CECILIA CONACO: THE BUSINESS OF MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
[PHOTO - A 2012
scientist awardee of the L'Oreal UNESCO national fellowship, Cecilia Conaco
isolates RNA in her lab to measure gene expression in the sponge]
MANILA, AUGUST 25 2012 (PHILSTAR) SINGLES AT WORK By Aurora
Diaz-Wilson - Molecular biologists study the things that happen inside the cell.
Armed with a PhD in molecular and cellular biology from Stony Brook University
and a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of California in Sta.
Barbara, Cecilia Conaco is a scientist.
Our 5'2" bachelorette's desire to expand her knowledge led to her interest in
studying marine sponges. Her application for funding to conduct her research was
successful and it came with the recognition that Cecilia, 34, is an outstanding
female scientist. As she reflects on the tears she shed when she left Sta.
Barbara two months ago, Cecilia admits that these past few months have been a
whirlwind of an adventure that she continues to enjoy.
What we do for others: The more we understand how our cells work, the more we
can apply this information to disease treatment. Sponge is used for antibiotics,
cancer therapies, but they have not yet studied what genes are responsible for
making the natural products we get from the sponge. They cannot get enough of
the compound because the sponge makes little and it is difficult to synthesize
chemically. If we know, then it will help us to use the particular gene to
create the substance in different settings.
How I got started: Ever since I was younger, the classes I enjoyed most were
those with experiments. You get to do new things.
The name of the company I am affiliated with is the UP Marine Science
Institute. I am faculty.
My next step is to set up my own lab in UP and be an independent investigator
with my own students; have equipment and get more funds. I like being with
young, enthusiastic students. I hope they call me Cecilia. That is how we do it
in the US. It kind of makes us friends.
A memorable place for me is Yellowstone National Park. The colors of the
pools are so vivid and beautiful.
My proudest moment was when I joined the summer mentorship program in UCSTA
in Sta. Barbara. When the high school students I worked with for one and a half
months presented their paper, it seemed that they understood the whole process.
Advice is easy to follow from my PhD adviser, who was always telling me to
just keep my head down and work. Focus on what I am doing and not be concerned
with other things happening in the lab.
Good advice I have given is keep working and be critical of your results.
What makes me happy is when my experiments work. Most of the time they don't
work. There are days when we are trying to grow cells and they just don't grow …
and finally you get a batch and the cells grow.
I get inspired to explore new ideas when I get into discussions with my
friends who are scientists and listen to other scientists give their talks.
The last meal that truly impressed me was when I was doing my PhD in Stony
Brook. We would go to this Malaysian restaurant and have the nasi lemak, a rice
dish that is so good with salted fish.
One fear of mine is failing my students. Not being able to mentor them
properly.
Best quality about me… very critical of my work. I always think of what could
be wrong with it; same with the people who show me their data. I always think of
what could be wrong with it.
A trait that I have been working to address is being more self-confident. I
want to be able to present my work and talk with people about it.
After being a scientist, I realized there is always something else that I do
not know about.
A recent setback I had was having papers rejected. When you submit to a
journal for publication, it is very sad when it comes back. After you get
rejected, you just redo it and eventually it gets published. I have had a few
published.
A while ago I was browsing for scientific papers on PubMed.
My talents include baking. It's kind of like lab work except you can eat the
results.
Best gift I have given recently… I made a cake with a DNA design for my
friend's birthday.
Best gift I received are my diamond and silver earrings that I wear all the
time.
The book I am reading now is George Martin's The Song of Ice and Fire. It's a
science fiction about the politics in this fantasy place.
I remember an embarrassing moment at work when I defrosted the freezer. I
wanted to clean out the ice from the shelf and it caused a flood in the lab.
The last time I cried was when I came home and left Sta. Barbara in June
2012.
In my fridge you will always find coffee. I can't function in the morning
without a cup of my favorite coffee from Sumatra.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE
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