Biophysical Society Newsletter | December 2016

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BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2016

DECEMBER

Ruth introduced me to signaling and thinking about it from a more mechanistic perspective. I knew that I wanted to continue that while expanding to a more systems biology view — this is what led me to Henrik Dohlman’s lab and my current work.” Now a postdoctoral research associate in the Dohlman lab in the department of pharmacol- ogy at UNC, Page’s primary focus is developing a method of simultaneously measuring different intracellular compounds. “I also have the plea- sure of working with a graduate student and an undergraduate student who are doing biophysical analyses of G-proteins and studying pheromone- induced autophagy, respectively,” she says. “I get mesmerized when I am sitting through biophysics talks,” she says. “I think it’s the way you get to see things. It’s the way you can answer questions about the mechanisms that underlie the workings of the world around us. Tools are being developed because we find new ways to apply math and physics to answering biological ques- tions. I love it.” In addition to spending her time in the lab and mentoring, Page has dedicated herself to fostering community for scientists and other STEM pro- fessionals of color. “I was partly inspired by the Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity pro- gram at UNC. It made such a difference to have the community on campus. I also noticed that social media was being utilized to connect people of common interests and experiences. I wanted to connect and be a conduit for others to make connections around being black and navigat- ing STEM fields,” she explains. She initiated the hashtag #BLACKandSTEM on Twitter in hopes of connecting with others sharing experiences similar to her own. “BLACKandSTEM quickly exceeded my expectations in reach, in participa- tion, and in its ability to be a platform to amplify different voices. It has been a very affirming experience.” Through her online outreach, Page has also improved her own skillset and network. “A lot of the communication between science and society happens online. Communicating with 140 characters in a way that reaches people is not

easy — but it is valuable,” she says. “Maintaining and building new relationships is a skill in and of itself, and it is a helpful skill to have as science is very collaborative.” Michael Johnson , University of Arizona, was a mentor of Page’s during her PhD studies. “She was my first scientific mentee. She made me ap- preciate mentoring in a way I hadn’t before. This was very influential in my decision to pursue heading my own research group in an academic environment,” he says. “With BLACKandSTEM, Stephani has organically created a community that has hundreds of scientists both current and aspiring. She is an amazing person. I am happy to know her and be inspired by her.” “ I wanted to connect and be a conduit for others to make connections around being black and navigating STEM fields ” – Stephani Page Page’s engagement with the topic of diversity in STEM is also encouraged by the role she values most: motherhood. “Raising a black child has caused me to interact with the topic of diversity, inclusion, and equity very differently. My passion has become intensified as my son grows and imag- ines himself doing different things. When he says he wants to be a scientist, I am proud, humbled, conflicted, and frustrated — the institution of biomedical research has not been effective in making the necessary changes that reflect TRUE diversity, equity, and inclusion,” she says. “As brilliant as my child is, I am not sure that his experience will be very different from mine or my colleagues who are from underrepresented groups. That’s not good enough for me. That’s not good enough for my son. It is, though, one reason for my continued work toward my goals. I love what I do. And I get to put forth my effort to see change for others like me. I get to make the way better for my son.”

Page in the lab.

Profilee-at-a-Glance Institution University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Area of Research

Applying molecular biophysics to study G-protein signalling under nutrient stress