Whitehead Institute celebrates Women's History Month 2024

Maisam “Maya” Mitalipova: Maya is an incredible scientist and friend. She juggles her time training tens of students with finicky stem cells, performs on-ground activism to advocate for Uyghur rights, and maintains one of the most beautiful gardens, all in addition to her benchwork! Moreover, Maya is always willing to lend an ear, and when you come to her with a problem, she always responds with wisdom and positivity. We are truly lucky to have her around!

Submitted By: Miram Meziane (Li Lab) and Pushkal Sharma (Jain Lab)

Cathy Drennan: I still remember Cathy's core-blitz presentation, assuring us freshmen in Kresge auditorium that if we hated chemistry in high school, her intro chem class (5.111) would change our minds. I signed up, and over the following months, she delivered on her promise! With her captivating teaching and that of her TA-mentees, I realized that I loved chemistry. With her mentorship and guidance, I became a chemistry major and crystallographer in her lab, where I realized that beyond being an incredible teacher, she is a tremendously brilliant scientist and writer, a tireless mentor, and an ideal role model, especially for young women in science. She is warm, exuberant, and a continuous source of inspiration, always uplifting her mentees and giving them the wings to soar. 

Submitted By: Allison Hamilos (Hamilos Lab)

Sunanda H. Ghule: My aaji (grandmother), Sunanda Ghule, inspired me to study mathematics and science. She was a wonderful math teacher who earned a Master’s degree in biochemistry in the 1950’s—despite the fact that it was almost impossible for women in her community in India to pursue graduate school, especially in STEM. When I was a kid, she used to teach me math whenever she came to visit me, and I loved every minute of it. It is because of her that I have never once thought that women couldn’t pursue a career in STEM. 

Submitted By: Neha Bokil (Page Lab)

Cassandra G. Extavour: Dr. Extavour is a Canadian geneticist, researcher of organismic and evolutionary biology, professor of molecular and cell biology at Harvard University, and a classical singer. Her research has focused on evolutionary and developmental genetics. She is a proud and celebrated scientist, an inspiring performer, and an advocate for dismantling the barriers that she overcame. I really admire her artistic talents and academic prowess. Amidst her impressive achievements, she is charismatic and has inspired me to pursue my goals.

Submitted By: Zia Barnard (Corradin Lab)

Heather Keys: Heather has been an awesome collaborator. Whenever someone walks through her door, they always learn something new. Not only has Heather played a key role in several genetic screens that are at the core of my thesis, she always makes the time to discuss experiments and hypotheses even years later. When she is not helping scientists deal with billions of cells, she is making cool woodwork, growing delicious fruits, or boating- an inspiration in every sense!  

Submitted By: Pushkal Sharma (Jain Lab)

Arunika “Runi” Das: Runi is as fiercely dedicated to her own science as she is to that of her peers. From grant writing to experimental design, she does not hesitate to provide deeply thoughtful and creative advice. Runi inspires me to build the same kind of rigorous yet collegial scientific community she so effortlessly creates around herself. 

Submitted By: Melissa Pamula (Lehmann Lab)

Whitney Henry: Whitney is an inspiration and a calming presence for the WI community. She always finds time even on the busiest of days to discuss anything from the nitty gritty of experiments to offering super-helpful advice on challenges outside work. I am fortunate enough to know and continue to learn from her, how-to do-good science with a generous heart.  

Submitted By: Pushkal Sharma (Jain Lab)

Rebecca Swanson: Ever since she was a young adult, Becky has been involved in science education.  When I first met her, she was teaching at the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo summer science camps.  I remember her as being friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, curious, and approachable, and she inspired many of us to study science in college and beyond.  Since then, she has gotten a PhD in STEM education and is now a professor at the University of Nebraska.  Becky is one of those people who has a gift for inspiring all of us to be the best scientists — and the best humans — we can be.

Submitted By: Kathleen Higgins (Gehring Lab)

Mary Lyon (1925-2014): Mary Lyon developed the genetic framework for using mice as model organisms in cell biology, molecular medicine and developmental biology; and her work was incredibly important for the field of mouse genetics in the 20th century. In 1961, Lyon discovered X-chromosome inactivation and later helped explain the genetic control mechanisms of the X chromosome. The Mary Lyon Centre, an international facility for mouse resourcing genetics, was opened at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in the UK in 2004 and the Mary Lyon Medal was created by the UK Genetics Society in her honor in 2014.

