Women in Science

Thanks to Larry Summers (for those of you who don't know, ex-Harvard president who said the enlightening comment: "with respect to the presence of women in high-end scientific professions...is what I would call different availability of aptitude" For a full transcript of his speech go here), I get asked the question all the time now, "Is it hard for you being a women in your field?" This is actually an issue that has been on my mind a lot these days. The maelstrom that ensued after Summer's comments which eventually led to his resignation (really more of a straw on the camel's back for him though as far as Arts and Science faculty at Harvard was concerned) made everyone in the field acutely aware of the disparity between the sexes in the life and hard sciences. In September, came Newsweek's cover story titled "Science and the Gender Gap". This was the article that really got me a little frightened. It presented the entire academic tenure system as being discriminatory against women. It became clear that many of the barriers women face in the sciences are of a systemic nature due to this arcane system setup when there were very few or no women in academia and is something that really needs to be reconsidered if we want to provide women with equal opportunities in academia. This article got me worried enough to push me to action. I started organizing a Graduate Women in Biology Group for our department. The response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. By every woman we talk to. You see even in our department (Molecular and Computational Biology), there are 32 faculty members, only five of which are women, only one senior female faculty, one emeritus, and three junior. At the post-doctoral and graduate student level, the numbers are different. There are about as many female graduate students in our department as male. It's when you travel further on the career track that the numbers start trickling down. A junior faculty member pointed out to me that it's great that we're doing this, but right now we should be more focused on our science and our research because this is really when everything is equal for both sexes. She's right of course. I may have jumped the gun and I will certainly always give my all for my research, but I still think its important to start fostering an encouraging social network for women early. Certainly the response we've gotten is a sign of how necessary and welcome a group like this is in our department.

Muhammad Yunus

I was so encouraged when I read about the winner of last week's Peace Prize: Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank. For those of you who don't know, Yunus is the visionary Bangladeshi economist who developed the concept of micro-credit and then made it work in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Grameen Bank gives mini-loans to the poorest people in rural Bangladesh without any collateral. The idea has been successfully employed all over the world and has helped pull many out of poverty.

The story is so inspirational and made me realize how much inspiration I lack in my life. I'm caught in my day to day worries and problems and pleasures. When I was young, I always thought I would join the Peace Corps. Just take a couple of years and do something that had nothing to do with me. As I grow older, I rationalize my decisions or rather, lack of them. Right now, certainly I can't go to the Peace Corps. I'm in the middle of my PhD. I'm married. I'm too old. Etc. But. I will do something charitable one day. I'll open a school. Somewhere where children can't afford to go to school because their family needs them to work. Someday. I will do that. What about now? I know charity and giving is a way of life. There is no appropriate time for it to begin. I know there are people in need now of an education, or a doctor, or a blanket. Or a hot meal. I know that I may not be able to build a school now, but that I can read a book to someone. Or teach them how to do some math. Or serve them a bowl of soup.

USC Football

I've been on edge all season watching most of the USC football games. I mean I LOVE this team. I love college football in general, but I really love USC football. During my undergraduate stint, I spent time in some amazing college football schools including Florida State and University of Miami. I despised Miami, but loved FSU. However, it doesn't compare to how I feel about USC football. Sure I love that we're good. I love the players, the atmosphere, the games, the coach. But most importantly, I love the philosophy and class of the Trojans. It is something I never saw at UM, and seldom found at FSU. They won me over in 2003 when they were shunned by the BCS for the national championship game. I was so impressed with how much heart they played against Michigan. Without whining. Without complaining. This was their national championship. Regardless of what some bowl said. I knew then that Pete Carroll and his Trojans, my Trojans, were something special. And the following season they continued to play with amazing skill and grace. Now though, I realize I am spoiled. 28 straight wins at home. A record. More than the second and third teams on the list combined. Two undefeated regular seasons (Yes. I have almost effectively erased the Rose Bowl from my memory). Three Heisman winners in the last four years including God's gift to football: Reggie Bush. But I get scared watching us play these days. I'm afraid of losing. I know it will happen. It has to happen. These Trojans look good on paper. But are nerve-wrecking to watch. I was very kindly reminded of games last season, USC v. Notre Dame, Fresno State v. USC, Cal v. USC the year before. All edge of your seat games. All possible losses. Why do I feel so much more disappointed with my Trojans this year? It's not fair to them. I can say though that I will love them when they lose. And continue to staunchly defend them without just reason or sound logic. And I won't jump off of the bandwagon. This love will last a long time.

