Women in Cell Science 4877

Elaine Fuchs FMW: How has your research career impacted on your personal life and vice Elaine Fuchs was born in the United versa? States and raised just outside Chicago. In 1972 she graduated with EF: My father was a geochemist who a B.S. and highest distinction in specialized in meteorites at Argonne the Chemical Sciences from the National Laboratories. My aunt, who University of Illinois. Her lived in the house next door, was a undergraduate thesis research in biologist at Argonne, and an ardent physical chemistry focused on the feminist. My sister, four years my senior, electrodiffusion of nickel through is now a neuroscientist. My mother is a quartz. She moved from Illinois to housewife, who loves gardening and to study for her cooking and used to play piano and paint PhD in Biochemistry, investigating in oils. Growing up in such a family, and changes in bacterial cell walls during with farm fields, creeks and ponds in the sporulation in Bacillus megaterium. near vicinity, I developed a deep interest Elaine Fuchs in her lab in 1980. In 1977, she joined Howard Green, in science that has carried me through then at Massachusetts Institute my professional life. of Technology (MIT), for her If I think back to the family influences during Vietnam War protests. Although postdoctoral studies. There, she that shaped my choice of career, I my near perfect performances on tough focused on elucidating the remember that my Dad strongly physics and chemistry exams may have mechanisms underlying the balance advocated my being an elementary turned a few heads, I don’t feel that it between growth and differentiation in school teacher. My aunt, his sister, was served the deeper purpose of education, epidermal , a system and denied admission to medical school and nor did it instill in me a long-standing research area that continues to she encouraged me to go into medicine. love for these fields. fascinate her today. In 1980, she was My mom told me that she thought I was By contrast, my participation in Vietnam recruited to the , a good cook and therefore I should War protests had a deeper impact on me, where she moved up through the become a chemist. My older sis was my and I decided to apply to the Peace ranks to the position of Amgen idol, although I found her intelligence Corps. Having spent my electives taking Professor of Molecular Genetics and intimidating. She thought I should Spanish and Latin American history, I Cell and Investigator of the become an anthropologist. So, in was hoping to get accepted to go to Howard Hughes Medical Institute. contrast to my close friend and former Chile, which was headed by Allende, a She moved to The Rockefeller colleague (now director liberal democratic Marxist. I was instead University in 2002, where she is now of the Whitehead Institute at MIT), I was accepted to Uganda, which was headed the Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor strongly encouraged by my family to go by Idi Amin, a ruthless tyrant. It was of Mammalian and to college and do something with my then that I began in earnest Development. life. I chose the University of Illinois at contemplating graduate school, Elaine’s research has encompassed Urbana (my Dad told me that if there choosing Princeton’s Biochemistry identifying and characterizing the was a good reason why he should spend Department, to move from physical genes expressed in more than $2000 a year on my sciences into the realm of more human , understanding the education, we should sit down and medically oriented science. I always transcriptional mechanisms discuss the matter – otherwise, I should suspected that my father was somehow underlying gene expression and select either University of Illinois, our behind the decision by the Peace Corps differentiation in the epidermis and State school, or University of Chicago, to send me to Uganda, but in the end follicles, and revealing roles for where he got a tuition break. I vowed going to graduate school was probably Wnt and BMP signaling in skin. NOT to go to University of Chicago, the right choice for me. because my sis, Dad and aunt went Currently, her lab’s focus is on Not having taken biology since high there, and I wanted to be different). understanding the niche for school, I gravitated towards the most multipotent stem cells in skin. The At the University of Illinois, I was one chemically oriented labs at Princeton. thread that ties her research areas of three women in an undergraduate When I went to visit , he together is epithelial morphogenesis, physics class of 200. My perception informed me that he only took the best understanding how external cues (shaped at least in part by the general students, which I was certain did not transmit their signals to elicit aura of the scientific community at the mean me. was no longer changes in transcription, cytoskeletal time) was that, if I was to be accepted as focused on physical biochemistry, but architecture and adhesion to establish a smart student, I probably needed to instead had begun working with the epidermis and hair follicles. perform near or at the top of my class. I disgusting-looking frogs. I settled on a In the interview that follows, Fiona subsequently began studying very long Professor who had been quite open Watt, Editor-in-Chief of JCS, asks hours, forgoing sleep and even studying about