Today we are featuring Lauren Butterworth who is a grad student in the Trakselis biochemistry lab. To learn more about her research in DNA replication check out our blog post!
What inspired you to pursue a career in STEM?
The STEM field first piqued my interest when I was very young. My mother was a microbiologist when I was growing up and is now the Vice President of Global Quality Assurance at a company in the greater Boston area. When I was about ten, she brought me to take your daughter to work day and showed me around her lab. I saw bacteria under a microscope, growth on agar plates, learned how to make the plates, and freezing cryo-tubes in liquid nitrogen.She continues to inspire me every day. My desire to pursue STEM has been unwavering ever since.I discovered my love for chemistry in high school.I had an amazing freshmen science teacher, who introduced me to the field of chemistry. She always encouraged me to peruse it, saying I asked excellent questions and had an ability for unique problem solving. When I began applying to college, she asked to write a recommendation letter for me. I don’t know what she wrote, but I was accepted into every school I applied to. She inspired me to not only to chase chemistry, but also to desire a career in teaching to inspire other young women in science.
How would you describe your work to the public?
Currently my research is in studying fundamentals of DNA replication and repair mechanisms. My focus is on studying an E. Coli enzyme known as the Polymerase III Core holoenzyme. It is responsible for copying cellular DNA. I perform mutations to this enzyme’s gene and transform it into a protein. Then I study changes in the mutated enzyme’s activity versus the naturally occurring enzyme. This work is focused on understanding fundamental properties of the cell’s replisome, it maybe exploited for applications in cancer therapeutics.
What do you enjoy doing the most?
Regarding my graduate work, I find the most enjoyable aspect to be teaching. Teaching is every bit as rewarding as educators everywhere say it is, no matter what level they teach at. When you see a student’s expression transform from confused to understanding, you feel that accomplishment vicariously through them, each time feeling just as proud as the first time. Passing on what you know, weather it is helping someone build a foundation or sharing something novel that you’ve discovered by spending countless hours performing experiments, you know that in some way you are making a broader impact.
Share an accomplishment that a younger you would have thought unachievable.
I can honestly say that if someone had told me in elementary school that I would some day be working toward a PhD, especially in Biochemistry I would not have believed them. I struggled a great deal with reading comprehension around that age,and to be able to work in a field where you need to excel in that skill is truly a victory within itself. Although I still struggle with this from time to time,I have learned to control that disability fairly well.I hope this serves as an inspiration to others with learning disabilities. With hard work you can overcome just about anything.
If you could give a piece of advice to the younger generation, what would it be?
Break out of your comfort zone.There are going to be lots of things holding you back, but you should always chase your dreams, even if it seems impossible.Don’t let anything stand in the way of achieving your goals, especially yourself. Go learn how to rock climb,backpack through Iceland,master yoga, join the peace corp., move two thousand miles away from your friends and family to Waco, Texas for that doctorate. Do whatever it takes, because in the end you will look back at your life and either be full of happiness, or regret.
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