Why Stevie Nicks inspires me – a female biologist.

I’m not sure when it was that I fell in love with the chanteuse Stevie Nicks but it certainly was at least in high school when I first heard the moving song ‘Dreams’.  Stevie is but one magnificent part of the musical tapestry that makes up this beautiful song.  The composition of this and other songs by Fleetwood Mac is haunting and somehow inspiring - and so too is the fairy godmother of female rock stars - Miss Stevie Nicks.

Fairy muse for women in the sciences? 

So why is someone like Stevie Nicks relevant to a blog post on a blog about biology, bats and all things science?  Stevie represents the courageousness, strength and powerhouse attitude required to succeed in the sciences and she does all this as a feminine muse that grasps at the dreams and hearts of most of those who hear her music.  She’s talented - sure - but from everything I’ve read and seen she also works VERY hard.  Indeed – I think that the description often used for James Brown fits – she is ‘the hardest working woman in music!’  But what gets me the most is that she does not force herself into an over sexualized nor into a ‘gotta be a man to succeed in a man’s world’ persona.  And this - has historically been a challenge for women in a variety of fields including academia.

No Miley Cyrus get-ups to grab attention- in fact I'd call this outfit downright graceful and even a little masculine!

An amazing book that touches on the topic but in the context of a WOMAN SCIENTIST is ‘the Molecules of Emotion’ by Dr. Candace Pert.  Which tells the inspirational story of Dr. Pert’s career in the sciences which includes the discovery of opiate receptors, being passed up for a Nobel Prize and what it was like to be a woman in the sciences wearing ‘the uniform’ i.e. looking as unfeminine as possible to ‘blend in’ to the man’s world that academia was at that time.

The late Dr. Candace Pert

To me at least there is as common thread between Dr. Pert’s and Stevie’s stories both were at one time or another in the shadow of someone else- in Dr. Pert's case it was her adviser and for Stevie's it was Lindsay Buckingham.  Stevie started out as one part of the duo ‘Buckingham and Nicks.’  The band was far from a success and Stevie was working as a waitress and considering going back to school.  At her father’s suggestion she decided to ‘give it 6 more months.’  From this emotional place that sounds a lot like the struggles of trying to ‘make it’ in the sciences - Stevie wrote the song Landslide which carries words of wisdom that seem to come from a much older person.  Apparently Landslide was written in my home state of Colorado with the following inspiration:

“I had been a waitress and a cleaning lady, and I didn’t mind any of this. I was perfectly delighted to work and support us so that Lindsey could produce and work and fix our songs and make our music. But I had gotten to a point where it was like, “I’m not happy. I am tired. But I don’t know if we can do any better than this. If nobody likes this, then what are we going to do?”

So during that two months I made a decision to continue. “Landslide” was the decision. it’s the only time in my life that I’ve lived in the snow. But looking up at those Rocky Mountains and going, “Okay, we can do it. I’m sure we can do it.”

Before the 6 months were up the multi-record Brit blues group Fleetwood Mac heard a Buckingham and Nicks recording and contacted Lindsay Buckingham to see if he would join the group.  Lets be clear on this -they wanted Lindsay NOT STEVIE.  Stevie was ‘just the girl’ in a band that she didn’t really interest Fleetwood Mac at the time.  Yes- Lindsay was (and is) a skilled guitarist but boy is it tough to envision not getting goosebumps listening to that voice of Miss Nicks! 

Lindsay in his defense said he would only consider joining Fleetwood Mac if Stevie was going to be added as well.  Maybe he was being a good band-mate, a supportive boyfriend, felt owed it to Stevie as she had been working to support them both while they tried to ‘make it’ or just maybe-just maybe he knew Stevie was going places and it would be a mistake to miss out on her natural talent –who knows.  In any case, the final decision ultimately came down to the other woman in the picture namely the very talented Christine McVie who was ‘the girl’ in Fleetwood Mac.  If she met Stevie and didn’t get along with her then the deal would never happen.  As luck would have it the two were fast friends and the rest is well- a legacy of music that never fails to put me in a good mood or allows me to really feel the way only a good piece of music can.  Take for example the song GYPSY…. I’ve already written about how the post doc life is that of the academic gypsy…. But let these words inspire you in the context of whatever it is you try hardest to achieve:

“Back to the gypsy that I was
- And it all comes down to you
Well, you know that it does
Well, lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice
Ah, and it lights up the night
-To the gypsy that remains faces freedom with a little fear”

Now- most people have heard bits of the story in the midst of their early success with Fleetwood Mac- Stevie and Lindsay broke up- but always the professional she stuck it out- the band was important.  Despite dealing with the end of a relationship that had spanned nearly a decade - surely a trying time - both Stevie and Lindsay put all that into it’s compartment when they went in to work so that they could get on with the job at hand- making beautiful music. And that is what they did.