his views that women should not Elaine about her experiences as a while eating meals in the student be in science. Despite the fact that I was woman in science. cafeteria and while picketing classes viewed by my mentor as a major 4878 Journal of Cell Science 117 (21) disappointment relative to a fellow male University of Chicago, something that I scientific organizations have cracked the graduate student who joined the same assumed was to be a trial run for an door open wider for women, and I lab, I did learn from my mentor how to academic job later down the road. I certainly feel fortunate to have been do well-controlled experiments, for viewed the invitation to speak as a free elected by my colleagues to the NAS, which I’ve been forever grateful. Twenty trip home to visit my family, and was the Institute of Medicine and the years later, my mentor’s views regarding quite amazed when I subsequently American Academy of Arts and my relative lack of scientific skills even received a job offer. It was only then Sciences. I also feel honored to have seemed to soften a bit. when I began to realize that somebody received recognition from my Although I received my PhD in must think more highly of my colleagues through a number of biochemistry, my education had not accomplishments than I did. My scientific achievement awards, including been very typical. I graduated without family’s pressure to accept the position the from the yet isolating , RNA or DNA. was relentless and so I began an NAS and an honorary doctorate degree However, I had been frugal with my academic career as an independent from Mt Sinai and New York University $3000/year graduate stipend, and had scientist, feeling at the base of a totem Medical School. As women continue to managed to travel (3rd class) through pole of fantastic colleagues. make their way in the scientific India, Nepal, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, community at all levels and in greater Bolivia, Ecuador, Turkey, Greece and FMW: What changes for women in numbers, we will continue to see a rise Egypt (I’ve still never gotten to Chile or science have you observed during the in the creativity, reflection and breadth Uganda). In retrospect, I understand course of your career? of thinking that is so necessary to move why my advisor had not taken me EF: At Chicago, I was the first woman science forward. seriously! in a department of 15 biochemistry FMW: Do you feel that being a woman Somehow, I managed to be accepted into faculty members. But , who already was a member of the is an inherent advantage/disadvantage the lab of Howard Green at MIT, and for a career in science? Why? during my postdoctoral years, I limited National Academy of Sciences and a my travel to Morocco, and began in famous cytogeneticist, was in the EF: I can’t say that it is or isn’t, but for earnest doing experiments. I chose Department of Medicine, and she sent me the discrimination I have faced Howard’s lab, because he was one of the hand-written notes congratulating me on personally has served as an inspiration pioneers in mammalian every small success that would come my and a challenge to do better, not as an biology. He had developed methods to way. This inspired me, as did meeting impediment to my career. The one thing culture human epidermal stem cells Susan Lindquist in the Department of I do feel now is that it is important for under conditions where they could be Biology, who became my long-standing senior women to remember that the road maintained and propagated. I was close friend and colleague. In 1982, Sue for women scientists is not always an yearning to switch model systems from also introduced me to David Hansen, to easy one. There is still substantial room bacteria to humans, hoping that my whom I have been happily married for for the scientific community to grow in research might be more medically 16 years! the realization that, by opening the door applicable, and I wanted to study the Chicago reorganized their biological to women, it is going to raise the level biochemical mechanisms underlying sciences departments in 1985, and Sue, of scientific excellence. Senior women the balance between growth and Janet, several other women and I all who are recognized by their peers as differentiation in normal human cells. chose to join the same Department, being successful have a responsibility to The system seemed ideal, and led me to Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology. help educate those scientists who become a skin biologist. Mouse genetics All of a sudden, women faculty haven’t quite accepted this important came later in my career after I was members were in abundance and a force message. And we have a responsibility appointed to the HHMI at the University to be reckoned with. This and fantastic to maintain the highest scientific and of Chicago, and had the resources to students became an endless source of ethical standards and to serve as the best complement the culture system. enjoyment for me, and I remained at role models we can for the younger My experience at MIT had a powerful Chicago for over 20 years. generation of outstanding scientists – impact on my career. Howard Green was I feel that although there is still both men and women – who are rising a quintessential cell biologist, which considerable work to be done to pave the through the