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Mr. Lawrence reflects on his past field experience and shares his vision for the future of zebrafish in the laboratory.

What first inspired your interest in zebrafish?

I began as a fish technician in John Dowling's laboratory at Harvard University in 1999. His laboratory was filled with world-class scientists who worked with zebrafish every day, but no one really knew much about the fish as fish. They looked at them as tools. Coming from an ecology background, I felt differently; I was immediately fascinated by them, and I saw that there was much to learn about their biology and behavior, especially as it related to how we were caring for them. I threw myself into understanding them and leveraging that knowledge to develop better ways to do things.

You previously worked as a field assistant and as a wildlife intern. Tell us about these experiences.

Shortly after I finished my undergraduate degree in communications, I found myself working in a job in the financial industry that I was miserable in, mostly because I simply wasn't inspired by it. I took a big chance, went back to school and pursued a second undergraduate degree in wildlife ecology at Arizona State University. Working in the field with plants and animals was my passion, and I took absolutely every chance to gain hands-on experience: I mist-netted birds and bats; drove on desert roads at night after thunderstorms to collect snakes, lizards and amphibians; seined streams for endangered fish; sampled backyards and agricultural fields for arthropods; and live-trapped mammals. Perhaps the pinnacle of this experience was the summer I worked for the Arizona Department of Game and Fish as part of a team surveying a remote mountain range for an endemic species of tree squirrel. We spent 12 hours a day hiking through rugged wilderness filled with an incredible diversity of plants and animals. It was heaven for me and deeply inspiring. I knew from that point on that I would work as a biologist, no matter where that pursuit took me.

Describe a typical workday in your current position. How does this compare with your field experience?

I work with a team of specialists charged with providing management and care for all the fish (mostly zebrafish) used in research at Boston Children's Hospital. Our goal is to bridge the gap between fish biology and biomedicine. This is no easy task; our team is essentially managing fish and people at the same time, doing our best to promote an environment where both fish and research thrive at the highest possible levels. This is a long way from the deserts and mountains of Arizona, but each day presents an opportunity to learn something about the little fish that I have spent the last 15 years of my life studying. Invariably, if I pay attention, I will see something that I haven't seen before. Simple observations can often lead to important discoveries. This daily sense of exploration is what keeps me inspired and, at its core, differs from my days in the field only in location.

What are your future or long-term career goals?

I am keenly interested in seeing aquatic models continue to play an important role in the process of scientific discovery. The zebrafish is unique in that it has great potential utility for two seemingly disparate fields with enormous implications for the future of humankind: biomedicine and aquaculture. It also has the possibility of connecting them: information can flow from one discipline to another—through the zebrafish. Techniques, knowledge and technology used in the production of food fish can help to improve the management of zebrafish for research. At the same time, molecular and genetic tools from the zebrafish system can help to advance aquaculture production. There's a synergy there that intrigues me, and I will do my best to help develop these connections in the coming years.

I also very much enjoy teaching, training and sharing information. Perhaps my favorite professional activity is teaching at the fish health and colony management course at the Mount Desert Island Biology Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. I am also a strong supporter of the joint collaboration between the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Gadsden State Community College to develop a biomedical aquaculture technician and training program. In the early days of my work with zebrafish, these kinds of educational opportunities were not available. I find it deeply satisfying to help provide resources to others that I did not have for myself.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with Lab Animal readers?

If you're not interested in and motivated by what you do, find a new job, no matter what it takes!