SoapboxScience

Pallavi Kumari is a Biophysicist working on the effect of a new class of organic salts, known as ionic liquids, on cell membranes and cells. She is a PhD student in the School of Physics, University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin, Ireland. She will be taking part in Soapbox Science Dublin 2019 with the talk: “Organic Salts on Cells”. 

Soapbox Science: how did you get to your current position?

Before starting quasi-elastic neutron scattering experiment on FOCUS@SINQ, PSI, Switzerland

Pallavi Kumari: When I was in my bachelor’s degree, I began to understand physics more, and enjoyed problem solving and doing experiments in the laboratory a lot. I used to spend more time running laboratory experiments on physical techniques to understand how that works to give us answers to physics questions. I remember the first experiment I ever did; it waswith a simple pendulum to investigate simple harmonic motion. I also remember a day when I was doing an experiment about Newton’s ring, and helped my friends by explaining how it works. Whenever there were problems with electricity and electric devices in my home, I was drawn to fix the problem, e.g., I fixed most short-circuiting issues and made the power supply work.  So, it wasduring my bachelor degree that I decided to become a researcher in Physics and I worked towards that. After finishing my M. Tech from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India, I was looking for a PhD position. Luckily, I found an available PhD position in an emerging research field of biophysics advertised in Dr. Antonio Benedetto’s research group in the School of Physics at University College Dublin, Ireland. And here I am today,  half way through my PhD.

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

PK: My father, challenges and limitless science. My father always encouraged me to think critically and motivated me to study physics and mathematics. Physics was a very interesting and challenging subject for me during my intermediate degree, so I chose physics (honours) for my bachelor’s degree. Challenges always attract me, and thrill keeps me going. I discover my strength and gain confidence every time I come out of a new challenge successfully. I push my limits a little further every time!

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

PK: I learn something new every day. And I also love the  multi-disciplinary nature of what I do. My research work is a combination of all: physics, chemistry and biology. I am a physicist by research background. In my research, I use physical techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), large scale neutron scattering and various other complementary techniques. With the use of such techniques, I study physics behind the interaction of a new family of organic salts with biological samples such as cell membranes and cells at nano-scale. These salts have the potential to facilitate drug delivery into cells.

Me doing an experiment with the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) technique in Nanoscale Function group laboratory, Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical research, UCD, Dublin, Ireland (https://www.nanofunction.org)

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

PK: Most importantly, two things:

1. Sharing my research which is limited to the researchers working in this field with a broad and general audience. I want to give people a feeling of ongoing research which may impact society in the long term.
2. Visibility and involvement of women in science. I work mainly in collaboration with various research groups. In general what I have observed is that in my field I have less females colleagues than male ones. Also, if I think of a researcher in general, male figures come to my mind first. We are lacking visible women role models in my research field. E.g., if you see Nobel prize winners in physics, you will find that they are mainly male. So, it is important that women researchers are seen and heard. I feel it is important to have a strong and positive impression of female researchers in everybody’s mind.

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the event.

PK: Stimulating

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

PK: Job security and stability. Research progress is very important for our society and the world. Science needs more young researchers, but job insecurity is a reason that many capable minds are lost in academia in particular.

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a woman studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in science?

PK: Science needs you and your attention ladies! Keep doing smart work!

Dr. Sarah Brennan (@stabrennan), NUI Galway, will be taking part in Soapbox Science Galway on 29th June with the talk:“The Marvels of Human Milk”

by Sarah Brennan

The Science of Human Milk is pretty fantastic. As a GP and a lecturer in a medical school and having 5 children I have learnt so much about breastfeeding and human milk that I feel it is so wonderful that I have to share it. There are hundreds of substances in Human Milk that feed our babies while helping keep them be healthy and grow optimally.

In each drop of milk there are up to a million cells-all the cells that are in our blood are in milk with the exception of Red Blood cells-and this is why human milk is commonly referred to as ‘White Blood’. In 2007 Australian scientists discovered that human milk contained Stem Cells, cells that when stimulated can change to become any tissue in the body such as bone, fat, liver and brain cells as well as many more, and which are used to help kids recover from chemotherapy treatment for Leukaemia. Scientists around the world are busy trying to find out why we feed Stem Cells to our babies. They have found out, by studying animal studies, that after the baby animals drink their mother’s milk that contains stem cells too, the cells can be later found in the baby animals’ brains! This is really brilliant as it help us understand that the stem cells in our milk are probably going into our baby bodies and helping to replace and repair any problems that occurred while they were being made in our wombs.

In each drop there are also up to a million microbes – bacteria, fungi and viruses. You would think yuck, but actually these are all friendly and ones which our bodies depend on, to make our microbiome in gut which helps our body function properly. This Microbiome was only a recently discovered as an Organ in the body and it weights around 1 kilo in an adult, that’s the same as a bag of flour! Lots of research is happening in this area and recently people have been talking about how when our gut bacteria are healthy so is our brain and our mental health. You may have heard about the ‘Gut Brain Axis’: well this is exactly the same thing, when our guts are happy so are we! Interestingly our Human Milk not only contains perfect food for our babies it also contains perfect food for all the bacteria! We have over 200 different types of sugars, called, very fancily, ‘Human Milk Oligosaccharides’ or HMOs in our milk. Most of these HMOs the babies can’t absorb as food at all but the bacteria and fungi can! It is like buying a gold fish and getting the fish food with it for free. We supply loads of healthy bacteria, living organisms to our babies, and in order to keep the bacteria healthy we supply the food for them too. Recent research has also shown that theses sugars help protect our babies from infections and diarrhoea and even constipation!