Fleetwood Mac

Stevie wanted to continue writing songs and creating music but felt she could not contribute as many songs as she would have liked to each Fleetwood Mac album (which makes sense as there were many prolific members all excited to have their music included).  So what did she do?  She made a very diplomatic decision to produce solo albums AND stay in Fleetwood Mac.  How often dear reader does THAT decision pan out for artists?  Usually the band ‘breaks up’ the artist looses their following or both.  I don’t think I can imagine the time commitment and stress this must have taken… Stevie decided in essance to take on TWO music careers.

Perhaps we can get an inkling of what this was like as seems akin to something many people go through as the do graduate studies or academia in general: splitting time between research, taking classes, teaching and what bears some resemblance to a normal ‘life’ outside of one’s career.  Stevie’s dedication to her band mates AND (get this!) herself and her career is inspiring. 

Hard at work.

Now there were repercussions and it was not all roses and lace - Stevie dealt with several addictions: cocaine and painkillers BUT lets go easy on her folks because here is the cool thing - SHE TALKS ABOUT IT.  She has said in interviews she wants others to learn from her mistakes and to be able to avoid them.  All this leads me to respect this woman even more.  She also has dealt with strange rumors of witchcraft, media frenzy over a weight gain and the death of her best friend.  Now I am not sure if others can see where I draw my inspiration from as it relates to perusing a career in the sciences- but I sure hope you can.  I think seeing the human side of someone in the public eye and knowing their struggles (to some degree) and their very active decision to push on, work hard and handle struggles with thought, poise and grace puts things in perspective and it doesn’t hurt that this story comes with an excellent soundtrack.

So- young scientists out there - men and women: learn from your mentors- ask them of their mistakes and successes be inspired or warned and proceed with a fire in your gut because you will need that fire on those days when you’ve had too little sleep and are four days behind on twenty plus things. 

For all you mentors out there- stay human.  That is all we have at the end of the day.  It comes down to how hard we try, the sacrifices we make, those we don’t make, the mistakes we fess to and (here is the big one): our love/dedication for what we do.

All this I learned from my very own fairy godmother who’s haunting voice inspires me to stay whimsical even in a tough as nails profession.  She inspires me to stick to it- tackle the task at hand, to take risks and to work damned hard…even if you are ‘just the girl.' 

More from the heart lyrics from the above song Leather and Lace:

"You're saying I'm fragile
I try not to be
I search only
For something
I can't see -I have my own life
And I am stronger
Than you know"

 

More about Dr. Pert’s excellent book which I highly recommend. 

“From Library Journal

Intrigue at the "Palace": back-stabbing, deceit, shunning, love affairs. This is not the plot to I, Claudius but the account Pert gives of her time working at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a.k.a. the Palace. Yet her time at NIH is not the central point here. Nor are the molecules of the title, although they do get due coverage. Pert offers mainly an account of her journey from a conventional scientist to one who also embraces complementary and alternative medicine. The journey is long and not without price. She was passed over for the Lasker and Nobel prizes for her work on opiate receptors while colleagues were recognized; she believes that her development of a potential AIDS drug was thwarted owing to scientific dirty pool as well as her being a woman in a man's world. Along the way, she took control of her career, her life, and her personal mission. This is an eye-opening book for anyone who thinks that people with medical degrees act more civil or are more altruistic than the rest of us, though Pert also shows that some do rise above the fray. Recommended for academic and special libraries.?Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Pert, a self-described ``catalyst in the mindbodyspirit revolution in modern medical science,'' and once a chief of brain chemistry at the NIH, freely intermingles vibrant stories of her professional and personal life with her theories about neuropeptides. Currently a research professor at Georgetown Medical Center in Washington, Pert may be best known as one of the scientists on Bill Moyers's PBS series Healing and the Mind. In the early 1970s, she made a name for herself with her key role in discovering the brain's opiate receptors. For the next decade, however, owing to her protests over her exclusion from the prestigious Lasker Award, her reputation among scientists was more that of feminist troublemaker than pathfinder. Certainly the picture she draws here of the science establishment would seem to suggest a world of aggressive, even ruthless, alpha males fighting for the top prize. She also traces her own evolution from competitive bench scientist to explorer of personal healing modalities. The death of her father, the end of her marriage, her resignation from the NIH, her embracing of the Christian faith, and her discovery of the healing power of dreams--all were, she says, life-shaping events. Pert also explains her theory that neuropeptides and their receptors are the biochemicals of emotions, carrying information in a vast network linking the material world of molecules with the nonmaterial world of the psyche. Her views on mind-body cellular communication mesh well with the concepts of energy held by many alternative therapies, and she is now, not surprisingly, a popular lecturer on the wellness circuit. Her final chapter describes an eight-part program for a healthy lifestyle, and she has appended an extensive list of alternative medicine resources. Strong scientific support for the mind-body school of medicine, sure to rankle those alpha males back in the labs. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.“

