Interview with Sarah Goodwin
Interview with Ron Vale
Interview with Sarah Goodwin, UCSF Tetrad Graduate '11, Director of iBiology
What do you do in your current role?
As Director of iBiology, my role is very multi-faceted. On the larger scale, I lead the team, oversee video production, craft and execute new initiatives, and strategize on future directions. My day-to-day often includes working with speakers on presentations, interviewing scientists, editing the website, working on educational initiatives, and thinking about our projects and how to improve them.
Were you considering other careers? When did you decide which path you wanted to follow?
I came to UCSF in 2005 as a graduate student in the Tetrad program, with the idea that I would pursue a research career. I’ve also always been interested in education so I knew I wanted to have a teaching component to my career as well. I went to a primarily undergraduate institution and enjoyed the environment there, so thought that might be the type of institution I’d end up at. During my time at UCSF, I became involved in a lot of activities that were focused on education, such as teaching at USF and organizing RIPS. When I interviewed for post-doc positions, I made sure to let people know that I was interested in teaching too.
Ron knew about my interests, and when I graduated, Ron had just received a grant for iBiology. iBiology has a big education component, and I decided to spend a year helping Ron run the project before my post-doc. It was nice to have an experience outside the lab, and it really spoke to some of my other skills and interests. In the end, Ron offered me the job permanently. It was a hard decision for me to not continue in academia, but I was very happy to be part of iBiology and took the position. Now I don’t miss research anymore.
Who helped you to make the decision and when did you decide?
First, I talked to people in the education field, trying to make sure I understood where a job at iBiology might lead me in my career. I also spoke to faculty involved in educational efforts, such as Bruce Alberts, and my family. Ron and I spoke as well, but he wanted to be sure that it was my own decision and understood that it wasn’t an easy choice for me.
What kind of advices do you have for people who are exploring different career path?
A lot of opportunities are available at UCSF that don’t take too much time away from research, and I would encourage trainees to take advantage of these. Ron runs an amazing lab, but he is also involved in numerous scientific outreach projects. Seeing Ron devote time to the broader community was very motivating for me, and I was excited to do the same while at UCSF, which also gave me some important career experience along the way.
Interview with Ron Vale, Professor at the Cellular Molecular Pharmacology Department at UCSF and former advisor of Sarah Goodwin
How has your relationship developed or continued since Sarah has graduated?
In some ways, things have not radically changed. Working with people who are bright, motivated, and interesting is what makes life fun. Sarah hit that description when she was a graduate student, and she still does in a different context now, which is science outreach.
How did you try to foster Sarah’s interest in science outreach?
Sarah started volunteering for iBiology as a graduate student. She had an interest in science and being exposed to other things beyond lab work. My first and foremost goal was to have Sarah do something that she really wanted to do and be successful. Knowing her and her motivation, I thought that this could be a good match for her career. I also thought she would be great for the position.
What skills did Sarah bring to the table that made you feel she would be right for science outreach and iBiology?
Sarah brings a lot of real motivation to advance the goals of the project. She is very good with people, she has to motivate them, and she is very good at that. A lot of the successes of iBiology in the last four years in terms of new websites, enlarging the viewership, community engagement, and trying new video projects are things she spearheaded.
I think it is difficult for a lot of people going through this system, as trainees, to find out “where do I really belong.” That answer is going to be different for different people. I think for Sarah, this is her sweet spot, and she is incredibly good at it, and more importantly she is incredibly happy doing it.
