Providing opportunities, being open-minded and encouraging young talents!!!

Providing opportunities, being open-minded and encouraging young talents!!!

A while ago, the thought of creating my personal website and sharing my research experiences through blogging did not cross my mind. I got inspiration and motivation from a visionary and knowledgeable colleague; Dr. Kyle Card. Dr. Card is an HHMI Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Dr. Jacob Scott. Dr. Card is a Microbiologist by training and did his undergraduate and PhD studies at Michigan State University, USA. During his PhD, using E. Coli long-term evolution experiment (LTEE) he studied the role of genetic background in the evolution of antibiotic resistance and fitness cost in the lab of Dr. Richard Lenski. Further information about LTEE can be found on ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_experiment) or on his personal website.

Recently, I sat down with Dr. Card to discuss what motivated him to pursue a career in science and what we can do to empower young talents. At the center of his amazing journey lies an engraved personal interest in science as a child coupled with an excellent and encouraging education system. In addition, this childhood curiosity was guided in the right direction by strong family support. Dr. Card describes that he used to read science-focused books, play science computer games and watch educational TV shows. “The Magic School Bus” is one of his favorite examples that has a perfect balance of entertainment and educational aspects. Similarly, as a child, he was interested in learning more about nature/earth, how stars form, nuclear fusion and he took regular visits to a library. In this era of social media where Gen Z’s are in constant search of instant gratification, educational institutes and government authorities have to devise a system that instills attributes that cultivate curiosity for science and knowledge. As early school years are the main platform where the foundation is established and interest in science happens, supporting those attributes at an early stage of a child’s educational development is crucial for two reasons. First, it creates a burning interest in science at an early stage. Second, by making it interesting, it demystifies the assumption that science is hard.

Then we discussed our experiences of moving to a new lab. Both Dr. Card and myself joined the lab of Dr. Scott’s approximately at the same time. The lab is multidisciplinary with a broad range of expertise in Mathematics, Physics, Molecular Biology and Medicine. At first, as Molecular biologists, we felt uncomfortable with the new terminologies from mathematics and Physics applied to answer biological questions. However, through open discussion, supporting each other and good communication, we learned how to work as a team across disciplines! We were comfortable being uncomfortable; learning something we hadn’t done before. We evolved!!! Dr. Card highlights that doing science in a multidisciplinary team is what motivates him to work hard to improve the health and well-being of others. In addition, to have a successful research-oriented career path, broad scientific experience from different labs during PhD and Postdoc is significantly important. With this goal in mind, senior scientists should cultivate an environment that enhances and nurtures the professional and personal development of young scientists through collaboration, collaboration, collaboration!!! To this end, we envisioned that we would continue to create international collaboration where we would be committed to creating and nurturing young scientists.

Next, we talked about the importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). DEI is an organizational framework that promotes fair treatment and participation of people, especially those who have been historically underrepresented or discriminated against. This is important because Dr. Card’s scientific journey is not without its challenges. He is affected by a rare neurological disability called Moebius syndrome which poses a challenge. However, he proudly shares that he sees those challenges enriched his academic life in many ways and served him as an extra superpower, but not an obstacle. Dr. Card eloquently sums it up: “Through my lived experiences I appreciate that, despite our differences, our curiosity about the natural world is what binds us together; that each of us has a unique story that should be respected and cherished; and that we all should have a voice within science. The way I honor these ideals is through giving my time to advocacy, mentorship, listening, and learning”. In other words, he believes in providing opportunities, being open-minded and encouraging young talents!!!

As Dr. Card continues his academic journey, he does so with a sense of purpose and high determination. I think it is a privilege to have a colleague/collaborator who is talented, and compassionate and whose presence serves as a source of inspiration to all who work with him.