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Jenny Zhang
Correspondence
Women in Chemistry
“As a child in China, my mother’s bedtime stories about science Ahow scientist of great stature, anare extraordinary radios work, howwith eggs memory, a fondness cigarettes – and an occasionally hatched - had anfor effect on me. Our intimidating interview technique. Those new radio would later be found were some of the impressions we received when we asked readers dismantled, and from the Todd, former for their memories ofeggs Lord (Alexander) kitchen would turn up in bed, Professor of Organic Chemistry here, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1957. buried snugly under blankets...”
was surely more befitting a stately home than a chemistry laboratory. Lord Todd, a tall man, was reclining so far back in his chair that I was obliged to converse throughout with the soles of a pair of shoes which rested atop his highly polished desk."
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And Professor Mark Bretscher (Gonville and Caius, 1958-
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Feats of memory "Of course, he was Sir Alexander Todd when I first also recalls an interview with Todd that didn't go quite as The idea of developing more sustainable fuels fascinates postdoctoral researcher Dr Jenny encountered him in 1953, the year that I matriculated at anticipated. Zhang. and Shethe has been working in Professor Erwin Reisner’s group on the science of artificial Pembroke year of Crick and Watson’s publication andofthe development of ‘green’ solar fuels. Now, following the award ofwith a BBSRC inphotosynthesis Nature of the structure DNA..." So began Dr David "I was at Cambridge, studying Natural Sciences lots of Cohen's "My immediate impression chemistry, a subjectresearch I really enjoyed. In my third year (early Davidreminiscence. Phillips Fellowship, shefirst is setting up her own independent group here. was of his memory when he delivered his lectures on the 1961), I applied to do a PhD in the chemistry department Nucleic Acids entirely without notes. To my delight, he and had a meeting with Todd in his vast office. He ushered accepted me as a research student in 1956 with the aim of me to sit in a small chair in front of his huge desk and said synthesising oligonucleotides – and feats he understood I wanted to do within a PhD in his department: It was my showed mother further who first gotofme interested and metabolism 3D-tumour modelsdid I memory when he visited me in the lab, as he did daily when have any ideausing with whom? I had chosen Malcolm Clark in science. a varietyI said of chemical imaging techniques he was around. If, say, he wanted reagent suchback home (whoinwas my (which Directorhad of Studies at Caius). But Todd told When I me wastoa use veryayoung child, the added advantage of enabling as dibenzylphosphorochloridate, he could provide me many worksynchrotrons with Clark and, were the I China, she used to tell mefrom bedtime stories that students me towanted travel totomany around memory the reference to the Beilstein edition, volume and thunder, accepted, I might have to work with someone explained the originsthe of lightning world). I was able to arrive at newelse. drug design and the page to synthesisehow it." radios work, or how eggs are hatched. strategies using this approach. "I was unhappy with this; I was leaning towards biochemistry This apparently had a profound affect on me. Dr Cohen, Emeritus Registrar, University of Keele, adds: "In when someone suggested I look at Perutz's group in That’s the Eggs would regularly go missing from the I value environmental sustainability. those days, I used to smoke. Alex would invariably ask me if I Cavendish. I had never heard of them, but went along and kitchen and turn up buried snugly under some why I moved into artificial photosynthesis. had a cigarette and would take the pack and leave it next to discovered Francis Crick, who accepted me. When I went blankets in bed. Or the new radio would be My PhD research was highly interdisciplinary him during our discussion..." back to tell Todd of my move, he became pretty angry. If I found dismantled, presumably taken apart by and during it, I developed a deep appreciation went to Crick, he said, I would be "throwing away my career". someone who wanted a better look inside... of how interdisciplinary approaches can Interview technique He suggested that I get a PhD in a "well-founded" subject breathe fresh ideasI into old problems Other alumni remember Todd for different reasons, including like organic chemistry and then could "flirt" with molecular PhD research wasDavid in medicinal chemistry. and often catalyse breakthroughs. his somewhat intimidatingMy interview technique. biology. I went to can the Cavendish." Mynow aimHonorary was to design anti-cancer Artificial photosynthesis for sustainable fuel Rand (Trinity Hall, 1961-67), Research Fellow drugs that could penetrate deep into solid tumours. To development is also In a highly interdisciplinary at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Others had different experiences. an interview with achieve this, I synthesised a library of novel field. And as a research area, it aligns with Organisation, recalls going to see him in the early 1960s to Chem@Cam last autumn, a few months before his death, DNA intercalators and anti-cancer platinum my personal values about the importance of discuss conducting postgraduate research on nucleotides. Sir John Sulston (Pembroke, 1960-66), told us how he was complexes, and studied their bio-distribution environmental sustainability. He found it an unnerving experience. "I entered a room that accepted into the department as a PhD student by Lord Todd