Sources: Mary F. Lyon (Wikipedia) and Nature (2015)

Susan Lindquist (1949-2016): Susan Lindquist, former Director and Member of the Whitehead Institute, made key discoveries in the field of protein folding. Her research paved the way for new methods to treat diseases including Alzheimer’s, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease. Lindquist was also a pioneer in using yeast as a model to study neurological diseases; and her use of yeast in drug screening became common practice. Lindquist was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2009. And in 2016, honoring both her research accomplishments and her impactful mentorship of women scientists, Johnson & Johnson endowed the Susan Lindquist Chair for Women in Science at Whitehead Institute. 

Sources: Nature (2016) and Johnson & Johnson Endows Whitehead Institute Professorship in Memory of Susan Lindquist, Accomplished Researcher and Role Model for Women in Science (Whitehead Institute)

Barbara McClintock (1902-1992): Barbara McClintock conducted groundbreaking research in the cytogenetics of maize and discovered transposable elements (known as “jumping genes”). McClintock studied how genes in corn’s chromosomes could “move” during plant reproduction, and how specific genes were responsible for turning on or off physical characteristics in the plant. While the concept of jumping genes was initially greeted with skepticism, it was soon recognized that jumping genes are found broadly — and that more than 45% of the genome may be composed of repetitive sequences including transposon-derived repeats. McClintock was awarded the Nobel Prize Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for “her discovery of mobile genetic elements.”

Sources: Barbara McClintock (Nobel Prize) and Barbara McClintock (NIH) 

Ada Yonath (b. 1939): Ada Yonath is a structural biologist who took part in the immense project of mapping the structure of the ribosome. This research allowed scientists to see how the genetic code is translated into proteins. Given its size and lack of symmetry, the ribosome seemed daunting to crystalize, but Yonath succeeded by using a thermophile bacterium. Since the bacterial and eukaryotic ribosomes differ in composition and structure, her work has been crucial to the development of antibiotics and the study of antibiotic resistance. In 2009, Yonath, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, and Thomas Steitz were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for “studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.” 

Sources:  Ada Yonath (Nobel Prize) and Ada Yonath (Weizmann Institute)

Katalin Karikó (b. 1955): Katalin Karikó is a biochemist known for her pioneering work in the field of RNA therapeutics and the development of mRNA vaccines. While Karikó and her colleague, Drew Weissman, initially found that in vitro transcribed mRNA triggered unwanted inflammatory responses and inefficient protein production in cells and tissues, they discovered that mRNA produced with modified nucleoside bases could evade immune recognition. This discovery led to the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.  Karikó and Weissman were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for “for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.”

Sources: Katalin Karikó (Nobel Prize), Katalin Karikó (Britannica) and Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023(WHO)

Tu Youyou (b. 1930): Tu Youyou is a pharmacologist who played a fundamental role in developing an effective treatment for malaria. In 1967, Youyou became head of a project to develop a treatment for chloroquine-resistant malaria. Toward that goal, she studied historical Chinese medical texts and her team screened 2000 traditional Chinese herb recipes. Through that work, they found that artemisinin, a compound in sweet wormwood (artemisia annua), effectively treated malaria when extracted and distilled properly. Drugs based on artemisinin have saved millions of people, and in 2015, Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for “her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against malaria.”

Sources: Tu Youyou (Nobel Prize), Tu Youyou (AWIS) and Tu Youyou (Scientific Women)

Joan Steitz (b. 1941): Joan Steitz is a molecular biologist who has conducted groundbreaking research in RNA. In her early work, Steitz defined how ribosomes recognize the start for mRNA translation by base-pairing with ribosomal RNA. Later, she discovered the role that small nuclear ribonuclear particles (snRNPs) play in RNA splicing as part of the spliceosome. This work revealed the cause of certain auto-immune diseases where patients produce antibodies against slicing intermediates and snRNPs. Overall, her discoveries have shaped and advanced the field of non-coding RNA — addressing mechanisms such as RNA processing and RNA translation, stabilization, and degradation. Steitz was awarded the 1986 National Medal of Science and the 2018 Laker-Koshland Achievement Award.

Sources: Joan A. Steitz (Wikipedia), Joan A. Steitz (NSF) and Joan A. Steitz (Rockefeller University) 

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (b. 1942): Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard is a developmental biologist who helped determine how the genes in a fertilized egg form an embryo. She and her colleague Eric Wieschaus used systematic mutagenesis to identify and classify genes in the fruit fly that direct the cells of the embryo to organize body polarity and form tissues and organs. Many of the genes they first identified in the fly were found to have homologs in other species, including mammals; and subsequent use of advanced methods for reverse genetics rapidly built on those discoveries to enhance understanding of developmental mechanisms from flies to humans. Nüsslein-Volhard, Wieschaus, and Ed Lewis were awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries concerning the genetic control of early embryonic development.”

Sources: Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (Nobel Prize), Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) and Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard (The Royal Society)