The next cool thing in milk is Human Alpha-Lacto albumin. When our babies drink this it interacts with the babies  stomach acids and Oleic Acid and changes into HAMLET [ which stands for this Human Alpha-lactoalbumin Made lethal to Tumor cells!] a substance which can kill abnormal and cancer cells. This was discovered in 1990’s and is currently being tested for use as a medicine to fight cancer, how cool ‘cancer drug discovered in mother’s milk’. So like the stem cells, scientists think the babies drink it, it then changes into HAMLET and if it finds any cells that are abnormal or could become cancer cells, attaches to them and makes them die, thus reduces the risk of getting cancer. This fits with studies that find that babies who breastfeed have a lower of leukaemia and other childhood cancers.

Finally, let’s talk about Oxytocin: the hormone that we produce when we fall in Love. Well this is contained in our milk too. When we feed our babies we also get a rush of oxytocin into our own bodies and we are filled with a feeling of contentedness and love for our baby. This helps us to bond to our babies and also helps our babies feel love through the milk and in feeling love the feel safe and protected. It is really important for babies to feels protected. When they feel this way they grow up to become confidence and happy adults. When we exam the science of oxytocin we see that it helps to reduce stress in our bodies by lower Cortisol, that if elevated all the time can be very toxic and damaging to both the baby and the mother. It also opioids in the baby, which are pain relieving substances like morphine! So that if our baby gets hurt or is getting vaccinated it is a great way to help them manage their pain.

So if you are interested in more, here is a cool infographic all about these and other cool components of human milk

Dr. Fearon Cassidy (@FearonCassidy), NUI Galway, is taking part in Soapbox Science Galway on 29th June 2019 with the talk: “Stem cells in your bones?!”

What does a scientist look like?

by  Fearon Cassidy 

Since I first heard about Soapbox Science I have wanted to join in. Why? Because it’s only by putting yourself out there in the public eye that you can change people’s minds about what a scientist looks like and therefore – and this is super important – who can be a scientist. My favourite thing about that is that anyone can become a scientist!

This is something I have been interested in for a long time as I had noticed that the diverse, international group of individuals I met on a daily basis in different universities and research institutes was not reflected in the media representation of scientists. One day at a dinner with other women scientists and engineers the conversation moved to the things we loved as children that led us down the path to where we were today. Two of the women had measured pets and plants taking daily notes on their progress, while another had been fascinated by what forces kept the particles of dust she could see in a ray of light bouncing around in the air. These women are now scientists working on conservation ecology in Indonesia, genetics of ash trees in the UK and network science which can be applied to every network from virus spread to Facebook. I decided to tell these stories of childhood wonder and how it related to current research from the scientists around me and present it in an accessible format so that others could see what a real scientist looks like. This resulted in a short video series called “Let STEM Grow”. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. There are 6 videos which can be viewed here

When I found out about Soapbox Science I couldn’t wait to be a part of it. The idea of getting out on the street and sharing our science with everyone who passes by is so exciting to me. It doesn’t rely on people to come to the scientists looking for the information, or hoping they will come across the information online. We come out to talk to everyone and anyone of all ages and, even better, we can all interact with each other.

My current research is on adult stem cells which we get from people who undergo hip replacements. We compare the stem cells from people who have Diabetes and those that do not have Diabetes to check if Diabetes is having an impact on the stem cells. This is important because those stem cells play an important role in healing injuries and also because doctors are hoping to use stem cells to help heal wounds in people with Diabetes. If the stem cells from people with Diabetes are not as healthy as those from people with Diabetes, then it might be better to look for a donor for the stem cells. But for the answer to that question you’ll need to come along to Spanish Arch in Galway city on Saturday 29^th June between 1pm and 4pm.

Michelle Curran (@PalaeoShel), NUI Galway, is taking part in Soapbox Science Galway on 29th June 2019 with the talk: “How past climate can help prepare us for the future”

Lessons from the past: how past climate can help us prepare for the future

By Michelle Curran 

My research interest is in the climate of the past during periods when the world was warmer than today. This is important so that we can improve future climate change predictions. So we have all heard of global warming but does it really affect us here in Ireland? Well, as the climate system is interconnected, changes in one region can affect the weather and climate in other regions and since the 1970s the Arctic has warmed about twice as fast as the rest of the world leading to a large reduction in sea-ice within the region. Obviously this is a serious concern for the Arctic itself, but how is this related to our climate here in Ireland?