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Heathrow and air pollution Last spring,inChem@Cam officially gets underway July and we reported will be on a new network of sensors that researchers from the Jones group were using at researching the electron transfer mechanism Heathrow to measure quality. The sensors distinguished behind (photo)electrogenic biofilmsair and between pollutants emitted how this can be exploited as a source of from the airport and those drifting in from the surrounding renewable energy. I’ll be supported by a very area. Some correspondence onthat thisgives feature inadvertently generous grant mewas money for two omitted from the last issue. postdocs and the necessary equipment – a Rachael Webb 3D (néeprinter Brooks; Fitzwilliam College 1979very sophisticated, high-tech that 82) wrote: Jonestypes has determined… that most allows me to print a lot of“Professor very different nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at Heathrow is not generated of materials from live cells to metal. by planes but from elsewhere, but his conclusion that pollution should not build be a barrier The Fellowship will also help me my to a third runway does not necessarily follow.” leadership skills. It aims to get Fellows on the trajectory to Pollution maps accompanying leading our own research groups confidentlythe article showed pollution plumes from aircraft taxi-ing and and successfully. So we’ll have a mentor and I’ll taking off, but also, when Crick, Todd said, would be be able to attend winds came from the east southeast, high levels of NO2 We’re designing new Icatalytic workshops where I canand learn ‘throwing away my career’ at Heathrow coming from “just north of east - the London systems to turn sunlight into ...” about leadership. I really like that this scheme to pollutiontoat Heathrow airport”. As a ‘solar fuels’. (Professor) Mark Bretscher offers not just plume moneycontributing but career progression result, Professor Jones said the article, even with a third We’re interested in turning help me become a leader in science. I feelinvery runway,this theopportunity. majority of the pollution would come from nonsunlight into chemical fuels we lucky to have gotten airport activities. call ‘solar fuels’ – sustainable and green alternatives to our current I hope my career will lead to the uncovering after his original plans – to doand voluntary service overseas Rachael disagreed. with this view, citing the increase in car unsustainable polluting of many ‘unknown unknowns’ – fell through. fuels. "I came, hat in hand, to doing the department and to drivetraffic as well air value trafficresearch that a third runway would bring. carbon-based Plants have been I want creative and as high was for interviewed Alexander Todd," he told us. "He –was the Jones research paper on this, which is to this millions ofbyyears through the process but I want toHowever achieve this whilst Group also fostering austere but amazingly of this 'refugee' with his be published shortly, takes this into account in forming the of photosynthesis. The accepting process is supported a culture of curiosity and supportive openness 2.1."enzymes, so we study enzymes and the conclusions presented in the article. by in any team that I lead. Likethat anywere scientist, I reactions that they carry out, and have made hope my career will lead to the uncovering of DavidofCohen tells us that hethat enjoyed working for Lord‘unknown Another alumna, aAnd number prototype systems can use many unknowns’ thatJenny wouldWakefield leave a (née Trubshaw, 1953Todd. "Into those we hadstarting to prepare our own supplies 1956), the article “particularly interesting” as she lives sunlight turndays, sustainable materials positive impact in thefound world. of deoxyribonucleosides fromwork herring “almost under the northerly flight path of planes flying into into solar fuels. We hope this will sperm help DNA but the biosynthetic method (published by Alex and two airport the wind is from the west or northwest”. make such fuels available to everyone in Todd future. It’s importantthe to me thatwhen we inspire more Scandinavian co-authors) had not been able to produce students – both girls and boys – to choose thedo desired result for to some time. My first task was to science. make The figures illustrating the article showed measurements To this, we need understand the basic it work! pollutionand levels as functions of wind direction and wind biophysics behind many life-sustaining I still turn up toofmeetings workshops where (‘WS’), from sensor components of nature. I am either thespeed only female, or one of thenodes few close to the southern Trialresearch and error runway at Heathrow Airport. The caption beside the top My interfaces natural photosynthetic females present. However, this is getting less "After a number of failures, I solved the problem stated showed systems with synthetic materials and chemical and less, and I figures feel that therethey is a real effortthe nitrogen dioxide and carbon serendipitously by the intervention of an American being made bydioxide levels seen to when the wind blows from the east biology techniques to develop the basic large institutions be inclusive postdoc,behind Dr. Martin Stempien, who persuaded me toand come and southeast. Jenny still wanted science artificial photosynthesis. lower barriers. The old barriers exist,to know what the levels were to lunch in the neighbouring pub just as I had put another whenare themore windcourageous was blowing westerly – i.e. from the airport More specifically, I’m wiring photosynthetic but I think women than batch of DNA a waterbath.II,Returning towards London. enzymes, suchonto as photosystem as well aslate, I decided ever in trying to climb over them, and I’m to check the solution cells by paper chromatography found living cyanobacterial to high surface area andoptimistic since I’m aware of how determined the sampleto totally This led me to take samples electrodes studydegraded. their photoelectrochemical women can be.In response Professor Jones says: “Actually, the caption at intervals of 5, 10 and 30 minutes and finally of the underneath the figures should have said ‘elevated nitrogen properties. starting material. I found that lab’s entire supply of DNA dioxide and dioxide levels when the wind blows In the meantime, I think wecarbon shouldn’t forget (several kilos) was apurinic acid – I presumed from the thebeing east and southeast’ – my mistake – and in fact the My Fellowship allows me to develop this line about positivefrom action needed to foster effect of CO2independently. and moist air. figures show allstatus wind directions’ of research males to challenge their own quo to . It’s the next step for me as it allows me to become strong counterparts of the future. “With amy fresh supply DNA, the process • Please note: this correspondence is now closed. follow own visionoffor my research. Myworked group perfectly." I came to the department nearly five years ago as a Marie Curie Incoming International Fellow to work on artificial photosynthesis in Erwin Reisner’s group. I was excited by the notion that, Lord Todd. coming from quite a different background, I would be able to bring unique perspectives into the field. I also liked the idea of being immersed in a new learning experience. It turned out to be more challenging – and at the same time more fulfilling – I expected. “Ifthan I went to work with Francis
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ISSUE 57 Spring 2018