ranks. Leading by good was something completely new to me. way for women in science, the situation example is still the best way to diffuse Nearly every lab at MIT was humming has improved considerably during the the now more subtle and less vocal, but with brilliant postdocs, and I rapidly got course of my career. Women are now nevertheless lingering, discrimination hooked on the excitement of the science routinely asked and elected to serve the and dogmatism against women scientists around me. I began to think that perhaps scientific community in important ways. within our scientific community. a scientific career might even be a In this regard, I have served on the No discussion of women and careers is possible goal for me – at least at some Advisory Council for the Director of the complete without addressing the issue of small teaching college or state NIH, the Council of the National children and motherhood. In my case, university. After my first year at MIT, Academy of Sciences (NAS) and was I’m afraid I don’t serve as a good role my advisor from Princeton nominated President of the American Society of model because I don’t have children. me for an Assistant Professorship at the Cell Biology. In addition, major However, I’d like to emphasize that this Women in Cell Science 4879 was a decision that my husband and I with me. Our research has progressively I feel strongly that we make of our lives consciously made together. I’m married moved to the field of morphogenesis – what we put into them. To succeed in a to the Director of Philosophy and understanding the molecular process scientific career in academia takes Education at Teachers’ College, that begins with a single stem cell and motivation, commitment, effort, Columbia University, and for the past 20 ends with a functional tissue, either thought, creativity, intelligence, teaching years that we’ve known one another, epidermis or hair follicles. Characteristic skills, technical talent, organization, we’ve enjoyed traveling the world, going of my checkered past, the research is a leadership, oral and writing skills, to operas, symphony and chamber music blend of biochemistry, molecular compassion and a strong sense of ethics. concerts, eating leisurely dinners, biology, cell and developmental biology, I know I’ve left out many other essential dancing, swimming, quiet reflection, and the area enables us to combine traits. Very few scientists have all these education and service to the broader our interests in signal transduction, attributes, but we can each achieve a community. We love our nieces and transcriptional regulation, cytoskeletal high degree of satisfaction if not success nephews, but children were not a high dynamics and cell adhesion. The caliber through honing the subset of attributes priority for our lives together. In another of my students and postdocs keeps that we do have. I know that for me, the world, things might be different. escalating, and the science continues to more I work on becoming a better However, I certainly don’t view this keep me in the lab nights and weekends, scientist, mentor and participator in our decision as a sacrifice that I had to make as it did when I was a postdoctoral scientific community, the richer all for my science. fellow. Each day brings new challenges, aspects of my life become. and there is certainly no doubt now that Journal of Cell Science 117, 4877-4879 FMW: What are your remaining career the flame of excitement and interest in Published by The Company of Biologists 2004 ambitions? scientific discovery and education burns doi:10.1242/jcs.01408 EF: I made the decision to move to eternally within me. There is no ‘last’ Rockefeller in 2002 because it provided objective – only new horizons and an exceptional constellation of world- challenges. The revolution in biology renowned colleagues, generating a rich that I have experienced in my own career Feedback on our series of Women in Cell Science articles is always welcome and and stimulating new environment for the tells me not to predict what my next should be emailed to [email protected] 17 postdocs and technicians who moved objective will be.

Commentaries

JCS Commentaries highlight and critically discuss recent exciting work that will interest those working in cell biology, , genetics and related disciplines. These short reviews are commissioned from leading figures in the field and are subject to rigorous peer-review and in-house editorial appraisal. Each issue of the journal usually contains at least two Commentaries. JCS thus provides readers with more than 50 Commentaries over the year, which cover the complete spectrum of cell science. The following are just some of the Commentaries appearing in JCS over the coming months. Roles of the centrosome Michel Bornens Stem cell therapy Helen Blau IQGAP Kozo Kaibuchi Dorsal closure Daniel Kiehart Signal integration Michael Rosen Electron tomography Wolfgang Baumeister Zyxin Mary Beckerle Necrotic-like cell death Monica Driscoll Although we discourage submission of unsolicited Commentaries to the journal, ideas for future articles – in the form of a short proposal and some key references – are welcome and should be sent to the Executive Editor at the address below. Journal of Cell Science, Bidder Building, 140 Cowley Rd, Cambridge, UK CB4 0DL E-mail: [email protected]; http://jcs.biologists.org