Overheard

While deciding rooming arrangements (it should be said that there are A LOT of Asians in our department) for an upcoming retreat:

"What do we do with Young Ho? Where do we put Young Ho?"

When students registered for the retreat, it was recommended that they list their roommate preferences. Someone listed: "Any Chinese graduate student"

Departmental flag football team:
QB: "I've got to say though, I'm the best quarterback we've had yet"
RB: [Sincerely] "I can't argue that"
Me: (Not sincerely] "Yah, you only had like two interceptions"
QB: [Almost proudly] "I had four interceptions"
RB: [Mockingly] "We really need to play the Filipino Student Association next"
Me: "I think you guys are becoming everyone else's Filipino Student Association"

Is it any wonder I love going to the lab so much? This is just a small excerpt from one day. There definitely is no shortage of laughs.

Can you read my mind?

Over an in, last call for sin. While everyone's lost, the battle is won. On the field I remember you were incredible. You left the nation nailed to the floor With speculation, what was it for. There's someone calling, an angel whispers my name But the message relayed is the same. I always hear them In the dead of night Bones calling, save me from this plight. I know my rights I've been here all day and it's time For me to go, so let me know if it's alright. I know there's a hope There's too many people trying to help me cope. So why do you waste my time? Is the answer to the question on your mind And I'm sick of all my judges so scared of letting me shine. I've got this energy beneath my feet like something underground's gonna come up and carry me. Looking back At sunsets on the eastside We lost track Of the time Dreams Aren't what they used to be Some things Slide by so carelessly Because heaven sends and heaven takes Can we climb this mountain I don't know Higher now than ever before, I Know we can make it if we take it slow Let's take it easy, easy now, watch it go Oh well, I don't mind if you don't mind Coz I don't shine if you don't shine Can you read my mind?

Sam's Town/Nobel Awards

I bought Sam's Town. I've heard the album twice and it sounds good. I need another week of listening before I can give a real opinion. Music has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm feeling the jazz/blues/soul music much more these days. Craving listening to Norah Jones, Diana Krall, and D'Angelo. Oh D'Angelo. I curse the people that stole all my CDs from my car five years ago. Let the Fates plan some savage stroke against them. May "red pustules appear upon the skin...open and ooze their purulent filth, Burning, rushing fever swelling the body. Black blood bursting through the mouth and nose. The eyes no longer seeing" (I've been reading ancient Greek literature). ANYWAY, they got an amazing collection that I haven't had the cash to replace including some CDs appropriate to this post: my D'Angelo, Faith Evans, Brian McKnight, Isley Brothers...I guess they're more classic R&B than anything else. If it's not obvious yet, I'm not too good with the categorizing. I should've re-cataloged my collection when I had no conscience about downloading and Napster was KING. Now, I feel the necessity to financially support the artists I like (I think) even if I've purchased their CD once before. So I will be without the sexy stylistics of D'Angelo for a little longer. I guess Dave Matthews will have to do for now.

In other news: the Nobel awards. Three wins for Americans: Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry. Two wins for Molecular Biology. Both the Medicine and Chemistry awards were given to work in biology. Both dealing with discoveries with RNA. It's great that the Nobel committee chose to honor work in RNA and bring the "RNA World" into the spotlight. This field has been abuzz for biologists for the past few years. I think everyone expected the Medicine winners, Andrew Fire and Craig Mello, to win at some point or another. Their work was seminal and their discovery led to a technique with profound clinical applications. I think it's a little interesting that Viktor Ambros and David Bartel weren't recognized though for their initial discovery of microRNAs in worm, but I do understand that Mello and Fire actually showed that this natural silencing system found in the worm (and now shown to be conserved in most plants and animals) could be used in other tissues and for general gene silencing hence its clinical/medical applications. It was huge. It's used so often in the lab today that I didn't even realize the creators hadn't yet received the Nobel, and it is definitely a discovery akin to PCR (the Polymerase Chain Reaction), a technique which revolutionized Molecular Biology. Robert Kornberg won the Chemistry prize for elucidating transcription in yeast at an atomic resolution. I'm not as familiar with his work and like his father, the great biochemist and previous Nobel winner Arthur Kornberg, I agree that the details of his work are beyond me, "but I certainly admire it from a distance". Tis a good week for my science.