That excitement of science
Dear friends of women in science,
When I was writing my memoir, I thought a lot about what kept me in science when things were tough. I think it's fair to say I didn't think a lot about it at the time when men said insensitive things or tried to close the door on my dreams. It seems to me now that I kept on going because working on molecular biology was just so exciting there was no way I could resist it. That came back to me this week when I received the written interview responses from a famous woman scientist who knew Joan Steitz, one of my pair of dual biography subjects. She knew Joan very well when they were both starting out. In an voice of palpable frustration, she wrote that I simply didn't seem to get it about the atmosphere at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge back in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
It was bursting with energy and excitement. People didn't want to go home, never stopped talking science right through lunch, tea, supper together, felt that they were revealing the secrets of the universe and nothing could be more wonderful. I'm paraphrasing her remarks, but really she dispaired of ever explaining that to me. I don't know how I managed to sound so blighting with my questions, though. Because I knew what she meant. I wasn't at LMB, but it seems to me like at that time when science was revealing DNA's role in cells, the genetic code, how regulation worked, excitement was firing up science everywhere. At least everywhere that I was (Woods Hole, Yale). We did feel like today's discovery could change the whole picture, that we were about to pull back the curtain and see how the molecules of life worked. Going home, taking time off, those options didn't even occur to us. We were there at the creation of the universe, or that's what it felt like. Snubs and sexist remarks had little impact on someone who felt so energized and important to creation of the new understanding.
So, even though I gave her the totally wrong impression of what I really thought, I have to thank that women scientist for painting that excitement back into my picture of Joan's postdoctoral years. Have you ever felt so excited about what you are revealing that you didn't want to go home?
cheers,
Laura
Hi Laura,
I love the fact that so many people have had that joyous feeling! I missed this when you first posted it, so I get to see the results of most of the poll takers. Very interesting.
cheers,
Katie
Hi Laura,
I wish I had. I guess I must be amplifying the paradigm instead of creating a new one. I like the predictions and the testing, but that level of excitement is out there past where I've been in science.
MKR
