On Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess

Letter to my scientific daughters...

I'll admit it, I am a science geek. I know it every time I get that hard-to-put-into-words feeling when some science tidbit - or large bit- grabs me and gives me a little thrill. I knew early on, as a little girl that this love affair with science was going to be one for the long haul, so at some point late in high school and into college I started to think "how will I keep this going, and growing, when I have to get a job to support myself?" After toying with the idea of becoming an applied scientist (clinical work in veterinary medicine), I discovered that academia was the way to go for me. The trick was figuring out how to navigate the waters - not so easy when your parents don't have a clue about how to pursue a PhD, not to mention become a scientist. But happily, they were always supportive and trusted I knew what I was doing. My mother in particular was enormously supportive throughout my career.

So here are some tips from the trenches. Follow your instincts, keep asking questions, do your homework, believe in yourself, don't lose sight of your passion for your work. Here's a very important one: find that mentor...mentors...who are willing to offer their advice. I found that the more you place yourself in the pathway of potential mentors, the more likely it is you'll bump into one who will provide a magic key that will help guide you along the way. And don't be afraid of being unsure of the next step, because out of confusion and uncertainty comes clarity. That happened to me as I was finishing up my Ph.D. (in field ecology), and thought I knew what my next step should be yet there was this uncertainty, this confusion ...and then someone (darned if I can remember who that was...) suggested I go talk to Dr. X on my campus (UC-Davis). My instinct urged me on, so I made a date, we met on the quad for coffee and within 30 min of meeting he sensed what I needed to do. That talk, and the advice he gave changed profoundly the next steps I took in my career. Don't be afraid to go where you never thought you would go before.

One excellent way to increase the probability of bumping into those mentors who help shape your academic life is to become actively engaged in the larger scientific community. This made a lot of sense to me early on because let's face it, I'm a science lover and I like to hang around with others of my kind. The person who first handed me the magic key to scientific engagement was my superb postdoc mentor, Helen Cooke, who took me under her wing as a nascent physiologist and pointed me straight towards the American Physiological Society. It soon became clear I had found my scientific home. My involvement with the APS started as a trainee member of a committee (the Women in Physiology Committee), and lo and behold, I eventually made my way to the top...I recently finished a term as President (the third woman to hold the position since 1887). It was an amazing, challenging, time-consuming and utterly worthwhile experience, aided in large part by my favorite executive director and science pal, Marty Frank. All the committees and task forces I worked with on the path to the executive cabinet were similarly worthwhile. Please, my daughters, consider becoming involved in whatever scientific society best fits your interests. There are multiple ways to do so, depending on your skills and interests and the time you have to devote to society work at a given point in your career. We need you. Science needs you. And you will benefit from it, I assure you. I also strongly encourage you to engage in public outreach about your work, and about science in general. Why? Well, for one thing, it's a blast... and it's so very important. I've now done outreach presentations to folks whose ages range from 4 years (an amazing pre-school class) to 99 (as part of a way-cool seminar series for a senior living community). It is extremely rewarding to have people come up to you and thank you for taking the the time to talk with them about science. Educating the public in user-friendly terms about what we do, why we do it and why we love it, is the right thing to do. It's good for science and good for humanity.

I have had, and continue to have many outstanding male mentors and colleagues that brighten my scientific world. That said, I'm sorry to say I've also have had some difficult experiences related to my being a woman student and later, a woman scientist. One involved sexual harassment by a college professor. Back then, sexual harassment education was virtually unheard of (in my experience, anyway), and in my fear and yes, shame, the only person I confided in was my roommate - she was a godsend. Things are much better now, due in large part to heightened (and often mandatory) awareness training. But stuff still happens. Luckily there are good folks all over the place these days, both male and female, that are more than willing to assist if you feel uncomfortable or threatened, either personally or professionally.

I have been blessed with some awesome female scientist friends. We share with each other our experiences in academia and industry and science journalism. We support each other unconditionally and provide help and advice when we can. Some of us collaborate, and what a thrill that is when we discover new things about nature together. We eat and drink together and we shop. Yes, some of us have been known to sneak out of scientific meetings to steal away for an hour or so, join forces and find that special dress, or pair of shoes (!) that one of us is in need of. And at some Experimental Biology meetings, we have allowed one scientist of the XY persuasion to accompany us - the only one ever to do so (although I cannot divulge his identity, suffice it to say he has held the top leadership role in the APS in the past).

Female scientists who juggle their careers with family responsibilities are my heroines; I view them with awe. That has not been my situation, but I want to say a word to those of you who may similarly not have significant family commitments tugging at your time and attention. You may find yourself at some point, as I did, working more, maybe too much, just 'cause you can. That's OK...but remember that we all need to take care of ourselves as people first, whatever our life situation may be. Work on that balance between your personal and professional lives just as our wonderful female colleagues who are mothers must do. Your science and your trainees will all be the better for it.

Hannah Carey