This sounds a little bit quirky, but when I was six years old I
actually saw a documentary about pioneers in microbiology. And
they had these cool petri dish with some fuzzy looking fungi
producing antibiotics and killing bacteria. And I wrote in
my diary that I wanted to be a microbiologist. And funny
enough, much of what I do now is still those petri dishes and
the visual interactions between organisms.
I think I have to mention two advices. One from my mother, who
told me that I could be a woman and a professional as long as I
focus on the quality of time rather than the quantity of
time. And the other one from my father that always told me never
to take any shortcuts, to always do whatever I do to the best of
my ability, and always beyond expectations.
Well, I'm actually repeating the experiment with my 60 year-old
brain now, and it's just to leave a fruit to rot and just
try to get some of the fuzzy stuff, to look under this very
old microscope that I had. And yeah, we're doing the same
thing. We have a pear and orange, a little bit
funny-looking right now in the kitchen.
I never get bored. There is always so much to learn. It's
like a continuous training and stimulation. I don't think I
could do a 9-5 job, just doing the same thing all the time.
So it's a little bit of masochism, I guess.
I think the most important thing is to be open-minded. And you
can interpret the evidence based on the tools that you have, but
you should never think of absolute conclusions, and always
keep doors open for other explanations.
To me those are the most important, and I think that's
the reason why I became an environmental microbiologist.
Because you see the tangible effects of what you do outside
the lab. We tend to do everything day and night in the
laboratory, you know, becoming social. But when you see the
applications and you see the public impact, it makes all
sense, and it gives you the motivation to go on.
I think I've had very good mentors, and also anti-mentors.
And both types have been very influential, because I had
really role models that I can follow, and at the same time I
don't want to forget where I come from and just do things of
the people that I personally didn't like or agree
with their actions.
I think what surprised people the most is the fact that we're
studying organisms that are able to immobilize toxic metals like
uranium. Everybody's so impressed with the nuclear
disasters and how powerless we feel, and here we have these
little bugs tackling the problem and just doing it and showing us
that it's possible.
My laptop. I've done it in a fire drill, so I know we'll do
it again. And my coffee. I went back for my coffee, too.
Bruce Springsteen, I'm a big fan of the Boss. And I have copies
of the CDs in the lab to try to train and educate my lab members
on good music.