We all know that Carla Shatz, PhD, director of the interdisciplinary institute Stanford Bio-X, is a pioneering scientist -- her work in early brain development and in Alzheimer's disease has earned her many accolades. Now she's being featured in a videos series celebrating women pioneers in science.
I want to say first that it always rankles a bit when people are celebrated as being "pioneering women in XXX". That makes it seem like if they weren't women they wouldn't have made the pioneer cut. Carla is a pioneer period. And also a woman. And gave a great interview.
One interesting point she made had to do with what she wished she'd known before starting a career in science. She said, "If you really like science and you like research, that is the joy and the easy part. The hard part is managing the teams and the research itself - the people."
She went on to talk about the people who influenced her (her dad) and her first scientific experiment (it had to do with Siamese cats, and initially didn't work).
When it comes to women in science, her answer was straightforward. She said we need talented people working on critical problems, and women are half the population. Without them, there are fewer people working on these important questions. She also said that she worries about the diminished funding for science driving the best minds (male and female) into other fields.
Her answer to what gets her up in the morning should help lure at least a few of those potential best minds into a scientific career, even with weak funding. She said:
Every day when I come to work I am so excited to be here and go to my lab and do experiments and be with my students. It's part of an ongoing mystery. I can hardly wait to see the next part of the mystery that is going to be solved.
The series is sponsored by Scientista, which supports women in math and science, The Scientist magazine, Lab Manager and Mettler Toledo.
Previously: They said “Yes”: The attitude that defines Stanford Bio-X and Pioneers in science
Photo be Steve Fisch
