This week's spotlight is Dr. Macarena Rojo! She is a postdoctoral research assistant in the department of environmental science. Her work focuses on studying the effects of different contaminants in fish.
What interested you to pursue a career in STEM?
Since I was a child, I was always enjoying doing activities related to nature and was curious about science, particularly chemistry. I remember having magazines, and books with experiments for children. When I was 12, I was walking along the coast of the river with a relative of mine. It was beautiful but very polluted, and she told me the importance of taking care of those places, to be enjoyable for future generations too. Since then, I was interested in environmental sciences.
How would you describe your work to the public?
I study the effects of different contaminants in fish. Contaminants are introduced into our environment because of human activities. And these compounds affect the environment, starting with the water and ending in fish, some of which are consumed by people.
Outside of the lab, what do you enjoy doing? I enjoy taking a walk and swimming. Is there something during your research career that you have really enjoyed or want to share? I enjoyed overcoming challenges and pursuing research topics that I was interested in. I always wanted to have the possibility of collaboration with Argentina, the country where I am from, and other countries. That curiosity is the one that bring me to the U.S., where I applied methodologies developed here at Baylor to analyze contaminants in fish species from Argentina, for whose there is no information.
If you can give a piece of advice to the younger generation, what would it be?
Persevere and pursue your goals. If there is something that you really want to do, study, train, and be prepared for when the opportunity comes. And if the opportunity does not come, create your own one.
Is there a female scientist that particularly inspires you?
All my colleagues inspired me. During my PhD., and my first year at Baylor, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of female scientists, and I admire how empowered they become after experiences, and how these experiences make them grow and advance in their careers.
Comentarios