Research has shown that increased warming in the Arctic has been linked to extreme weather events such as heat waves, intense storms and cold snaps, in the northern mid-latitudes, where Ireland is located. However, there are large uncertainties associated with future climate change predictions and this is simply because we don’t know how the climate operates under very warm conditions due to our short instrumental records. And this is where my research comes in. We know there were warmer periods in the past, as a result of natural climate variability, i.e. not caused by humans. By examining ocean-atmosphere circulation during these periods my research will help us understand how a warmer Arctic may impact our climate here in Ireland. My research uses ocean sediment cores and from these I extract microscopic shells, called foraminifera. These are preserved physical characteristics of the past that can stand in for direct measurements. Foraminifera live in the sea and build their shells by incorporating elements from the surrounding water. By testing the ratio of elements within the shell we can tell how warm the oceans were in the past and then make inferences about atmospheric circulation.

Considering current climate change predictions it is vital we better understand how the climate system operates under warmer conditions in order to adapt to future extreme weather, as these events are likely to become more frequent and perhaps even our “normal” climate state. This is particularly relevant in light of the extreme weather experienced in recent times, such as ex-hurricane Ophelia in October 2017, the flooding events of January 2018, the blizzard-like conditions from the “Beast from the East” in March 2018 and the heat waves experienced in summer 2018. Such weather extremes highlight the need to understand and prepare for these weather events so we can make informed decisions on climate related policies, as more extreme weather will have serious economic and societal impacts in Ireland. Therefore, to make informed decisions it is important to understand how the climate system works during times when it was warmer than today.

Joanne Smith (@jorosmith) is an Associate Professor and Director of Research in the School of Psychology at the University of Exeter. She was also Director of Education from 2012-2014. Joanne studies how the groups that we belong to influence our behaviour and how we can harness insights from social psychology to promote behaviour change. She studies social influence and behaviour change across multiple domains, with a focus on health and sustainable behaviour. Joanne will take part in our Soapbox Science Exeter event, on Saturday 29^th July 2019. There she will talk about “With friends like these: How groups influence our behaviour for better…or for worse”. Come and have a listen!

Lean in! Take a seat at the table! Show the will to lead! Women are often told that this is the way to get ahead in the workplace and overcome inequality. So, what opportunities are available for women in academia to lean in? We know that, within academia, women are more likely to be asked, and to take on, so-called service roles. These roles might indeed lead to a seat at the table, but research shows that these roles are often under-valued when it comes to career progression. But if you’re asked to take on a leadership role – or if, like me, you actually like academic leadership – how can you ensure that ‘leaning in’ enhances your career?

Here are six ‘top tips’ gleaned from my experiences:

1. Be selective

In academia, women are more likely to be asked to take on more ‘nurturing’ roles. This often reflects commonly held stereotypes about what both women and men are ‘good at’. But I’ve found that academic leadership works best if you’re genuinely passionate about your role. When I took on the role of Director of Education in 2012, I truly believed that we could do things better in the department and wanted to focus my energies to improve the student experience. For other people (and I’m going to name drop some of my amazing colleagues here) their passion might be promoting increased access to higher education (Lisa Leaver – also speaking in Soapbox Science Exeter 2019) or promoting women in science (Safi Darden – one of the amazing Soapbox Science organisers).

2. Negotiate

If you’re asked to take on a leadership role, don’t be afraid to negotiate (especially if it’s clear that none of your colleagues want the role!). Many women don’t negotiate because they recognise, consciously or subconsciously, that negotiating is fraught for women in ways that it is not for men. Indeed, research suggests that women are equally likely to negotiate than men (e.g., asking for a raise), but are much less likely to be successful. Sadly, you are unlikely to get a pay raise for taking on an academic leadership role, but you might be able to negotiate for other benefits, such as a period of study leave at the end of your tenure or additional research support or access to training opportunities (e.g., the Aurora program).

3. Delegate

Full disclosure here: I am very bad at delegating…but this was one of the key lessons I took from my first leadership role as Director of Education into my second role as Director of Research. There are many reasons why it’s important to delegate: if you don’t, and you try to do everything yourself, you will burn out! But delegation is also about communicating trust and confidence in the people around you – that you believe that they will do a good job (even if it’s not exactly the way you would do it!). Delegation is about empowering others. So, if people offer help – take it!

4. Say no

Full disclosure again: I find it very hard to say no…but we (women) need to do it more often. Throughout my career, I’ve often been rewarded for saying ‘yes’ – sometimes this has led to new collaborations or opportunities and people like you more if you do. But as you progress in your career, saying no to some things allows you to say yes to other things. In the last year, I’ve had a ‘no support group’ with some of my friends – each week we share the tasks we’ve said no to, and we congratulate each other on how we’ve protected our time or saved ourselves from a future obligation.

5. But it is OK to say yes

As I’ve said, I find it hard to say no, and often end up saying yes. I confessed this to my ‘support group’ and my very wise friend noted four considerations when deciding whether to say yes. First, could the person do it themselves, even if it’s inconvenient or difficult? Second, can you do it without neglecting your own responsibilities, relationships, or self-care? Third, are you happy to do it or will you resent it later? Finally, will it help them to be independent or will it make them more dependent in the future? By thinking about these questions, you might find yourself saying yes to optional tasks, but you will be more mindful about it.

6. Do it well

To return to the idea of ‘leaning in’, it’s not enough to take your seat and keep it warm. For academic leadership to enhance your career, you need to get stuff done and make a difference. When you take on a role, take time to think about how you can make your workplace a better place (however you define better) and how you can achieve it. Make sure that your achievements are visible (to help your career) and ensure that you’ve put structures in place that will make any impact sustainable after you leave the role (see #3).

