologist do?Though. there. are. many. ecology-based. jobs. open. to.those.with.a.bachelor’s.degree,.having.a.PhD.drastical-ly.increases.the.number.and.variety.of.positions.open.to.an.ecologist..Having.a.PhD.will.also.increase.the.sal-ary.of.an.ecologist.in.many.positions..Internships.and.experience.in.the.field.and.lab.are.also.invaluable.when.finding.a.job.as.an.ecologist.

job securityThe. demand. for. ecologists. today. is. ever-growing..With. increasing. public. awareness. of. environmental.issues,. funding. for. ecological. research.programs. is.increasing.at. an.encouraging. rate.. Considering. this.increasing. demand. for. ecologists,. job. security. for.ecologists.is.quite.high.

What’s it like to be an...

EcoloGIST

salaryAccording.to.the.Bureau.of.Labor.Statistics,.the.average.salary.for.ecologists.working.for.the.federal.government.is. $66,000.. Those. working. in. management,. scientific,.and.technical.consulting.services,.local.and.state.govern-ments,.and.architectural,.engineering,.and.related.servic-es.earn.on.average.about.$45,000..Generally,.positions.for. those.with.higher. level. degrees. are.more. lucrative..Entrepreneurs,.such.as.those.who.found.their.own.envi-ronmental.consulting.firm.can.earn.significantly.more.

lifestyleLifestyles.for.ecologists.vary.a.great.deal..Since.there.are.so.many.different.directions.a.background.in.ecology.can.take.a.person,.ecologists.are.able.to.create.their.careers.around.their.desired.lifestyles..It.is.common.for.ecologists.to.travel.a.great.deal,.especially.those.who.conduct.field.research,.but.professors,.lecturers.and.government.offi-cials.may.not.need.to.travel.as.much..In.some.positions,.namely.on.the.research.side,.hours.can.be.long.and.work.may.be.physically.and.mentally.demanding..However,.it.is.quite.possible.to.work.normal.eight-hour.days.or.less.


2009 GIllIaM fElloW

Ryan T. Dosumu-Johnsonphoto: mark harmel

Ryan. T.. Dosumu-Johnson. liked. learning—but. not.school. or. homework—and. chose. a. job. at. Ra-dioShack. instead. of. college. when. he.

graduated.from.high.school..Yet,.it.was.the. manager. of. that. store. in. San.Diego.who.set.him.on. the.path.to. becoming. a. scientist. and.Gilliam.fellow..The.manager.thought. Dosumu-Johnson.was. so. talented. that. he.should.apply.to.manage.a. new. store. in. South.America—confidence.that. prompted. the.young. man. to. think.deeply.about.his.future..“I.thought,.‘Is.this.really.something. I. want. to. do.for.the.rest.of.my.life?. It’s.easy. and. it’s. safe,. but. it’s.not. intellectually. challeng-ing,’”.recalled.Dosumu-Johnson,.now.23.

So. Dosumu-Johnson. changed. direc-tion..He.began.taking.classes.at.a.community.college. in. Orange. County,. California.. He. had. always.been.interested.in.science—Dosumu-Johnson.was.one.of. those.kids.who.disassembled. the. family’s.TVs.and.toasters—but.he.also.was.a.good.communicator,.so.he.planned.to.major.in.marketing.and.sales..That.plan.was.derailed.by.a.course.in.molecular.biology.that.opened.his.eyes. to.science.and.human.biology.. “I. fell. in. love.with.science..My.younger.sisters.are.more.into.the.arts,.but. I.don’t.understand.how. they.could.want. to.study.anything. [but. biology],”. he. said. of. his. four. sisters..“How.could.you.not.want.to.understand.how.humans.and.the.world.around.us.work?”

Dosumu-Johnson.took.several.more.biology.cours-es.at.Orange.Coast.College,.which.honed.his.interest.in.genetics..But.his.first.real.step.into.research.came.when.he.was.accepted.into.the.Bridges.to.Baccalau-reate.Program.at.the.University.of.California,.Irvine..Through.the.Bridges.program,.which. is.designed.to.help. community. college. students. interested. in.pur-suing.a.biomedical.research.career,.Dosumu-Johnson.discovered.his. interest. in.neuroscience..He.spent.a.summer.doing.research.to.identify.the.differences.in.the.spinal.cord.structures.of.domesticated.chickens.

and.pheasants,.and.when.those.changes.occur.dur-ing.development.

In.2006,.Dosumu-Johnson. transferred.with.honors.to. the.University. of. California,. Los. Angeles,. to. com-plete.his.undergraduate.work..Despite.his.comfort.in.the. lab,.Dosumu-Johnson. initially. felt. isolated. in.his.biology. classes.at.UCLA.. “I.would.often.be.one.of. a.

few.minorities. and.often. the.only. black. stu-dent.in.my.classes,”.he.said,.and.he.be-

came.disheartened.and.considered.another.career..Luckily,.he.could.

turn. to. his. older. sister,. Tara,.who.is. in.a.PhD.program.in.medical. anthropology. at.the. University. of. Michi-gan. and. had. a. similar.experience. as. the. only.minority. student. in. her.department.. “I. have.since.been.inspired.and.committed.to.become.a.role.model. for.other.mi-nority.students.in.the.sci-

ences,”.he.said.In. the. summer. of. 2008,.

Dosumu-Johnson. got. to. ex-pand. his. research. experiences.

as. well,. through. HHMI’s. Excep-tional. Research. Opportunities. Program.

(EXROP)..Working.with.HHMI.investigator.Cor-nelia.Bargmann.at.the.Rockefeller.University,.he.used.engineering.techniques.to.study.the.smell.response.in.the.roundworm.Caenorhabditis.elegans.

I. really.want.to.do.research,.but.at.the. end. of. the. day. I’d. like. my. re-search.to.be.directed.at.alleviating.human.suffering.

