Meet: Lorraine Olendzenski
Education Coordinator
Astrobiology Institute at Marine Biological Laboratory
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Microbes have lived on this planet for almost 4
billion years and shaped it into the planet we see today. For example,
they gave us all the oxygen in the atmosphere that we depend on. Humans
by comparison have only been around a short time and without them, we
would not be here at all. The microbes will be here long after we're
gone!
Who I Am and What I Do
I am the education coordinator for
the Astrobiology Institute, at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL)
in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. I am also working on my Ph.D. at the University
of Connecticut (Home of the UConn Huskies!), in the Laboratory of Peter
Gogarten. Our lab is funded by NASA to do research related to the origin
and evolution of life. We are studying early evolution on planet Earth
to try and learn about life that may have evolved on other planets.
Primarily, we study microbes and processes
that contributed to their evolution, like horizontal gene transfer.
Horizontal gene transfer is a type of gene swapping that allows organisms
to pick up new genetic traits quickly. We also look at DNA sequences
and try to figure out how organisms are related to each other. I use
a variety of microbiological, molecular biological and computer techniques
to grow the organisms, get their DNA and then analyze it.
As the Astrobiology Education Coordinator
at the MBL, I primarily run workshops for teachers so they can learn
about microbes and astrobiology. In our workshops, we make Winogradsky
columns, which you can do too. It's an easy way to get a lot of interesting
bacteria growing in your classroom (or kitchen!).
The MBL is a cool place to work because
it is right on the ocean, and people from all over the world come here
to learn and do research in the summer. There are a lot of interesting
people with great ideas working here!
At the moment, what I like least about
my job is that I don't get to go outside nearly enough! I used to work
on some projects that had a fieldwork component. In the past, I was
able to work on microbial mats in Baja, California, but that is not
true of my current projects. What I like most is sharing exciting ideas
with my colleagues, learning about the natural world that we are a part
of, and traveling and meeting new people interested in the same things
I am. I also like teaching and sharing the excitement of astrobiology
and early evolution with other people. Last year I got to go to Hawaii.
I got to see lava flowing into the ocean, swim with dolphins, and teach
Pacific Island teachers and students about microbes and astrobiology.
Career Journey and Education
I first became interested in this profession
as an undergraduate at Boston University, where I worked in a lab that
was funded by NASA. I spent a lot of time looking in the microscope
at organisms from microbial mats. Originally, I had enrolled as a premed
student in a biomedical engineering program, but after a semester, realized
that was not really for me.
I was lucky enough to find a mentor
named Lynn Margulis early in college. She is fairly well known and does
a variety of work related to cell evolution and early life on Earth
in her lab. She also publishes a lot of educational materials, especially
books and videos. She let me work in her lab and gave me lots of exciting
(and unfamiliar!) jobs to try. I started out washing dishes, and doing
basic tasks in the lab, then moved on to making audio tapes, films and
videos for use in teaching. I took a little time off, and spent a year
in California where I studied audio and film production techniques.
After I got my undergraduate degree
in biology, from Boston University, I moved to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst,
and continued working with Lynn on a master's degree project. At UMass,
I also ran a NASA-funded program for graduate students called the Planetary
Biology Internship. This program allows grad students to travel to NASA
labs and work in the summer on projects related to origins of life and
planetary process. Meeting and working with Lynn was an important part
of my education because she always encouraged me, and gave me the opportunities
to meet people, and especially to try many different types of jobs.
Growing Up
I grew up in Natick, Massachusetts.
I went to Wilson Junior High School, and then Natick High. After that,
I moved to Boston and went to Boston University. I spent some time in
Pasadena, California, then moved back to the east coast to go to the
University of Massachusetts, in Amherst.
When I was in high school I wanted
to be a doctor, especially a surgeon. I applied to a biomedical engineering
program for college -- in case I didn't get into medical school, I reasoned
I could be an engineer. Unfortunately, I was not at all interested at
the time in engineering! I quickly learned I was not interested in medical
school either, but would rather study basic biology and geology, and
learn more about the natural world. So, plans often change, but that
led me to where I am today -- working in astrobiology, which is a field
that encompasses many different disciplines, so I get to use all my
background studies.
I liked to read novels (Nancy Drew
mysteries, for one thing). I also had a lot of books on brain teasers
and math puzzles that were fun. I liked to go on field trips and hiking
in the mountains. I especially enjoyed camping, looking at plants and
animals in the wild, and going to undisturbed natural areas.
Personal
I live in a tiny New England town called
Monson, Massachusetts. We are near Springfield and Sturbridge Village.
I am married, and have recently had my first child, Ryan Edward Nolan.
He likes to laugh and float in the bathtub, and sometimes comes with
me to the lab, where the above picture was taken. I have a dog, named
Willow. Her picture is on the computer in our lab. She is a mixed breed
(mutt), but looks like a small version of a German Shepard. I also have
two corn snakes -- Bruno Dos (a brown one), and Creamsicle (an orange
and white version). My giant cockroach recently died :-(
My family likes to hike together, go
swimming in the ocean in the summer, and go cross-country skiing in
the winter. We live near the woods, so we can hike and ski anytime.
I like to read novels as a 'vacation'
from science. I like to garden (to see my garden, go to http://carrot.mcb.uconn.edu/~lorraine
and click on the dates under Monson Gardens). These days I am enjoying
being a mom, too!
Advice to Students
Don't give up just because something
seems hard (like math or science) - sometimes the things that take the
most effort are the most worthwhile. If things mess up (like in an experiment),
just try it again! Also, do what you like and the money will follow
(at least I'd like to believe that's true!). While you're young, don't
pass over a potentially exciting job experience just because it doesn't
pay a lot of money.
In science and academics especially,
entry level (and even top level!) positions may not pay a lot. But if
you are only interested in making money, you could miss out on an experience
that would allow you to meet people who might aid your career in the
future; allow you to live in a cool place; or work on a project that
you might find exciting, fulfilling, and that you can be proud of.
In other words, waking up in the morning
and WANTING to go to work is sometimes more valuable than going to a
job everyday where they pay you a lot of money but where you are unhappy.
(This forum answered questions concerning the construction
of a Winogradsky Column.)
