Dr. Rachel Bonami and graduate student Lindsay Bass challenged each other to a pipette race while we asked them some questions about their research!
Video Transcript
[off screen] Kaitlyn Browning (K): On your mark, get set, go!
VI4 Scientists Doing Things
Lindsay Bass (L): I’m Lindsay. I am a second-year grad student here in pathology, microbiology and immunology.
Rachel Bonami (R): I'm Rachel Bonami. I'm an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology here at Vanderbilt.
[What does your lab study?]
(R): So, we study autoreactive B lymphocytes and autoimmune disease. So we focus on a couple of diseases including type of diabetes, some interesting rheumatic diseases that involve muscles and lungs especially and immune checkpoint inhibitor reduced autoimmunity.
[How does your research impact human health?]
(L): At least my project is mainly focused on type one diabetes. So obviously, we are interested in understanding how B cells play a role in that for the future impact of possibly being type one diabetes biomarkers or targets for therapy in the future.
[off screen] (K): Times up!.... Who won?
(R): Oooo Lindsay got me!
(L): I think it was that last question.
(R): Yeah, I was, I was ahead and then just fell behind. Grad student for the win!
[If you weren't a scientist, what would you be?]
(L): It's, it's a good question. I've kind of always thought that I wanted to be a scientist. And I was just talking about this with some of my members, what are other career options would be? And a lot of us were like, unsure. But I think it would be really fun to open a restaurant and get to, pick the menu and the interior design and all that I think would be super fun.
(R): I, in high school thought about becoming a professional cello player but decided to go science. And I think if I wasn't a scientist, I'd probably have been an engineer because that's what my dad was.
[End race two]
(R): Oh!
(L): Oh!
(R): Oh! I got you by 2!
(L): 2 wells!
[What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?]
(R): I'm gonna go with my yoga teacher and the quote that I like a lot is wherever you are, be there.
(L): I think there's just so much good advice that I've received, but probably just the big one that, in science, there really is no failure. You can always learn from, from what people might think is failure but you're always learning.
[End race three]
(R): I don't think I won.
[laughter]
(R): No, you definitely, you got me, you got me beat by a good bit this time.
[laughter]
(R): She's the champion!