Recently, the BPS Education Committee received an email from a high school student in Salt Lake City. The student was interested in a career in biophysics and had a few questions with the goal of learning more about what it is like to be a biophysicist. Committee member Patricia Soto Becerra, Creighton University, answered these questions. Read her responses below.
How much school did you have to go to in order to get the job you have now?
I did my BS in physics and MS in physics in my home country, PhD in computational biophysics in Europe and postdoctoral training in theoretical biophysics in the US.
Do you use all of the math you learned in school?
Yes, and I learn the extra math that I need by myself and discussing with research collaborators.
What kind of math do you use everyday?
In my research I do computer simulations. That is, I use numerical techniques on a regular basis (pieces of code that I use, not that I code myself). In addition, I use lots of statistical analysis tools. And, what I use the most: lots of quantitative reasoning.
What is your job title?
Associate professor of physics
What did you major in?
Physics
How many hours per day would you say you use math on average?
About three hours every day. I use the math skills I described on question 3 every time I do computer simulations set up and acquisition, and every time I do data analysis, interpretation and visualization. During the summer, I invest full time; and during the school year, I invest about three hours every week day.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
The intellectual joy of creating deep understanding of how proteins misshape and trigger a disease based on my interpretation of the output from high performance computer simulations. To me it is fascinating how we build a model using effective theories from physics and chemistry, code the model (that is, code equations corresponding to the model) so that a computer solves the equations numerically and then the output does make sense and has a valid meaning!
We compare the output from the simulations with experimental results, we help in further understanding the results of experiments, we go beyond and identify patterns that could not be seen in a wet lab experiment, and we provide knowledge on which others will build future knowledge. I feel excited and delightful!
What’s your least favorite part of your job?
When the day ends.
What does an average day look like for you?
The precise routine depends on my teaching schedule. This semester, for example, in the morning I invest my energy in my research projects and training my students. In the afternoon, I teach general physics to pre-health students (non-physics majors). Next semester, I will be teaching upper level physics courses to physics majors.
What are you working on right now?
We are studying prion proteins. Prion proteins are the hallmark of fatal neurodegenerative diseases such as mad cow disease in cattle, CWD in deer and Creutzfeld-Jakob disease in humans. Our goal is to elucidate the process by which the protein changes shape from the physiological to the pathological form. From wet lab experiments, researchers think that the protein changes shape all by itself and once the protein reaches the pathological form, the protein becomes infectious… but the misshaped protein is not a virus nor a bacterium, just a clump of misshaped proteins! This process is a complete new way of thinking in biology!! The outcome of our research will lay the ground work for the design of diagnostic tools and therapeutics to aid in the deadly prion diseases.
Do you enjoy your job?
110%
What would you tell someone who was interested in going to school to become a
biophysicist?
- Get creative in articulating the fundamentals of physics, chemistry and biology in a variety of non-traditional contexts.
- Appreciate, value and respect the contribution of the sciences in their strength and limitations.
- Be fearless in exploring innovative techniques, whether wet lab or in silico.
- Attend biophysics conferences… they are a lot of fun: fantastic people to meet, exciting new science and a dance party!
Did you get any other degrees in school?
No. I took a couple of courses in electrical engineering and philosophy, but my true passion at that stage in my life was physics.
What made you want to be a biophysicist?
I wanted to understand the brain, the most fascinating entity on Earth!
Were you good at math in high school?
Yes. Math was not my super favorite subject but I admit I enjoyed it. After I dedicated a bit of time to study, I would understand math fairly well.
Would you recommend this job to a high school student?
I would recommend this job to any student who wants to use her/his creativity to impact the humankind through science.
How should I prepare in high school if I wanted to be a biophysicist?
Become fluent in quantitative reasoning, digital literacy and lab skills. Develop strong written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Learn how to learn new skills.
If you could go back in time and choose to study something else, would you?
I do not think I would choose something else.
What is something you didn’t expect you would be doing in this job?
Administrative service.
How does your job help the world?
I see a chain reaction effect: At the personal level, my job fulfills my professional dream, which benefits my family and immediate community. On the next level, I train students that I expect in the future to be better scientists than me. Some former students of mine have gone into the knowledge-based industry, so my group has also the opportunity to have an impact outside of the sciences. And on the largest scale, the outcome of my research (which is in basic sciences) will help others to develop tools to diagnose, prevent and cure neurodegenerative diseases (not only prion diseases, but also Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s among others).
Learn more about Becoming a Biophysicist.
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