Scientific Research Career Paths Are Not Always Direct, Researchers Share At Vienna Daughter Day
The Vienna Daughter Day brings girls into one of about 200 companies in Vienna for a closer look at the company's activities. This year, IMBA welcomed a group of female students between the ages of 14 and 16 years, who were interested to learn about career paths in the life sciences. They toured the Jachowicz lab, which investigates how cells become specialized and take on specific functions by activating different genes and responding to signals from their environment, a process called cell fate decision.
Over the course of the morning, the students came to learn how the life of an organism begins and how the first cell of a body is made. Researchers Agnieszka Gacek-Matthews, Jeanne Francoise Couturier, and Julia Kernler led students through a series of lab spaces with a focus on molecular biology techniques used by scientists. With the aid of microscopes, students viewed early mouse embryos and their derived stem cells. In addition, they gained practical experience with gel electrophoresis, a technique used to determine the genotype of the sample by analyzing the size of DNA fragments.
Over the course of the morning, the students came to learn how the life of an organism begins and how the first cell of a body is made. Researchers Agnieszka Gacek-Matthews, Jeanne Francoise Couturier, and Julia Kernler led students through a series of lab spaces with a focus on molecular biology techniques used by scientists. With the aid of microscopes, students viewed early mouse embryos and their derived stem cells. In addition, they gained practical experience with gel electrophoresis, a technique used to determine the genotype of the sample by analyzing the size of DNA fragments.
Many students were surprised to learn that there is no direct path into scientific research. Prior to joining the Jachowicz lab, Agnieszka's research focused on epigenetic mechanisms in lower eukaryotes and toxin biosynthesis in pathogenic bacteria. Jeanne’s most recent research focused on epigenetics, but she began her scientific career investigating environmental remediation and plant cell biology. Julia’s research first focused on antibiotic resistance in bacteria causing cystic fibrosis in humans. She is now interested in early mouse development.
In scientific research, it is possible to pull one’s experiences and knowledge from different areas together into something that is integrative and meaningful. IMBA believes that our visitors now have a better understanding of the opportunities available to them in the life sciences. In light of this experience, students might be able to continue to gain early laboratory exposure during their school years, by reaching out to research establishments and university laboratories in their communities when completing their final thesis.
Töchter Tag is open to all girls aged between 11 and 16 years who go to school in Vienna, Lower Austria or Burgenland. Boys attend school as usual on Daughters' Day and have their own event - Boys' Day - in autumn. For more information about Wiener Töchtertag, please visit https://www.toechtertag.at.