That.work.showed.Dosumu-Johnson,.now.in.his.fi-nal.year.at.UCLA,.that.he.was.ready.to.pursue.an.MD/PhD.“I. really.want. to.do. research,.but.at. the.end.of.the.day.I’d.like.my.research.to.be.directed.at.alleviat-ing.human.suffering,”.he.said..Dosumu-Johnson.said.that. the. variety. of. fields. he. has. studied,. from.ecol-ogy.to.neuroscience.to.engineering,.will.be.an.asset.when. he. tackles. problems. as. a. physician-scientist..“The.more.you.know.about.other.subjects.in.science,.the.better.able.you.are.to.approach.any.problem.you.want,”.he.said.


If.you.are.curious.about.biological.processes,.and.en-joy. puzzle-solving,. designing. experiments,. or.work-ing. with. numbers. and. computers,. there. are. many.

exciting.opportunities.for.you.in.biophysics.Biophysicists.use.the.methods.of.mathematics,.phys-

ics,.chemistry,.and.biology.to.study.how.living.organ-isms.work..They. investigate.how. the.brain.processes.and.stores. information,. the.heart.pumps.blood,.mus-cles.contract,.plants.use.light.in.photosynthesis,.genes.are. switched. on. and. off,. and. many. other. questions..Other.kinds.of.scientists,. including.physiologists,. cell.and.molecular.biologists,.geneticists.and.biochemists,.also.work. on. these.problems;. however,. biophysicists.are. especially. interested. in. the. physics. and. physical.chemistry.of.biological.processes.and.make.far.greater.use. of. quantitative.measurements. and. analysis.. Bio-physicists.work. in.universities,. industry,.medical. cen-ters,.research.institutes,.and.government..Women.and.minorities.are.actively.being.recruited..

Biophysicists. ask.questions.at.many. levels..At. the.highest. level. of. organization,. they. study. how.organ-isms. develop,. see,. hear,. taste,. feel,. and. think.. They.also. study. how. we. breathe,. how. materials. travel.through.our.bodies,. how.our. immune. systems.work,.how. muscles. contract,. and. how. our. bones. support.us.. Other. biophysicists. look. at. biological. processes.on. the. scale. of. the. single. cell.. They. investigate. how.cells.move,.divide,.and.detect.and.respond.to.sig-nals.from.the.environment,.and.how.materials.travel.into.and.through.cells..Biophysicists.study. the.structure.and.behavior.of. the.biomolecules.that.make.up.cells..Very.large. molecules. such. as. DNA. and.proteins. are. of. particular. interest..The.ability.of. these.molecules. to.perform.complex.biological.tasks.depends. on. their. three-dimen-sional. shapes. and. also. their.dynamic. properties;. therefore.the.relationship.of.structure.to.function.is.a.central.question..

where do biophysicists work? .A.wide.range.of.careers.are.open.to.biophysicists.be-cause. of. the. breadth. of. their. training.. Depending. on.your.interests.and.abilities,.you.might.work.primarily.in.the.laboratory,.with.computers,.teach,.or.become.a.sci-ence.writer..Many.biophysicists.become.faculty.or.staff.members. at. colleges,. universities,.medical,. or. dental.schools..There.will.be.many.openings.for.young.faculty.members.in.the.next.two.decades..Faculty.members.at.liberal. arts. colleges. work. primarily. with. undergradu-ate. students. and. direct. research. programs. that. both.generate. new. knowledge. and. provide. experience. for.undergraduates.. Faculty.members. at. universities. and.medical.and.dental.schools.train.graduate.students.and.postdoctoral.fellows.to.do.research;.they.also.teach.un-dergraduates.or.medical.or.dental.students..Their.labo-ratories.are.generally.supported.by.grants.from.federal.agencies.and.private.foundations..Biophysicists.whose.primary.interest.is.research.often.work.in.government,.private. research. institutes. or. industry.. For. example,.biophysicists. at. the. National. Institutes. of. Health. in.Bethesda,.Maryland,.study.the.molecular.and.cellular.basis.of.disease..Others.work.at.national.laboratories.in. Brookhaven,. New. York;. Argonne,. Illinois;. Los. Ala-mos,.New.Mexico;.or.Oak.Ridge,.Tennessee;.Naval.Re-

search.Laboratories;.U.S..Departments. of.

Agriculture.

What’s it like to be a...

BIoPHYSIcIST


or. Defense;. the. National. Aeronautics. and. Space. Ad-ministration;. or. in. private. research. institutes.. Many.new.positions.have.been.created.in.industry.as.a.result.of. recent. developments. in. molecular. biophysics. and.molecular.biology..Regardless.of.the.setting,.biophysi-cists.generally.work.in.groups.with.people.with.differ-ent.backgrounds,.interests,.and.abilities.who.collabo-rate. to.solve.common.problems..Everyone.shares. the.adventure.of.embarking.on.a. journey.into.unexplored.territory.and.the.thrill.of.discovery..

how to prepare for your careerVery. few. colleges. or. uni-versities. offer. an. un-dergraduate. major.in.biophysics..Most.students. prepare.by. completing. a.major. in. phys-ics,. chemistry,.or. mathemat-ics. with. sup-p l e m e n t a r y.courses. in. bi-ology.. It. is. also.possible.to.major.in. biology,. bio-chemistry.or.molec-ular. biology. and. take.supplementary. courses.in. chemistry,. physics. and.mathematics;. however,. most.students.find. that.majoring. in.a.physical.science.or.mathematics.is.the.best.prepara-tion. for. advanced.work.. The. ideal. program.would. include:. biology—introductory. biol-ogy,. cell. biology,. molecular. biology,. genet-ics;.physics—mechanics,.electricity.and.mag-netism,. optics,. atomic. and. molecular. physics;.chemistry—general.chemistry,.organic.chemistry,.physical.chemistry;.mathematics—calculus,.differen-tial.equations,. linear.algebra,.numerical.analysis.and.statistics,.computer.programming..For.a.well-rounded.education,. it. is. important. to. take. courses. in. the. hu-manities. and. social. sciences,. and. to. participate. in.extracurricular.activities..Because.science.transcends.national.boundaries,.courses.in.foreign.languages.of-ten.prove.useful.and.are.sometimes.required.by.gradu-ate.schools..Hands-on.research.experience.is.essential.to.begin.to.learn.how.scientists.tackle.real.problems..