Being an academic leader is one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of my job – every day I feel like I’m making an important contribution to my discipline and I get to support my colleagues, especially early career researchers, to achieve their goals.

Dr. Priyanka Dey is a post-doctoral research fellow the University of Exeter’s physics department where she works on disease detection technology that uses nanoparticles. Here she tells us about her journey so far –both her journey in science and her other passion, her journey in the cultures and environments of the world! You can come and hear Priyanka speak about her current work at Soapbox Science in Exeter on the 29^th of June 2019.

How it all started…  Let me start by telling you my life aim when I was a 10-year-old: I wanted to be the host of a travel show aired on TV. Reasons from the 10-year-old me: I love travelling, therefore getting paid to travel would be awesome.

My next step was to convince my parents, but that idea got thrown out of the window. My parents explained me that, being from a small town in a third world and hugely-populated country like India, I needed to be well-educated to get a decent life. Although tore down by the thought of not being able to fulfil my passion of travelling, I always kept it close to my heart and focussed on the next thing that made me passionate.

Yes, you guessed it correctly: Science.

India. After completing my graduation from close to my home-town (Bandel located in the outskirts of Kolkata, India), I went on to one of the best universities in the capital-city of India the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi for my master’s degree. My final-year project involved developing ways to prepare intelligent nanomaterials, which provoked my interest and has been my inspiration to pursue nanomaterial research ever since. The thrill of being able to synthesize materials at nanometer sizes, otherwise invisible to the naked eye, and use them to control the properties of surfaces especially for drug delivery was fascinating. As one of the top students of my class, I was then offered a job as a scientist in Research and Development in a renowned company of the Aditya Birla group located in Thailand – I was thrilled given that now I would be able to travel without losing focus on my career.

Thailand. This was my first travel abroad, alone, and I was thrilled, more so because I had earned it myself. I spent two years and it went by in a blink, but I managed to get my travel in that I always wanted. I went from the capital-city Bangkok, or as they call it “Krungthep” to the north Chiang-Mai and south Phuket. At Thai Acrylic Fibre Co. Ltd, I learned about the practical approach of research, logistics arrangement, developing products like fire-resistant acrylic fibres that are often used for carpets and aeroplane seat covers. The job also involved interacting with the company’s present customers and brief potential future customers. During my time, one of the projects that I had worked on in developing pigmented fibres Durashine™ (useful in awnings and beach umbrellas for UV protection) moved from the development stage to scale-up and commercialization. The satisfaction of seeing your developed product in the market is beyond explainable. Apart from the work my Thai experience included: love for the food, in fact I learnt a few of the recipes, attended a Thai traditional wedding of a colleague and went along with them for street-food hopping and local festivals. I feel that it is essential to live as a local to know the people and culture.

Australia.  Sad to leave Thailand but Australia was my next calling and I was offered a doctorate (PhD) position in chemistry in sunny Queensland. I choose this particular PhD opportunity at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane as it dealt with cancer detection using nanoparticles, and at that point of my life I had experienced many cancer-related deaths in my extended family, which had almost broken me.

I thought to myself “this is it, if I do science as my career choice, I need to contribute to the society by tackling real-life challenges and producing real-implementable solutions”. Even today, I am holding on to this as my core principle.

My 3-year research entailed synthesizing intelligent polymers and gold nanoparticles that when combined in specific structures would allow its use for cancer detection. The PhD timeframe is not always smooth and I had my lows and highs too but got through it with perseverance, dedication, a lot of reading, amazing supervisors and friends and pots of coffee. And trust me when I say that I have acknowledged everything I just mentioned, even the coffee, in my thesis acknowledgements. My hard work was recognized and rewarded with the “Outstanding thesis award” from my university, along with four international publications and multiple national, international and overseas conference presentations.

Australia felt like home at many levels – work-wise, friends, house-mates, and supervisors. It has a very multi-national habitat and more importantly, attracts the authentic cuisines to be preserved, at its best, in form of restaurants. From Korean BBQ to Japanese katsu curry and ramen, Turkish kebab, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Chinese specialities amongst many others. We friends enjoyed good food, wine, beaches, brain-excruciating scientific discussions, as well as cricket (though not cheering for the same team most of the time).

Germany. After officially gaining the right to be referred to as Dr. Dey, I decided to next move to Germany to work as a postdoctoral researcher. I was very excited to dive into the more fundamentals of nanomaterials and Ludwig-Maximillian Universitat Munich was the perfect place for it. When discussing options with my PhD supervisor he jokingly mentioned, “Well, Munich is quite central to Europe and hence perfect for you to travel”, he obviously knew me too well!

The first snow, food – especially German sausages – , beer garden at every corner of the city, Oktoberfest in September, the “Englischer Garten” (i.e., English Garden), superfast trains, biking and the dips in the “see” (lake in German), Indian festivities in a foreign land all added to my life experience. But most importantly, this was the first time I was working in a physics department, though being a chemist. Which meant I got to play with the expensive and fragile but cool optics, lasers and build analytical set-ups that could help me better understand my intelligent “plasmonic” nanostructures. I took a deeper interest in the fundamental aspects of the nanostructures, as compared to the more applied approach I had earlier. I believed that it was important to truly and deeply understand the material properties to be able to then manipulate its structure and properties for the desired application.