and THAT is where the name postdoctoral scholar came from!

PhD comics nails it again!

Here is a gem from Jorge Cham

www.phdcomics.com by Jorge Cham

another graduate student graduating... cartoon

I have to admit I loved this recent PhD Comic:

Soonish

Thanks to Sonia for the awesome and ever inspirational stickies! 

What is a dissertation anyway?!

Now the question is out there - what is a dissertation anyway?!  Perhaps it seems I ought to to have breeched this topic with you earlier dear reader but here we are so let's dive in.

dis·ser·ta·tion/ˌdisərˈtāSHən/

Noun:

A long essay on a particular subject, esp. one written as a requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy degree

Ok sure- this definition is true but in the sciences a dissertation is based on research you have conducted.  Generally this includes subsets or chapters.  Historically (at least in biology) these may have been on a single topic like 'the ecology of the Naked mole rat' or 'behavior of the wood shrew.'  Nowadays it is more common for each chapter to be on a different topic but with the umbrella of some unifying theme.

My dissertation focuses on how animals might use reproductive delays to allocate limited resources to reproduction (i.e., are delays adaptive?)

The number of chapters of a dissertation seem to vary but are usually around 3-4 in the US (I think 4 like I will have is fairly common).  

Reproductive delays are pauses in reproduction that occur between mating and egg fertilization, between fertilization and implantation of the embryo in the female, or after an embryo has implanted. Stated simply, females with reproductive delays can take a break (energetically speaking) mid-pregnancy while the embryo (at various stages depending on what type of delay) sits in a convenient sort of suspended animation.  The mother can continue her pregnancy at a later date when food or weather is more favorable.  This type of reproduction while understudied is not uncommon.  Over 200 mammals are able to delay some part of a pregnancy. 

My dissertation addresses 4 questions (each a chapter) regarding delays.  I won't go into the details here.  Regardless, all the data are in and while I have a lot written some things more so than others I find that the final push is upon us! 

So now back to work.  Just know this break was good for both of us and in no form nor shape represents any sort of procrastination!  Yes the sock drawer is organized, and I've read numerous posts from my home-girl Orangette's blog but I'll have you know ... the dissertation will be done tomorrow...right?

Ah that reminds me of one of my favorite songs from days gone by 'Come Next Monday' by KT Oslin all about what you are going to do... (tomorrow).

PhD Comics

Wonder what life is like for graduate students? I have to recommend this website: www.phdcomics.com. Recently this comic strip was even expanded into a film (see the website for details). Topics such as the 'Impostor Syndrome,' poorly attended office hours and modes of procrastination are all covered in both film and cartoon format.

Toothsome (more facts about biologists)

I have come to the conclusion and with increasing confidence that many biologists love to cook. Perhaps you are picturing them throwing some burgers on the grill or making killer chili.... no I mean that numerous biologists I know make on a semi-regular basis and with avid enthusiasm, fancy 4 course gourmet meals and exotic fare.