Science.courses.often.have.accompanying.laboratory.sessions;.however,.many. students.get. their.first. real.taste.of. research. from.a. summer. job. in.a. laboratory.You.can.find.out.about.these.opportunities.by.contact-ing. the. chairperson. or. faculty. members. at. your. col-lege,.the.National.Science.Foundation,.or.the.Howard.Hughes.Medical.Institute..By.your.junior.year,.you.will.want. to. consider.whether. to.proceed. immediately. to.advanced.training.. If.you.want.to.become.involved.in.research,.but.do.not.want.to.continue.on.to.graduate.or.medical. school,. you.will.probably.want. to.explore.openings. for. technicians.. Other. possibilities. include.teaching.at.the.elementary.or.secondary.school.level,.

or.working.for.the.government.or.media.

salarySalaries.vary.according.to.education,.location,. and. job.. The. median. an-nual. income. of. biophysicists. was.$87,450. in. 2004.. The. average.annual. salary. for. biophysicists.employed.by.the.federal.govern-ment.was.$104,917.in.2005..Bio-physicists. at. colleges. and. uni-versities.can.usually.supplement.their. salaries. by. doing. research.and. consulting. work.. Benefits.

generally.include.paid.holidays.and.vacations,.health.insurance,.and.

pension.plans.

lifestyleMost.biophysicists.work.in. well-lit. laboratories.and. classrooms,. and.generally. work. at. least.forty. hours. per. week,.

though. overtime. is. of-ten. necessary. for. special.

projects.. Most. biophysicists.employed. as. college. teachers.

spend.six.to.eight.hours.a.week.in.the.classroom.and.the.remainder.of.the.workweek.prepar-ing. lesson. materials,. advising. students,. conducting.research,. and. writing.. Biophysicists. engaged. in. re-search.frequently.work.irregular.hours.while.conduct-ing.experiments.

Biophysicists. must. be. patient. and. hardworking.and.able.to.work.both.independently.and.as.part.of.a.team..


Viruses.have.been.plaguing.humans.since.the.be-ginning.of.history..Some,.more. lethal. than.oth-ers,. such. as. chickenpox,. Ebola,. HIV,. hepatitis,.

and.influenza.(the.flu).are.viruses.with.which.both.hu-mans.and.virologists.have.been.struggling..Virologists.study. viral. microscopic. organisms. that. cause. these.diseases..They.attempt.to.create.new.vaccines.that.will.provide. immunity. to. humans. and. medicines.that.will.help.cure.these.diseases.

Virologists. study. how. viruses.have.the.capacity.for.replication.in.animal,.plant,.and.bacterial.cells.. To. replicate,. viruses.appropriate. functions. of.the. host. cells. on. which.they.are.parasites..The.viral. parasite. causes.changes. in. the. cell,.directing. the. host.cell’s. metabolism. to.the.production.of.new.virus. particles.. Virus-es. come. in. two. basic.types,. those. that. have.a. genome. of. DNA. or.RNA..Accordingly,.viruses.infect. all. major. groups. of.organisms. including. verte-brates,. invertebrates,. plants,.fungi,.and.bacteria.

Many.people.misunderstand.the.na-ture. of. viruses. and. mistakenly. believe. that.drugs.such.as.antibiotics.help.combat.them..For. in-stance,. if. you.contract. the. flu,. the.best.medicine. is.rest.and.drinking. lots.of. fluids..Nevertheless,. there.are. many. preventative. vaccinations. available. to.humans,. such. as. the. hepatitis. B. vaccine. or. typhus.shots.. These. vaccines. are. designed. to. immunize.people. against. contracting. viral. infections. instead.of.dealing.with. them.after. the. fact,.which. for.many.viruses.is.impossible.to.do..For.those.traveling.to.for-

eign.regions.at.risk.for.various.viral.epidemics,.they.are. advised. to. get. inoculated. with. region-specific.vaccines.to.prevent.catching.a.lethal.virus.

The.most. common. types.of. viruses.are. the. “cold”.viruses,.of.which.there.are.about.130.different.types..Usually.these.infections.are.not.very.serious.and.may.just.cause.a. runny.nose.and.malaise. for.a.couple.of.

days..Viruses.are.spread.by.contact.with.in-fected.individuals..The.usual.method.

of.transmission.is.person-to-per-son. contact. through. mucus.

or. blood. secretions.. Some.types. of. viruses. can. be.transmitted. through.the. air.. Also,. drug.users. who. share.needles. can. easily.become. infected. if.the. needle. is. con-taminated.with.HIV.or.hepatitis.

Virologists. who.work.on. researching.dangerous. organ-

isms,.such.as.Ebola.or.HIV. must. take. special.

safety. precautions,. such.as. wearing. protective. suits.

and. working. in. biohazard. ar-eas,.restricted.only.to.these.scien-

tists..They.usually.work.in.teams.with.other.microbiologists,.such.as.parasitologists,.

immunologists,. and. bacteriologists,. performing. inter-disciplinary. research.studies..Some.may.also.work.as.medical.doctors,.treating.patients.with.viral.infections.

A. virologist’s. work. seems. to. be. never-ending,. as.new. viruses. continually. emerge.. The. career. can. be.very.rewarding.as.virologists.make.discoveries.to.help.cure.our.deadliest.scourges..There.is.a.great.deal.of.re-search.being.conducted.on.new.treatments,.improved.diagnostics,.and.vaccines.

.

What’s it like to be a...

VIRoloGIST


interests and skills Virologists.must.possess.an.innate.in-terest. in. natural. phenomena. and. the.causes.and.effects.of.viruses..They.en-joy.performing.scientific.research,.and.usually. have. an. inquiring.mind..They.should.have.good.manual.dexterity.for.transferring.microorganisms. from. one.culture.medium.to.another.without.con-taminating. samples,. and. the. ability. to.pay.close.attention.to.details..Most.have.a.strong.aptitude.and.background.in.microbi-ology,.biochemistry,.and.genetics..Virologists.are.usually.well.organized,.enjoy.working.in.the.laboratory.with. equipment,. and.performing. tasks.that.require.precision.

.

what a virologist typically does •. Conduct. research. into. the.structure,. function,.ecol-

ogy,.biotechnology,.and.genetics.of.viruses.and. re-lated.microorganisms.

•. Conduct.experiments.to.isolate.and.make.cultures.of.specific.viruses.under.controlled.conditions.

