Keeping a clear mind
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Passing on a love of scienceDr. Ackerman is committed to giving back to the next generation as a mentor for postdocs, grad students, and the high school students and undergraduates in the Laboratory’s Summer Student Program, one of the top student research internships in the nation.
Her success and enthusiasm are an inspiration to young, aspiring scientists, and she believes the internships are a “fantastic opportunity for students who think they’re going to be interested in research and maybe go on to grad school. They typically haven’t had a real research experience, and they can see if this is a good fit for them.”
Dr. Ackerman’s dedication to mentoring young scientists surely was an added bonus to HHMI, which also funds the Summer Student Program and research internships for the University of Maine science teachers-in-training at the Laboratory. She remembers with pride her best students over the years, including one who earned a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Washington and has gained national recognition as an authority on science policy and ethics, and another who is now pursuing a doctorate in biological chemistry at her own alma mater, UCLA.
“These students are more sophisticated than I was at that age,” she says. “They’re smart to work in a lab before grad school.” Common qualities? “Their intelligence, of course, but more than that: their work ethic, and their natural curiosity. And good hands, too! Well, you can’t tell that part of it until they get in the lab.”
Sounds familiar to those who know Dr. Ackerman. Intelligence. Strong work ethic. Natural curiosity. And good hands.
And she loves being a scientist more every day. “There’s no other job I can think of that I would like better,” she says. “I’m doing what I want to do.”