For example, BOTH of my collaborators in Mexico are involved in a 'gourmet club' that includes a group of several additional Mexican bat biologists who all alternate making and hosting gourmet fancy dinners. My adviser makes pies for fun and attempts to emulate her favorite dishes (generally carne asada comes into play). She may have learned this from an old committee member and bat-biologist of legend 'Mike' who attempts to dis-entangle the exact recipes from his favorite restaurants through rigours and I assume enjoyable experiments. My lab mate is addicted to the food network and is a good cook. Down the hall an undergraduate researcher brings in homemade meringue pies to lab meetings and makes special cheesecakes for birthdays. The field biologist Mike O'Farrell has published a cookbook on how to cook in the field. A favorite evolutionary biologist of mine- Hanna Kokko has a link on her lab page to her 'good food society' which seem very fun. (by the way...I remained strong and did not have a David Letterman trying to get Oprah on his show moment... but really Hanna if I am ever in town....). Even my friend Natalie, the coolest PhD holding biologist I know-who rock climbs and does field work in Alaska after being dropped off by a helicopter field-gear and all by a helicopter. But even cooler: she can fit her material world (mostly books, clothes and ski-gear) into the back of her truck (shes kind of like if Joni Mitchell and McGyver (to return to a recent post) had a daughter). Even she with her bohemian ways stunned me after years of freindship by making me dinner one night and wiping up an amazing and exotic salad (shes vegetarian but I love her anyway...) and admitted she loves to cook. (Mind you as the 'McGyver-esque soul' who's mother may have been a hippie, I imagine she only has one pot and uses it to make tofu stroganoff).

In sum is perhaps no surprise that biology departmental functions are a culinary joy as well as interestingly competitive when it comes to the 'best' stuffing or mashed potatoes.

Why do many biologists love to cook?

I have come up with several possible reasons but I think it has to do with two main things.

1. Cooking is a scientific process: meat turns brown etc. when you cook it in part because proteins are being denatured, bread rises because yeast produce gases, jelly 'sets' i.e. solidifies because a new chemical structure is forming a'la pectin. So there is the main and most obvious 'its because biologists are scientists and cooking is (if you want it to be) scientific.

2. However, I think there is another reason (this is at least how I explain to myself at my sudden affection for cooking). Much of biology is comprised of incomplete days and tasks. Many days you go to the office and read articles to gain knowledge or attend meetings to question it. Some days you write proposals. After several days of proposal tweaks you send it off and wait to see if you get funding. Meanwhile, on another day, you work on getting permits for your research. Days pass and you wait for the permits and if you are lucky you've heard back from granting agency. If you are even more lucky you were funded. More days and you wait on your permits and meanwhile you order your lab supplies and continue to wait. You secure your permits and supplies and start your work. Probably something about your research does not work the first time... you wait. Days and days you may work to perfect an assay to make sure it works before you use your valuable samples that took days and days to collect. Then for days and days you run samples. Days and days you run your statistics (only after days of entering data). You start to make some conclusions and spend a few days talking to others about your results. You spend days or months writing up your results. You send them to co-authors and wait to hear back. You make changes and send the written results to a journal and wait for their decision. So on and so on. This is obviously the less-glamorous version of biology and truly I am happy to be in academia however... with time answering the 'what did you get done today' question wears on a person.

So indeed, most days you do not come home and think 'gee I am so glad I cured cancer and saved the polar bears today.' In fact more likely you don't even think 'Gee I am so glad I finished that side project on why pika prefer grasses over shrubs today'. Nope. So what do you do?

While members of M*A*S*H told jokes and made bootlegged gin in their tents and Zorba the Greek would say 'now... we dance' -my advice?

Now you cook.

Why? When you start you have nothing but....

But then you finish and when you finish you have (hopefully) something delicious to share with your loved ones or at least to eat while you read or watch TV. Suddenly when someone asks "what did you get done today?" you can reply- "I checked e-mail, made a graph, ordered some pipette tips and made stuffed mushrooms and cheese souffle with rhubarb cobbler for desert."

And who can argue with that?

Why this blog

I am starting this blog as a way to communicate about the often under-appreciated creatures that I study and love: bats.

I hope to communicate why I love these creatures, to explain what doing research on these lovely yet secretive animals entails and ideally dispel some of the negative mis-information that is out there about these amazing animals.

So if you are curious about bats, biology in general or maybe want to know what its like to be a graduate student/ scientist and do research in the natural environment this is the blog for you!