•. Research.how.viruses.form.and.their.consequences.on.human,.animal,.and.plant.health.

•. Analyze.nucleic.acids,.proteins,.and.other.substanc-es.produced.by.viruses.

•. Perform.tests.on.water,.food,.and.the.environment.to.detect.harmful.viral.infections.and.control.sources.of.contamination.

•. Conduct. molecular. studies. and. experiments. into.genetic.expression,.gene.manipulation,.and.recom-binant.DNA.technology.

•. Observe,.identify,.and.classify.all.viral.microorganisms.•. Isolate. microorganisms. involved. in. breaking. down.

pollutants.•. Develop.new.vaccines.to.cure.viral. infections.and.

immunize.people,.plants,.and.animals.from.future.infection.

•. May. supervise. biological. technologists. and. techni-cians.and.other.scientists.

Virologists.work.indoors.in.laboratories.and.some-times.on. computers..The.high.pressure.of.

having. to. meet. project. deadlines. can.be.stressful.and.will.often.result.in.

long.hours..Generally,.virologists.put. in. long. workweeks.. For.those. working. with. toxic. or.harmful. chemicals,. follow-ing. safety. rules.and.wear-ing.protective,.sometimes.biohazard.equipment.will.help.avoid.chemical.injury.or.exposure. to. infection..Preventive. inoculations.will. also. help. to. protect.medical. virologists. from.the.risk.of.disease.


where virologists work Virologists.work.for.governments,.hospitals,.colleges.and. universities,. industrial. laboratories,. compa-nies. in. the. agricultural. industry,. pharmaceutical.companies,. food. and. beverage. companies,. di-agnostic.laboratories,.biotechnology.firms,.and.bioremediation. companies.. Contract. work. is.becoming.more. common. in. this. occupation,.focusing. on. individual. research. projects. to.formulate.vaccines.

job outlookLong-term.advancement.for.virologists.will.un-doubtedly.depend.on.the.education.level.of.the.

virologist..Those.with.master’s.degrees.may.work.as.professionals.in.laboratory.settings,.performing.

experiments.. Virologists. with. PhDs. may. conduct.and.lead.individual.and.group.research.projects,.and.

teach. in. universities,.manage. hospital. (clinical). diag-nostic.virology.laboratories,.or.advance.to.senior.scien-tific.appointments.in.government.or.industry.

Other. advancement. opportunities. for. virologists.may. also. depend.on. the. size. and. nature. of. the.

employing. organization,. and. the. qualifica-tions.of. the.employee..They.can.move. into.

related.biology.fields.such.as.biochemis-try,. genetics,. ecology,. parasitology,. or.biochemical.engineering..They.can.also.become. clinical. technicians. in. health.care.facilities,.quality-control.officers.in. the. food,. cosmetic,. and. pharma-ceutical.industries,.or.bioremediation.specialists.

.

how to get thereThe.minimum.educational.requirement.

for. becoming. a. virologist. is. a. four-year.bachelor.of.science.(BS).degree.in.micro-

biology.or.immunology,.as.most.universities.do.not.offer.an.undergraduate.degree.in.virolo-

gy..Those.who.have.a.bachelor’s.degree.are.quali-fied.to.work.as.laboratory.assistants.or.technicians..A.

master’s.degree.or.PhD.is.always.required.for.senior.re-search.positions..Those.who.have.PhDs.may.continue.their.training.as.post-doctoral.fellows.and.teach.at.the.university. level..Medical.virologists.preparing.to.work.in.hospitals.or.treat.patients.must.get.a.medical.degree.and.then.specialize.in.virology.

.

2009 GIllIaM fElloW

angelica M. Riestraphoto: mark harmel

For. Angelica. M.. Riestra,. community. and. science.have. gone. hand-in-hand. since. she. designed. her.first.science.project.in.eighth.grade.to.see.wheth-

er. homes. in. her. largely. Latino. neighborhood. in. San.Diego.had.high. levels. of. lead.. She. found.two. houses. contaminated.with. lead,.and. discovered. that. most. of. the.residents.living.in.those.homes.were. not. fully. aware. of. the.health.risks.

Now.24.and.a.first-year.graduate. student. at. the.University. of. California,.Los. Angeles. (UCLA),.Riestra. remains. com-mitted.to.changing.how.people. in. the. Latino.community. and. beyond.view. science.. “A. lot. of.people. in. our. community.think.that.science. is.about.becoming. a. doctor,. but.there’s. also. a. whole. world. of.academic.research..I.want.to.help.expose. students. to. this. and. to. pro-vide.them.with.the.tools.and.confidence.to.be.able.to.gain.access.to.this.field,”.she.said.

Riestra’s.parents.neither.speak.nor.read.English.flu-ently..Even.though.they.could.not.help.her.with.home-work,. she. says. their.work. ethic. has. been. one. of. the.most. important. lessons. in.her. life..“As.a.young.girl,. I.learned.to.be.independent.and.seek.out.the.resources.I.needed.to.accomplish.my.dreams,”.she.says..“My.par-ents.knew.that.I.had.big.dreams,.and.they.have.always.been.my.personal.cheerleaders,.which.allowed.me.to.venture. into.new. territories,. like.being.a.first-genera-tion.college.student,.the.first.in.my.family.to.major.in.the.sciences,.and.the.first.to.pursue.a.PhD.”

I. had. confirmed. that. the. students.at.my. school. had. so.much. poten-tial,.but.that.most.of.it.was.not.be-ing.tapped.

As.a.high.school.student,.Riestra.realized.that.science.could.be.part.of.those.dreams..For.two.summers.in.Mark.Lawson’s.research.lab.at.the.University.of.California,.San.Diego.(UCSD),.she.studied.how.lead.and.pesticides.af-

fect. the.production.of. a.pituitary.hormone..There,. she.found.a.project.that.brought.science.to.bear.on.an.issue.of.personal.interest,.recalling.her.father’s.stories.of.be-ing.sprayed.with.pesticide.while.picking.crops.