Spain. After about 2 years in Munich I moved to Barcelona, Spain with my husband (also a researcher) and had already bought a book titled “Learning Spanish in 10 days” to integrate myself in their world. After a few weeks, I had only learnt how to order my cerveza (beer) and patatas bravas (potato fries) in Spanish. Well that’s all that was needed, my new colleagues and friends suggested.

My new research group NanoB2A located in Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), Barcelona developed clinical medical devices for detecting diseases and health conditions including gluten-intolerance, tuberculosis and cancer. I worked as a part of a big collaboration with various research centres in Spain, Switzerland and UK in developing medical detection technology capable of detecting an infectious disease condition “Sepsis” by detecting multiple markers related to it. My specific role was to develop a detection “test strip” (say like a, pregnancy strip or a test strip for glucose meter) and detect presence of the infection causing bacteria E. coli and quantify it from a few drops of patient blood using optical spectroscopy. Sepsis, not related to age, can progress quickly from an infection to a life threatening disease condition and even death, hence requiring detection and treatment within 1-2 hours of hospital admission. Our technology could achieve this within 30 minutes and the test could be easily performed at the bed-side of a patient. I further validated our technology by testing actual patient samples while collaborating with one of the largest hospitals, Vall de Hebron, Barcelona. This actually made me realize the intensity of the implications that my research can bring about in the field of disease diagnostics and secretly made me feel proud of my contributions.

During my stay in Spain, it was also nice to be able to socially integrate with the people there, get first-hand experience of the arguments of both Catalan and non-Catalan Spanish citizens on the Catalan independence movement, enjoy the traditions of “La castanyada” (chestnut tradition) and Christmas traditions of “Caga Tio” and “Caganar”. I do enjoy the football world cup along with the cricket world cup now, and I do now also like watching Eurovision, thanks to my stay in Europe.

England. After such memorable experiences, I began my present research fellow position in Physics at University of Exeter, UK. The research group leader I work with is one of the pioneers in disease detection technology using optical spectroscopy techniques. This “RaNT” project is a prestigious EPSRC funded project with University of Exeter as the leading partner, along with collaborators from University of Cambridge, University College London and STFC laboratories. My present work deals with developing injectable nanoparticles for cancer detection and therapy. It is exciting to be able to follow my research ideology and stay true to my passion by focussing on real-life challenges and researching a potential implementable solution. My work involves designing and synthesizing “intelligent” gold nanostructures with special optical properties, that when injected into the blood of a human can search and reach cancer tumours precisely, and by tracking the nanostructures, the location of the tumour can be detected by optical spectroscopy (no radiation damages like X-ray or MRI scans to patients). Once detected, light can be used from outside the body to activate these nanoparticles to heat up and kill the cancer cells, allowing therapy without potentially having deterrent affects of chemo or radiation therapy.

I am entertained by the hustle and bustle of London, the history of prestigious educational institutions like Oxford University etc. and the serenity of Exeter and its surroundings, fish and chips, and cider of course. Hence, I would say, that my experiences leading up to here has been extremely fulfilling both career-wise and travel-wise. I would be honest in accepting that it is a relief to hear people speak English everywhere i.e., avoiding any miscommunication pertaining to day-to-day life activities.

Last but not the least.  While on a phone call with my mom recently, she suddenly said, “I am proud of you girl, you did what you wanted to (travel and to see the world) without disregarding our advice (studying)”.  This made my day.

I have truly valued each experience with both science and travelling, as there may not be a grander way to learn about LIFE than through travelling. Travelling has helped me grow as a researcher and as a human being, all because I pursued my passions in science. I am surely passionate about travelling and love science and research, and would not have wanted it any other way.

I hope to have convinced you that science does take you places, adds to your adventure and experiences, can be your best travel buddy, and most importantly that scientists’ are not boring AT ALL, nerdy may be!

So, if you like science, believe in yourself and explore your options, it is one of the most rewarding careers.

Dr Siobhán McClean, UCD, will be taking part in Soapbox Science Dublin 2019 with the talk: “We need to talk about vaccines – using bacteria’s stickiness to prevent infection”. 

She completed her BSc in Biochemistry in UCD and received her PhD from Imperial College, London. She started in UCD in  2016. She studies bacteria that cause infections in people with cystic fibrosis. She has a particular interest in understanding how bacteria adapt to the lung environment enabling chronic infections. Her interest in lung infections led her to develop a platform technology to identify proteins that bacteria use to attach to human cells. These proteins have proved to be excellent vaccine candidates. She is now applying the same approach to look for vaccine antigens against other antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Soapbox Science: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place – and what are you most looking forward to/excited about in taking part? 

Communication of Science to the public is really important as they are funding scientific research via their taxes. I am really looking forward to taking part in Soapbox Science because it will be a chance to tell people about why vaccines are important and how they save lives every day. There has been a lot of disinformation about vaccines in the past few years.  This has had a huge effect on the number of people having vaccines or taking their children to get vaccinated. Unfortunately, this means that there have been outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in Europe and consequently children are dying again from these preventable diseases. This is unacceptable. The more we talk about vaccines the better chance we have of overcoming the disinformation.

