Blackburn and the Chancellor Chat About the Nobel
Synapse Staff Report
UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann engaged in a lively conversation with Nobel Laureate Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn at Cole Hall on October 13, a session that yielded much insight into the life of an award-winning scientist.
In a session that was simulcast to Mission Bay, Dr. Blackburn talked about her Nobel award for unlocking the mysteries of telomeres and chromosomes. In down-to-Earth fashion, Blackburn likened chromosomes to shoelaces, and telomeres to the protective tips at the end of the shoelace, providing protection to the chromosome and replenishing its wearing down.
Chancellor Desmond-Hellmann provided the questions for most of the interview. “I’m going to play Oprah,” she joked, adding to Blackburn, “I promise not to make you cry.”
During the wide-ranging interview, Blackburn described her award-winning research (“It was just basic science. How do cells work?”) to the best way to stimulate your mind (“Work hard, play hard. I really believe in that”) and the importance of mentors.
When asked how she first got interested in science, Blackburn cited the large number of pets her family had in Australia. “I liked animals and nature. When I got in school and started reading about molecules, I really liked that. Animals and nature led me to an interest in molecules. I found I really liked doing science.”
Blackburn’s path to a Nobel prize was not always a smooth one. She told of her trepidation in looking for jobs while she was a postdoc. “I had to show my mettle,” she said. She added that she kept all her rejection letters.
Blackburn emphasized the importance of basic curiosity in doing good science, as well as the need to believe in oneself. “Everyone has a different way of doing things,” she said.
“Sometimes you have to not listen to the so-called wisdom.”
Desmond-Hellmann brought up Blackburn’s research into stress. Blackburn contended that there is good stress – “the kind that challenges you” – and bad stress, chronic long-term stress that can really do damage.
She also cited the importance of collaboration, praising the “tremendously good colleagues” she has worked with in her career. “That’s what collaboration is about – bringing together expertise,” she said.
While taking questions from the audience, Blackburn made clear that she has by no means reached the end of her scientific journey. “There’s still so much to be learned about telomeres – I still have quite a job before me.’’
This article appeared in the October 15, 2009 issue of Synapse.