The.experience—and.the.fact.that.Lawson.came.from.a.similar.background—changed.Riestra’s.perspective.on.the. future..Among.other. things,. it. fueled.Riestra’s. com-mitment. to. involving.more. Latino.and.African.American.students.in.science.activities.and.classes.at.her.own.high.

school.. She. developed. an. ambitious. plan.to. recruit. students. to. design. science.

fair. projects,. and. she.helped. them.prepare.for.the.science.fair.com-

petition.. Most. of. the. 25. stu-dent. she.helped. recruit. that.year—a. record. number—were.selected. to. compete.in. the. citywide. science.fair.. Although. excited. by.the. accomplishments. of.her. fellow. students,. she.was.also.saddened.by.the.experience.. “I. had. con-firmed. that. the. students.

at.my.school.had.so.much.potential,.but.that.most.of.it.

was.not.being.tapped.”Riestra. was. nominated. to.

participate. in. HHMI’s. Exceptional.Research. Opportunities. Program.

(EXROP),.working.for.a.summer.with.HHMI.investigator.William. Jacobs. Jr.,. at. Albert. Einstein. Col-lege.of.Medicine.in.New.York..Riestra’s.project.was.to.help.determine.the.target.of.pyrazinamide,.a.drug.used.to. treat. tuberculosis,. in. hopes.of. understanding.how.the.drug.works.and.what.makes.some.TB.bacteria.re-sistant.to.it..Riestra.remembers,.“My.EXROP.experience.came.at.the.most.critical.time.in.my.life..At.that.point,.I.was.questioning.whether. I.could.do.it..But. I.worked.really.hard.and,.with.Jacobs.and.my.postdoc.mentor’s.belief.in.my.potential,.I.realized,.‘Wow,.I.really.can.do.this.’.If.I.hadn’t.had.that.boost.in.my.confidence,.I.don’t.know.if.I.would.have.continued.”

Riestra. hasn’t. yet. selected. which. lab. she. wants.to.join.for.her.graduate.studies.at.UCLA,.but.she.al-ready. has. a. plan. for. how. she. will. run. her. own. lab.when. she. is. a. professor.. Her. plan. includes. an. out-reach.program.like.the.one.that.made.such.a.differ-ence. for. her.. “I. am.extremely. grateful. for. all. of. the.mentors.who.helped.me.to.arrive.at.this.point.in.my.life..As. a.product.of. outreach,. I.want. to. emphasize.how.mentorship.can.change.the.course.of.a.student’s.life.and.dreams.”.For.Riestra,.the.Gilliam.fellowship.allows.her. to. combine.her. two.passions—scientific.research.and.bringing.science.to.the.community..“It’s.my.passport.to.do.both.”

2009 GIllIaM fElloW

Krystal R. St. Julienphoto: barbara ries

Krystal.R..St..Julien’s.own.hemoglobin.got.her.hooked.on. biochemistry.. Born.with. sickle. cell. anemia—a.painful.genetic.disorder.that.causes.red.blood.cells.

to.become.rigid.and.clump.together.when.they.don’t.get.enough.oxygen—she.spent.many.hours.as.a.child.in.the.hospital.and.decided,.early.on,.to.stand.up.to.the.disease.

Indeed,.the.22-year-old.bio-chemistry. graduate. student.at. Stanford. University. an-nounced. that. determi-nation. at. age. four.. “I’m.tired. of. being. sick.. I’m.going. to. make. new.shots,”. she. told. her.mother.. “I. was. really.adamant.about.making.things.better.”

As. a. teenager,. St.. Ju-lien.read.research.articles.to.keep.up.with.new.treat-ments.for.sickle.cell.disease,.which.can.result.in.stroke.or.or-gan. failure..With. encouragement.from.a.“really.great”.biology.teacher.at.Oak.Harbor.Middle.School. in.Oak.Har-bor,.Washington,.St..Julien.also.learned.about.the.spe-cific.hemoglobin.mutation.that.led.to.her.own.disease..The.experience.solidified.her. interest. in.molecular.re-search,.and.her.broad.curiosity.in.that.and.other.scien-tific.subjects.helped.St..Julien.cope.with.the.sometimes.harrowing.treatments.for.her.painful.disease.

St.. Julien’s. doctors. urged. the. curious. teenager. to.consider.medical.school,.but.she.saw.a.different.path.for.herself..“I.could.not.conceive.of.myself.walking.the.halls.of.a.hospital.every.day..I.knew,.even.from.very.ear-ly.on,.that.I.was.meant.to.be.a.researcher,”.she.says.

St.. Julien.entered. the.University.of.Washington.as.a.biochemistry.major,. and. she.was. often. the. only. black.person—and.almost. always. the.only.black. female—in.most. of. her. science. classes.. Concluding. that.minority.students.might.be.inspired.to.study.the.sciences.if.they.had.more. role.models. their. age,. St.. Julien. decided. to.take.a.more.active.and.visible.role.on.campus.and.within.the.biology.and.chemistry.honor.societies..She.was.oc-casionally. invited. to. speak. on. campus,. usually. about.minority.issues.in.the.sciences..In.one.case,.she.spoke.to.the.board.of.the.University.of.Washington’s.Safeco.In-surance.Minority.Scholarship.to.encourage.them.to.con-tinue.funding..“After.hearing.my.speech.highlighting.my.

hopes.for.the.future.generation.of.minority.scientists,.the.board.members.thanked.me.and.a.few.told.me.they.were.proud.to.have.contributed.to.my.accomplishments.”