SS: Tell us about your career pathway

I went to University College Dublin with an interest in studying Chemistry, but after my second year I decided on to study Biochemistry. When I finished my BSc in Biochemistry, I went to work in Pfizer in Kent, UK in their Drug Metabolism Department.  A year later, I got a scholarship to do my PhD at Imperial College London, studying multiple drug resistance mechanisms in cancer cells. I returned to Ireland as a post-doc and worked with a team of researchers looking for new anti-cancer drugs, before taking a research scientist job with a pharmaceutical company, with research labs in Trinity College Dublin, working on drug and vaccine delivery. This research involved studying how drugs and vaccines can pass through the cells of lung and intestines to have their effect. I really enjoyed working on these projects but, ultimately, I left industry with the intention of starting up my own lab in academia, so I took up a lecturing position at the Institute of Technology Tallaght. A colleague and a clinical microbiologist working in a hospital nearby were interested in studying how bacteria cause infections in people with cystic fibrosis. I knew a lot about lung cells by that stage, and although I had never studied bacteria (or any microbiology), the topic really interested me!  So I started to investigate how pathogens (i.e. disease causing bacteria) interact with lung cells.  We study how bacteria attach to human cells and the damage that bacteria can do.  I started small, getting funding for individual PhD and MSc students in the first few years and after building up a profile in the area of host-pathogen interactions, I started to win larger funds. My research in vaccines emerged later, combining what I learned some of what I learned in the pharmaceutical industry with what we have learned in the process of studying host pathogen interactions. I am now an Associate Professor in UCD Conway Institute.

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

I was always fascinated by biomedical science when I was a child, long before I knew what the term meant. We had a series of books at home called “Tell Me Why” which I loved to read, and always turned to the human biology/ human disease sections when I had a quiet moment.

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

I am fascinated by all the ways that bacteria use to try to outsmart us. They will use whatever is at their disposal to colonise humans. In our lab, we try to exploit these bacterial mechanisms in our hunt for vaccines.

One of the most exciting aspects is when I have a theory about how something might work and after a series of experiments the pieces fall into place and the theory is either proved or, as sometimes happens, another unexpected mechanism emerges.  The other really great thing about working is research is that I actually learn something new every single day.

SS: Research in STEM is increasingly multi-disciplinary. Which subjects do you use in your work?

Our research brings in aspects of Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Biology and Immunology. My primary BSc degree was in Biochemistry, while my PhD focused on Cell Biology. I learned a lot about vaccines from my time working in the pharmaceutical company so I draw on all my previous experience for my current research, and I have learned lots of Microbiology along the way!

SS: What do you consider important to your work and why did you pick these?

The people that work in my lab are so important to the research that we do. Without them, there would be no research projects. I am privileged to work with very bright, enthusiastic PhD students and researchers.

Another really important element is having the time and space to draw information from lots of different experiments done in the lab and from the work that others have published, to figure out what is going on in a system.

I also enjoy working with undergraduate students and sharing my love of  biology with them, either in the lab or in lectures.

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

It is important that scientists are accountable, given the public funding that we receive.  However, the increased emphasis on metrics (some of questionable value) has become excessive and is becoming somewhat oppressive.  It doesn’t necessarily lead to good science.

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a female student considering pursuing a career in academia?

Science is a great career. Every day is different and I have the privilege of working with really interesting, enthusiastic people including undergraduate students, PhD students, early stage researchers and collaborators. My top recommendation is to find a topic that fascinates you, because if you love studying something, it’s easier to work hard at it and excel.

SS: What words of encouragement would you give to children who might be interested in a career in science

Believe in yourself.

We examine how bacteria  attach to human cells so that we can identify potential vaccines.

Fengyuan Zhang (@FengyuanZhang1), is a PhD student in the School of Physics at University College Dublin. Her work is focused on the study of nanoscale materials which have the potential to be used for faster data storage applications with lower energy consumption.

Q: How did you get to your current position?

A: I’m Fengyuan Zhang, a third year Ph.D student at University College Dublin, Ireland. Originally from China, I got this position by passing an interview with my current supervisor and by a successful application to the Chinese Scholarship Council and University College Dublin (CSC-UCD) scholarship.

Q: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

A: Both my parents and supervisors have inspired me to get a career in science.

My mother used to read some stories about scientists  to me at bedtime when I was a child, and since then I have wanted to be a scientist. I think I was unsure what science was at that age, but I knew being a scientist was something to be proud of, and that scientists change the world! My father is a physics teacher in high school, and sometimes he set up some simple physical experiment at home to spark my interest. All of these factors have led me to have a great passion for science.

I’m also lucky to have had some great academic mentors in my career so far. My MSc supervisor encouraged me to apply for a PhD abroad, and my PhD supervisor advised Soapbox Science as an event to me. Both of them always encouraged me when I faced problems in my research, and helped me to build up self-confidence in my research.

All in all, my parents inspired me to start in science, and my supervisors inspired me to keep my career in science.

