Biophysical Society Newsletter - February 2016

3

BIOPHYSICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

2016

FEBRUARY

that many scientists are familiar with: “I submit- ted a proposal to the National Institutes of Health that previously received a good, but not fundable score. The resubmission failed. In the summary statement, the panel said my work was incremen- tal. This was devastating,” Scarlata says. “I was extremely depressed and looking at other career options, but then a friend asked, ‘Who are these people [the reviewers] anyway?’ This question put the reviewers into a different light. I realized that not everyone is going to understand what you are doing unless you clearly state the importance of your work and how it fits into a bigger picture. I also realized that you need a really thick skin to be in science. Not everyone is going to be sensitive or constructive.” Following Cornell, Scarlata took a position at Stony Brook University, where she worked for 24 years before moving to Worcester Polytechnic Institute last fall. “We have several projects in the lab that all center on the phospholipase C beta- G protein signaling pathway,” she says. “This pathway is one of the main ways that allows cells to respond to many hormones and neurotrans- mitters to increase cellular calcium levels, which allows cells to move, divide, or die depending on the specific circumstances. Our goal is to under- stand the series of changes in protein associations that accompany these signals and the factors that impact their responses.” “Scientifically,” Scarlata says, “the most challeng- ing aspect is to think of all of the appropriate controls for each experiments. There are so many potential interactions of components in cells that can vary in different cell lineages and different lo- calizations in the cell.” Even more of a challenge is getting funding, which Scarlata considers primar- ily a matter of luck. Scarlata’s favorite thing about biophysics is being able to quantify biological systems and to put biology into physical terms, but the aspect she finds most fulfilling is seeing her students succeed. “I find it really rewarding when one of my gradu- ate students presents their thesis research at their defense and see how excited and confident they are

about their work,” she says. “This is when I feel the most successful.” When not in the lab, Scar- lata spends time with her husband, Walter Zurawsky , Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at WPI, and three daughters, Cassandra , Alyssa , and Cathe- rine . Scarlata and Zurawsky are currently working on renovating an old house they bought upon moving to Worcester. She spends discusses politics, and watch- es what she calls “ridiculous” TV series. Throughout her career, Scar- lata has been a member of the Biophysical Society. “I’ve been a member of BPS for so long that it seems like fam- ily,” she says. “To me, the BPS meeting is the whole en- chilada—from science on the one-on-one level at poster sessions to large seminars, to networking groups, to career support—I really

Some past and present students: Top – Leo Williams, Bonnie Calizo, Louisa Dowal, Paxton Provitera, Osama Garwain, Marjorie BonHomme, Tilly Wang. Bottom – Siddartha Yerramilli, Shriya Sahu, Yuanjian Guo and Loren Runnels. Scarlata is at the very bottom.

much of her free time playing sports, as part of a tennis group and a few different soccer teams. In any remaining leisure time, Scarlata reads novels,

Family picture from right – daughter Cassandra, husband Walter Zurawsky, daughters Alyssa and Catherine, and Scarlata.

get so much out of the meeting. The Society has provided me with a peer group [with whom] I can discuss science, career, academics, etc. I’ve made many connections and have had a great deal of input that has really helped my research.” Scarlata would advise biophysicists just start- ing out in their careers, “Keep your eyes on the prize—don’t let yourself get bogged down on peripheral studies or control studies that are un- necessary. Don’t waste time on reagents. Look for the key experiment that will give you the informa- tion you need.”

Profilee-at-a-Glance Institution Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Area of Research Chemistry and Biochemistry