Throughout. her. undergraduate. years,. St.. Julien’s.sickle. cell. disease. continued. to. plague. her,. but. that.didn’t.stop.her.from.pursuing.her.dream.of.becoming.a.researcher..As.a.senior,.she.worked.in.the.laboratory.of.developmental.biologist.David.Kimelman,.who.studies.the.signaling.pathways.that.control.embryonic.develop-

ment.in.zebrafish.In.Kimelman’s.lab,.St..Julien.studied.a.tumor.suppressor.that.also.helps.

to. control. cell. shape. and. cell.movement. in. vertebrate. em-bryos..The.work.was. some-times. frustrating.. “If. you.make. one. slip,. you. have.to. start. all. over. again,”.she. says.. “I. could. eas-ily.waste. a.month.”. But.in. the. end,. her. tenacity.paid.off:.she.was.the.co-first.author.on.a.research.article. published. in. the.

journal. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Com-

munications.. Kimelman. says.St.. Julien. stood. out. from. other.

undergraduates.because.she.didn’t.just.do.as.she.was.told.in.the.lab..“She.

really. thought. about. her. project,. contrib-uted.her.own.ideas,.acted.like.a.real.scientist,”.he.says..“She’s.a.delightful.person,.the.kind.of.person.one.would.like. to. see. teaching. classes. and. raising. another. gen-eration.of.scientists.”.In.June.2008,.St..Julien.graduated.from.the.University.of.Washington.and.spent. the.sum-mer.at.Harvard.University.doing. research. in. the. lab.of.HHMI.investigator.Catherine.Dulac.as.part.of.HHMI’s.Ex-ceptional.Research.Opportunities.Program.(EXROP).. In.Dulac’s.lab,.St..Julien.helped.develop.a.method.to.physi-cally. tease.apart. individual.neurons.from.the.brains.of.mice..Dulac’s. team. is.now.using. the.new.technique. to.study.genetic.imprinting—the.process.by.which.a.copy.of.a.gene.is.silenced.depending.on.whether.it.was.inher-ited.from.the.mother.or.the.father—and.its.role.in.brain.development.and.behavior.

After.finishing.up.her.work.at.Harvard,.St..Julien.returned.to.the.West.Coast.to.begin.a.PhD.program.in.biochemistry.at.Stanford.University..Although.learning.about.sickle.cell.drugs.originally. inspired.St.. Julien’s. interest. in.biochem-istry,.she.doesn’t.expect.her.dissertation.research.to.ad-dress.that.condition.specifically..“I.always.kind.of.knew.I.wanted. to.be.able. to.help.people.with.diseases,”.she.says,.but.she.is.still.deciding.on.the.details..“I.just.want.to.find.something.I.love.researching.”.

nih’s minority access to research careers (marc) program makes science dreams a reality


MARC,.from.the.National.Institutes.of.Health.(NIH).is.the.nation’s.premier.program.dedi-cated.to.helping.students. from.groups.un-

derrepresented. in. biomedical. research. pursue. ca-reers.in.science..

q. how can i get marc to help pay for my undergraduate education?A.. To. be. eligible. for. support. through. a.MARC.Under-graduate. Student. Training. in. Academic. Research. (U-STAR).Award,.you.must.be.an.honors.student.with.at.least. junior. status. at. a. college. or. university. that. has.a.U-STAR.grant.or.a.grant.from.U-STAR’s.predecessor,.the. Honors. Undergraduate. Research. Training. Award..MARC.program.directors.at.institutions.with.MARC.un-dergraduate. grants. are. responsible. for. selecting. the.students.to.be.supported..

q. how can i get a marc fellowship to help pay for graduate school?A..NIGMS. funds.predoctoral. fellowships. to.enable. in-dividuals. who. are. members. of. minority. groups. that.are.underrepresented.in.biomedical.research.to.obtain.graduate. research. training.. Awards. are. conditional.upon.acceptance.into.an.approved.PhD,.combined.MD-PhD,.or.other.combined.professional-PhD.degree.pro-gram.in.the.biomedical.sciences.

q. i just want to go to medical school. am i eligible for an nigms fellowship?A..No..NIGMS.predoctoral.fellowships.support.medical.

training.only.as.part.of.the.combined.MD-PhD.de-gree,.which.prepares.students.for.careers.

in.biomedical.research.

q. does marc support graduate work in all academic fields?A..MARC.awards.support.training.in.fields.of.study.that.directly.prepare.students.for.careers.in.biomedical.research..Such.fields.of.study.include.biology,.chemistry,.cell.and.molecular.biology,.genetics,.biophysics,.math-ematics,.pharmacology,.biorelated.chemistry,.biochem-istry,.some.parts.of.psychology.and.sociology,.and.bio-engineering.(but.not.other.fields.of.engineering).

q. what is mbrs (minority biomed-ical research support)?A..MBRS.is.another.NIGMS.initiative.designed.to.help.in-crease.the.number.of.minority.biomedical.scientists..This.program.awards.grants.to.minority.institutions.to.support.research.by.faculty.members,.strengthen.the.institutions’.biomedical.research.capabilities,.and.provide.opportuni-ties.for.students.to.work.as.part.of.a.research.team.

q. how can i apply for a marc grant?A..There.is.no.application.form.for.undergraduate.stu-dents. interested. in. the.MARC.Undergraduate.Student.Training. in. Academic.Research.Award,. the.Bridges. to.the.Baccalaureate.Degree.initiative,.the.Bridges.to.the.Doctorate.Program.initiative,.or.the.Initiative.for.Maxi-mizing.Student.Development..Since. these.are. institu-tional.awards,.students.are.selected.by.the.institutions.that.receive.these.grants..Contact.your.research.advi-sor.to.see.how.you.can.become.involved.with.MARC.on.your.campus.

For.more. information.on.Minority.Access. to.Research.Careers.(MARC).programs,.go.to:.www.nigms.nih.gov/minority/marc/marcdescription.htm.

lee aggison was a mbrs participant and is now an associate professor of molecular and cell biol-ogy and associate dean of the graduate school at the university of con-necticut.

lola eniola-adefeso received sup-port from marc and now she’s an assistant professor of chemi-cal engineering at the univer-sity of michigan-ann arbor, where she studies methods to improve heart disease drugs.

photo by scott galvin

2009 GIllIaM fElloW

Steven Tuyishimephoto: paul fetters

Steven. Tuyishime’s. life. changed. the. day. that. the.violence.of.his.Rwandan.homeland.arrived.at.the.front. door. of. his. family’s. home. in. Kenya,. where.

his.father.was.posted.as.a.diplomat..It.was.1996.and,.fearing.that.they.were.no.longer.safe,.Tuy-ishime’s.father.made.the.difficult.deci-sion.to.move.to.the.United.States.