Q: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

A:The most fascinating aspect of my work involves creating customised nanostructures by scratching the surface of a material using an ultra-sharp tip. These nanostructures can be even smaller than 100 nm (a thousand times smaller than the width of a strand of human hair!). I can explore the new properties of the nanosized materials which may be able to be used in the future for digital information storage. The more we understand the fundamental physics behind the materials, the more likely they been widely used for memory devices in the future such as USB, hard disk and memory chip.

Figure1. Lego model of how a tip scans or scratches the surface of the material.

Figure 2. Milled harp from UCD logo in 5*5μm size.

Q: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

A:A number of reasons attracted me to Soapbox Science. Firstly, it’s a challenge to myself – I have never spoken to the public about my work before. Additionally, the experience of street speaking to the general public will help me to be more confident in future speaking in many ways!

Secondly, physics has always been thought of as one of the most difficult subjects. Maybe most people are unsure about the physics principles behind the devices they use on a daily basis, and have less interest in understanding them. Speaking in a general way in Soapbox Science may spark people’s interest in physics, and help them understand how important it is to their lives. Thirdly, as a female Ph.D student, I like that Soapbox Science increases the visibility of female scientists to- change the stereotype of who a scientific researcher is.

Q: Sum up in one word your expectations for the event.

A: Communication

Q: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

A: Well, I think it should be fair opportunity for everyone, no matter what gender he/she is, no matter what country he/she comes from. Even though in my experience so far the research community seems relatively fair, there still has room for improvement.

Q: What would be your top recommendation to a woman studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in science?

A: Don’t be discouraged with the issues you are faced in science. Try to communicate with colleagues, friends and your family. Always remember that you are not working alone, you are supported by them.

Prof Angela Kydd (@angelabkydd), School of Nursing and Midwifery, Robert Gordon and NHS Grampian, took part in Soapbox Science Aberdeen on 25th May 2019, with the talk: “We Need To Get Rid Of The Word ‘Old’; It Tells Us Nothing”

Soapbox Science: How did you get to your current position?

I worked as a nurse for 15 years and became very interested in the health and well being of people in their 80s and 90s and over. I then studied for a masters and in 2006 a phd. I researched the lives of people in a hospital bed – known as ‘bed blockers’ or ‘delayed discharges’. These people knew they could not return home because they had suffered an adverse injury or illness and they had no idea of which care home they would be moved to. Their enduring worry was – what will happen to all the things I have collected and loved over the years? Will the care home be near enough for my relatives to visit? And – will the staff like me? At the ages of 60, 70, 80, 90 and a 100 all these people had was a suitcase of clothes and an awful lot of anxiety and despair. I called my thesis ‘Living in Limbo: Delayed discharge from a person and policy perspective. From there I continued teaching, researching and supervising students – and at the age of 62 I became a clinical professor in nursing at Robert Gordon University and NHS Grampian.

SS: What, or who, inspired you to get a career in science?

I saw that in studying aspects of ageing and good care, it was possible to make a huge difference to people’s lives. My research has always taken a pragmatic approach, if an issue has been identified, then there has to be a solution – and probably one that has been addressed.

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research/work?

People, especially people living in nursing homes. Their wit, resilience and stoicism has inspired me to carry out research on nursing older people as a specialised form of care.

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

I love the novelty of the idea. Standing on a soapbox talking about topics dear to your heart to the general public. It is such an innovative way of showing that research does not take place in an ivory tower. Research ideas are generated by the identification of scientific and social issues. It is good to have feedback on your ideas from people in the street. Most importantly though – it is great fun.

SS: Sum up your experience of the day?

Nerve wracking initially but great fun, I want to recommend this to my female colleagues.

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

Well – my soapbox talk was on getting rid of the terms ‘elderly’ and ‘older people’.  These are poorly defined words. Everyone thinks they know who ‘older people’ are and this is usually from the age of 60. But ‘older people’ is a term individuals use (regardless of their age), when speaking of someone 10 to 20 years older than themselves. This self-distancing from being seen as an ‘older person’ is normal, because ‘old age’ is associated with dependency, illness and death and a dependent old age is to be avoided at all costs.

We see the creation of new titles – such as the ‘young old’ but this creates an ‘old old’ group. We have also seen the creation of the ‘third age’ and this in turn creates a group of the ‘fourth age’.  These new labels mean that those who have turned 60 can be seen in a positive way BUT these ‘yound old’ or ‘third agers’ will do all they can to keep from being seen as the old-old’ or ‘fourth agers’. The efforts made can actually be harmful to a person who may refuse a walking stick or hearing aid for fear of looking old.

I therefore ask – What is so wrong with using age groups? We are happy enough to do this in the first 60 years of life. Yet for the last 60 years of our life we just become ‘older people’. Using age groups in ten year periods , such as sexagenarians (60-69), septuagenarians (70-79) will serve to make the term ‘older people’ redundant and provide much needed consensus and clarity to education, research and policy.

Let me give you an idea of how this works for my nephew Jamie. Jamie was born in 1995. He was a baby for a  two year period, a toddler for three, a child for 9  and a teenager for 7. For 30 years he will be classed as a young man, before becoming middle-aged at 50. BUT, when he turns 60, current trends remaining, he becomes an ‘older person’ and keeps this label for the rest of his life regardless of how long he lives

Why is there a general reluctance to accept age cohort classifications? I am a sexagenarian, that is – I am in my 60s. I will become a septuagenarian in my 70s, an octogenarian in my eighties  and hopefully a nonagenarian (90s) and centenarian at the age of 100.