They.started.with.little.except.determination.. His. father.took.a.job.as.a.laborer.and.studied.to.become.a.social.worker,. and. his. mother.studied. to. be. a. nurse..“The.transition.from.life.in.Africa.to.America.was.a. tough. one.. I. forced.myself. to.work. through.feelings.of.isolation.and.concentrated. on. school-work,”. recalls. Tuyishime,.who. credits. his. parents’.efforts. to.provide.better.op-portunities.for.their.children.as.the. inspiration. that. compels. him.to.succeed,.even.today..“When.I.see.what.they.went.through,.I.can’t.give.myself.the.excuse.to.be.lazy.”

In.high.school.in.Raleigh,.North.Carolina,.Tuyishime.found.solace.and.inspiration.in.science.books.and.nur-tured.growing.ambitions.to.become.a.doctor..He.quick-ly.mastered.English.and.excelled.at.academics,.winning.a.coveted.spot.as.a.Meyerhoff.Scholar.at.the.University.of.Maryland,.Baltimore.County.(UMBC)..The.Meyerhoff.program.seeks.to.prepare.high-achieving.students.who.have.an.interest.in.the.sciences.or.engineering.for.grad-uate.study.and.careers.in.academia.

“When. I. first. told. adults. around.my. neighborhood.that. I. had. received. a. scholarship. to. college,. the. first.question.they.asked.was,.‘For.what.sport?’”.Tuyishime.explains..“Even.now,.when.I.tell.my.neighbors.about.my.plans.to.earn.a.PhD,.they.don’t.know.what.it.means.”.At.UMBC,.Tuyishime.majored.in.biology,.and.soon.became.fascinated.by.infectious.diseases,.specifically.malaria..As.a.freshman,.he.worked.with.Janice.Zengel,.a.UMBC.senior. research.scientist.who.studies.antibiotic. resis-tance.in.the.bacteria.Escherichia.coli..“I.realized.I.liked.the. process. of. discovery. in. science,”. he. says.. “And. I.thought.if.I.got.a.PhD.and.went.into.research,.I’d.have.the.opportunity.to.help.even.more.people.than.I.would.as.a.doctor.”

At. first,. Tuyishime. considered. pharmacology,. but.research.on.malaria.parasites. in. the. lab.of.HHMI. in-vestigator.Daniel.Goldberg.at.Washington.University.School. of. Medicine. in. St.. Louis. changed. his. mind..“It. was. so. exciting. to. grow. the.microbes. in. culture,.and.watch.how.they.attack.red.blood.cells,”.says.Tuy-ishime,.who.was.there.as.part.of.HHMI’s.Exceptional.Research. Opportunities. Program. (EXROP). in. 2007..“After.working.in.Goldberg’s.lab,.I.knew.microbiology.

was.what.I.wanted.to.do.”The.following.summer,.Tuyishime.joined.David.Weiner’s.lab.at.the.

University. of. Pennsylvania.School. of. Medicine,. where.he. helped. test. the. effec-tiveness.of.DNA.vaccines.that. could. be. used. to.treat.HIV..DNA.vaccines.use. just. a. portion. of.the. viral. or. bacte-rial.DNA.in.an.effort.to.stimulate. the. immune.system,. a. promising.approach. for. HIV. be-

cause. conventional. vac-cines. that. use. weakened.

or. killed. virus. are. neither.cost-effective.nor.safe.As.he.looks.to.the.future,.Tuy-

ishime,.now.21,.says.he’d.like.to.de-velop.DNA.vaccines.for.malaria..He.thinks.

they.could.one.day.supply.a.cheap.and.efficient.way.to.eradicate. the.disease..“Malaria. is.a.disease. that.shouldn’t. exist.. We. need. more. people. working. on.it. so.we. can. limit. how.many. people. it. sickens. and.kills,”.he.says.

While. he. credits. his.mentors.with. inspiring. him. to.consider.graduate.studies.in.science,.he.was.especially.encouraged. when. alumni. of. UMBC’s. Meyerhoff. pro-gram. talked.about. the.great. research. they.were. con-ducting. as. university. professors.. “Seeing. somebody.who. looks. like. me. involved. in. cutting-edge. research.helped.plant.a.seed.of.confidence.in.me.that.I.could.do.it.too,”.he.says.

He.now.hopes.he.is.sparking.that.confidence.in.a.younger.generation.of.budding.scientists.as.a.peer.adviser.for.entering.Meyerhoff.Scholars..Tuyishime.is.currently.applying.for.graduate.school,.and.when.he.is.a.professor.himself,.he.would.like.to.start.an.after-school. program. that. helps. and. encourages.minority. high. school. students. who. are. interested.in. the. sciences.. “I. recognize. that. there. are. many.talented. students,. especially.members.of.minority.groups,.who.are.not.provided.the.same.opportuni-ties.that.I.had.”


If.you.have.to.change.paths.toward.pursuit.of.an.ad-vanced.degree,.you.might.want.to.consider.a.non-tra-ditional.career.in.the.sciences..For.most.of.these.ca-

reers,.a.broad.interest.in.the.sciences.is.a.prerequisite..

if you like to write:science writerThe.best.sign.that.you.might.enjoy.science.writing.is.that.you.love.to.know.all.about.many.aspects.of.sci-ence,.can.quickly.learn.the.basics.about.many.topics.and. can.describe. complex. subjects. in. clear,. exciting.prose..Science.writers.are.hired.by.newspapers,.mag-azines,. and. journals. and. for.Web. site. development..Many.science.writers.are.freelance.authors.and.need.to.have.some.“business.skills”.as.well.as.writing.skills..While.some.science.writers.have.also.completed.a.de-gree.in.journalism,.many.have.not..A.good.resoure.to.explore.is.the.National.Association.of.Science.Writers.Web.site..The.American.Association.for.the.Advance-ment. of. Science.has. a. fellowship. for. students. inter-ested.in.becoming.science.writers..

For. those. of. you. interested. in. environmental. jour-nalism,. check.out. the.Society. of. Environmental. Jour-nalists.. If.you.are.interested.in.writing.about.medical.topics,.check.out.the.American.Medical.Writers.Asso-ciation..For.those.of.you.more.interested.in.conveying.technical.information,.check.out.the.Society.for.Techni-cal.Communication.

if you like computers and math:bioinformaticsBioinformatics.is.an.increasingly.popular.career..People.in.this.profession.help.make.sense.of.the.vast.quantities.of.information.from.the.human.genome.project.and.oth-er. gene-sequencing. projects.. Bioinformatics. combines.computer.science,.library.science,.as.well.as.the.biologi-cal.sciences.to.help.catalog.and.make.genetic.informa-tion.available.to.researchers,.pharmacy.companies,.and.the.biotech.industry..There.are.several.master’s.programs.in.bioinformatics.around.the.country..One.of.the.newest.programs.is.at.the.Georgia.Institute.of.Technology..Check.out.their.Web.site.for.information.on.bioinformatics.and.salary.and.career.outlooks.for.this.field.

if you like to work with children or young adults: science educationScience. education.might. be. the. place. for. you.. If. you.have.ever.wanted.to.work.in.a.science.and.technology.museum.or.a.zoo,.you.should.check.out. the.Associa-tion.of.Science-Technology.Centers.Web.site.at.www.astc.org,.and.the.American.Association.of.Museums.at.www.aam-us.org..The.American.Zoo.and.Aquarium.As-sociation.at.www.aza.org.has.a.wonderful.page.on.all.aspects.of.zoo.careers..Often.environmental.or.conser-vation.societies.hire.environmental.educators..Working.at.the.Natural.History.Center.in.Missoula,.Montana,.is.a.great.way.to.get.on.the.job.experience.for.these.types.of. careers.. If. you.want. to. teach.science.or.biology. to.middle.or.high.school. students,. consider.our. teacher.preparation. options. in. biology.. The. National. Science.Teachers.Association.has.a.Web.site.at.www.nsta.org.and. the.National.Association.of.Biology.Teachers.has.their.Web.site.at.www.nabt.org.

if you like drawing or photogra-phy: medical illustrationYou.might.want.to.consider.science.illustration.or.medi-cal.illustration.as.a.career..The.University.of.California.at.Santa.Cruz.has.a.one.year.graduate.program.that.is.described.at.natsci.ucsc.edu/scicom/SciIllus.html..If.you.are.interested.in.medical.illustration,.plan.to.get.some.additional.training..The.Web.site.for.the.Associa-tion.of.Medical.Illustrators.is.Medical-Illustrators.org;.under. “Profession”. it. includes. some. of. the. schools.that.currently.offer.training.for.this.career.

alternative careers

Now. in. its. ninth. year,. the.Annual.Biomedical. Re-search.Conference.for.Minority.Students.(ABRC-MS). is. the. largest,. professional. conference. for.

biomedical.and.behavioral.sciences.students,.including.mathematics,. attracting. approximately. 2,900. individu-als,.almost.double.the.number.of.attendees. it.had.the.first.year..“Our.focus.is.on.undergraduate.students,.es-pecially.minority. undergraduate. students,. and. getting.them.through.the.pipeline.with.the.ultimate.goal.of.go-ing.to.graduate.school,”.says.Irene.Hulede,.manager.of.the.student.programs.division.of. the.American.Society.for.Microbiology..“Students.come.to.present.papers,.ei-ther.through.poster.sessions.or.orally,.and.we.also.give.them.the.opportunity. to. talk. to. top-notch.scientists. to.get.a.perspective.on.how.they.got.where.they.are.now.”

Students.come.from.over.285.U.S..colleges.and.uni-versities.for.the.three-day.conference..One.of.ABRCMS’s.new.benefits.is.instituting.a.way.to.help.more.students.and.facutly.get.to.the.conference..“We’ve.implemented.a. travel. award. program,”. Hulede. says.. “This. means.that.more.students—for.example,. community. college.students—and.faculty.can.attend..

All. attendees. are. pursuing. advanced. training. in.biomedical.and.behavioral.sciences,.including.math-ematics,.and.many.have.conducted.independent.re-search..Also.in.attendance.are.more.than.280.repre-sentatives. from.graduate.programs.at.U.S..colleges.

and. universities,. as. well.as. scientists. from.

gove rnmen t.

agencies,. foundations,. and. professional. scientific.societies..

Keynote.and.other.speakers.are.a.highlight.of.the.conference,.and. this. year,. students.will. get. to.hear.from.past.attendees.who.have.gone.on.to.reach.their.dreams.. “This. year,. instead. of. having. one. person.give.the.keynote.address.on.the.opening.night,.we’ve.invited. some.of. these.past. students. to.be. the. key-note.speakers,”.says.Hulede..“They.will.share.their.stories.of.how.they.got.where.they.are,.and.encour-age. our. attendees. to. keep.working. hard. to. pursue.careers.in.research.”

All.of.this.exposure.to.science,.mentors,.and.students.working.to.achieve.the.same.goals. is.a.heady. event. for. attendees.. “The.students.are.very,.very.excit-ed. to. come. to. ABRCMS,”.says. Hulede.. “This. is.the.one.time.they.get.to.present.in.a.group.that’s.large,.but.not.ove rwhe lm ing ..They.get.to.have.a.lot.of.one-on-one.dialogues. with.students. who.look. like. them,.as. well. as. faculty.and. industry. pro-fessionals.. Our. at-tendees. know. they.need.to.bring.their.best.selves. to. the. conference,.because.you.never.know.who.you’re.going.to.meet.

“ABRCMS.works.because. it’s.like.a.one-stop.shopping.for.a.research. career—we. have. a.bit.of.everything!”

aBRcMS 2009!

resources for the young scientist

ad indexalbert einstein college of medicine .......................................................... 3

abrcms ........................................................................................................31

johns hopkins .............................................................................................14

mit ...............................................................................................................14

morehouse ..................................................................................................18

nih undergraduate scholarship program ................................................ 3

university of colorado ...........................................................................cv4

university of vermont ..............................................................................18

national society of black physicistswww.nsbp.org

american society for microbiology gra-date opportunitieswww.asmgap.org

abrcmswww.abrcms.org

society for the advancement of chicanos and native americans in science (sacnas)www.sacnas.org

minority access to research careers (marc)www.nigms.nih.gov/Minority/MARC/default.htm

national institute of general medical sciences (nigms) programs for minority studentswww.nigms.nih.gov/Minority/Programs.htm

national institutes of health (nih) loan repayment programwww.lrp.nih.gov

the young scientist: a career guide for underrepresented science graduates

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