Globally the world is ageing. The fact that people are living longer is a celebration, an indication of a healthy population. Governments and policy makers need to know the demographics of their populations in order they can provide the right amount of services such as nurseries, schools, retirement homes and nursing homes.

Three current accepted criteria of biological ageing are that it is universal (it happens to everyone who lives long enough), it is unique to each individual and is deleterious (it gets progressively worse).

The biological age of a population is important to consider as age groups have to be catered for. In the Western world we know that the fastest growing demographic are people aged 80 and over. Ageing is not a disease but at 80, people are more likely to have one or more chronic illness and are more likely to take four or more medications. If these likelihoods are acknowledged then it is easier for people to accept help and also easier for service designers to provide activities that enable people to engage and to enjoy life – at whatever age they are.

So why do we have such difficulty with age classifications? We should simply refer to all individuals as ‘people’, but should not be afraid to talk about age, if age is relevant to the discussion.

Many sexagenarians and centenarians are independent. But does the fear of being seen as being ‘old’ prevent people from seeking help that would enhance their quality of life?

So my message is – the older you are the fitter you’ve been. Be proud of your biological age and accept the aids and services that you will probably need as the numbers of your birthdays increase. Age is a number, it is a fact and it defines you. But old age is a concept and one with too many vague and negative connotations. So I leave you with this question – do we need the term ‘older people’ at all?

SS: What would be your top recommendation to a woman studying for a PhD and considering pursuing a career in academia?

Follow your interests and gut reactions and the rest will fall into place.

Irene O’Callaghan (@irenelovesdogs), University College Cork, is taking part in Soapbox Science Cork 2019 with the talk: “Counting bugs for cleaner rivers: how biodiversity and water quality connect”

Soapbox Science: How did you get to your current position?

Irene O’Callaghan: My journey has not been the most straightforward! I had always loved the sciences, but for a little while found myself lost to them. After a brief stint obsessing over old manuscripts (although, I’m one of the few people who believes linguistics to be a science), I finally got my act together and set off in pursuit of my dreams. My first obstacle was deciding which of the natural sciences to specialize in, and after much deliberation I settled upon chemistry, because it allows you to do a lot of hands-on science, but also to learn about things which relate to other sciences. As I’ve never been one to fit in a box, I relished the opportunity to take electives in things like quantum mechanics and crystallography, which helped keep me interested in other fields. Throughout my undergrad, and beyond, I continued to dip into other fields, something that I have personally found to be very fulfilling.

At the end of my undergrad, I was very much focused on materials science, but I knew that this wasn’t really where my heart lay. I opted to instead continue my studies in analytical chemistry, which offers a useful skillset, valuable wherever you may end up. From my earliest years, the natural world had, more than anything else, held my interests captive. Going into the masters programme, I decided I’d had enough with turning my back on the things I was most passionate about, and instead I sought a middle ground. I found a research topic that could offer me a pathway into environmental science, while making the most of what I had learnt as a chemist, and I am now pursuing this work as a PhD candidate.

SS: What, or who, inspired you to follow a career in science?

IOC: First and foremost, at a very young age I came to understand the connection between science and the things that I was already passionate about – animals, the natural world, the stars… This helped me relate to science.

Secondly, as I grew up, I took part in a wide range of STEM outreach programmes. This not only gave me something to do, it held my interest and assured me that science was accessible and something I could realistically strive for.

More recently, faced with the difficult decision of abandoning a career path I’d come to love (historical linguistics) for a path I’d always loved (science), it was my support system that finally gave me the courage to venture into the unknown – and it was most certainly worth it!

SS: What is the most fascinating aspect of your research?

IOC: The thing that fascinates me most about my research is the unknown. I love that research has made me shed any sense of a comfort zone. The fact that I can begin experimental work, not knowing what the end result is going to look like, makes it feel more like exploration than work! Every morning I look forward to finding out what the day has to hold, and chasing after new frontiers.

SS: What attracted you to Soapbox Science in the first place?

IOC: I see great value in any activity that makes science accessibly to the public. I attended enough events over the years to know that it really can make a difference to someone. Soapbox Science, in particular, offers the opportunity to communicate what scientists do, as opposed to simply shouting about how great science is (although, it is!) Many people appreciate being shown that science is understandable, without feeling like it’s being overly simplified.

SS: Sum up in one word your expectations for the event?

IOC: Frondescence.

SS: If you could change one thing about the scientific culture right now, what would it be?

IOC: The main cultural malaise I’ve come across is a lack of interest in interdisciplinary work. I firmly believe that the biggest scientific questions can be answered only when researchers from different fields unite and look at the gaps between the disciplines. There has been an increase in the number of “interdisciplinary” research projects, but having people involved from different disciplines doesn’t achieve much if they are not willing to speak a common language and pool their strengths and knowledge. I reckon you could call it a breakdown in communication, or, as a horse person, expertise blinkers! Good science happens every day, but great science can only happen when diverse minds come together.