Breaking Barriers in Science: An Interview with the Women of the Freeman Lab
Breaking Barriers in Science: An Interview with the Women of the Freeman Lab
Freeman Lab scientists with Justin Hill
March 8, 2024
In a wing of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, spanning the Kenan, Caudill and Murray buildings; you will find the Freeman Lab, led by Dr. Ronit Freeman. The Freeman Lab is an incubator for scientific breakthroughs across materials science, biomedical research and engineering. Whether working with sensors to more effectively detect diseases like COVID-19; finding breakthroughs by using peptides as building block materials in pursuit of cancer delivery treatment; or investigating potential mechanisms to reverse diseases like Alzheimer’s and pulmonary fibrosis – the lab has no shortage of studies underway. To propel these studies requires remarkable people. I was able to chat with some of them, and give you a glimpse at the women behind these studies.
Who are the women trailblazers that have inspired you to pursue a career in science?
Ronit: I was lucky to have many inspirations and I believe that as we progress from young girls to women, we need to have support in each of these phases to be able to successfully pursue a career in science. My first and most supportive inspiration is my mother, Ilana, from as early as I can remember always encouraged me and told me that there is nothing I cannot do, if I want it enough and I am willing to work hard for it. During elementary school I had a wonderful female teacher, Nurit, who has since passed, who was able to support my increasing curiosity. In high school, I was fortunate to have another female teacher named Ronit, who identified my drive and ambition and provided unique learning and mentoring opportunities. During my army training, I was in a unit with very few women, but there was one senior female officer who became my mentor and recommended me for officer training – an experience that has changed my life for the better and provided me with leadership and communications skills I use daily. During my academic training as a chemist and a computer scientist, I was inspired by the 2009 Nobel Price Laurate in Chemistry, Ada Yonath. I first met Ada in 2004. She was in the lab, enthusiastically talking about the science she does and the systems she is interested in. During that first encounter, she mentioned to me that some of her discoveries were met with disbelief from the international scientific community. She also spoke about, how challenging the journey can be, but because of the belief she has in her work, she always pushes forward. Her words had a big effect on me as a young graduate student, and I thought – wow – the journey might be less glamorous than what it seems from the outside. After she received the Nobel Prize, she publicly shared some of the criticism she received including hearing things like “this is a dead-end road’, or: ‘you will be dead before you get there’. Criticism that could have broken her – but it didn’t – and she showed them all wrong. Many are talented and hard-working, but the ability to persevere and go after a vision despite all the obstacles in the way, is truly inspiring.
Maggie: I am inspired by my Mom, who became a fantastic mechanical engineer in spite of voices at the time openly discouraging women from STEM careers.
Ana: A woman who has inspired me to pursue a science career is yet to become a woman -my beautiful daughter Amelia. Professor Ronit Freeman is another strong woman who inspires me. Her way of teaching and her strong dedication to her work are truly inspirational.
Shreeya: One of my inspirations in science and in life is Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi. When she won the Nobel Prize, the entire scientific community came together to celebrate her. They spoke about the impact she had made personally and professionally, and the acts of kindness and generosity she consistently shows in her daily interactions. She is also a guitarist in a band, which is very cool!
Gabi: My mother is an electrical engineer and without a doubt has been the biggest inspiration for me my entire life. She has taught me how to advocate for myself and to be persistent in times of difficulty. My 10th grade Biology teacher, Ms. Chartier, taught me how to excel in science and to also love it in its entirety and complexity. My previous mentors, Dr. Felicitas Bidlack and Dr. Megan Pugach inspired me to challenge myself beyond my current understanding of Biology and encouraged me to pursue more engineering-based disciplines.
Elnaz: My MSc advisor Prof. Lida Fotouhi is my inspiration. She was very energetic and had a creative approach to research that unlocked new scientific horizons for me. Her enthusiasm for science and her tireless efforts were always a motivator for me. I work every day to continue in her path with the hopes that I will one day provide inspiration and clear the path for my students to follow.
Kristen: Excellent high school teachers nurtured my curiosity in science
Bar: The women in my life have inspired me the most to continue my science career. In high school, I learned of Dr. Ronit Freeman through a research internship at the School of Pharmacy; seeing her lab and research left me in awe. The professors I’ve had throughout my degree, such as Dr. Leslie Hicks, Dr. Joanna Atkin, and Dr. Carribeth Bliem, have also created a very welcoming and encouraging environment for me to pursue Chemistry and research at UNC. Dr. Brandie Ehrmann’s work in the mass spectrometry core with street drug checking is also highly impactful and aspirational.
Ronit: I was lucky to have many inspirations and I believe that as we progress from young girls to women, we need to have support in each of these phases to be able to successfully pursue a career in science. My first and most supportive inspiration is my mother, Ilana, from as early as I can remember always encouraged me and told me that there is nothing I cannot do, if I want it enough and I am willing to work hard for it. During elementary school I had a wonderful female teacher, Nurit, who has since passed, who was able to support my increasing curiosity. In high school, I was fortunate to have another female teacher named Ronit, who identified my drive and ambition and provided unique learning and mentoring opportunities. During my army training, I was in a unit with very few women, but there was one senior female officer who became my mentor and recommended me for officer training – an experience that has changed my life for the better and provided me with leadership and communications skills I use daily. During my academic training as a chemist and a computer scientist, I was inspired by the 2009 Nobel Price Laurate in Chemistry, Ada Yonath. I first met Ada in 2004. She was in the lab, enthusiastically talking about the science she does and the systems she is interested in. During that first encounter, she mentioned to me that some of her discoveries were met with disbelief from the international scientific community. She also spoke about, how challenging the journey can be, but because of the belief she has in her work, she always pushes forward. Her words had a big effect on me as a young graduate student, and I thought – wow – the journey might be less glamorous than what it seems from the outside. After she received the Nobel Prize, she publicly shared some of the criticism she received including hearing things like “this is a dead-end road’, or: ‘you will be dead before you get there’. Criticism that could have broken her – but it didn’t – and she showed them all wrong. Many are talented and hard-working, but the ability to persevere and go after a vision despite all the obstacles in theway, is truly inspiring.
Maggie: I am inspired by my Mom, who became a fantastic mechanical engineer in spite of voices at the time openly discouraging women from STEM careers.
Ana: A woman who has inspired me to pursue a science career is yet to become a woman -my beautiful daughter Amelia. Professor Ronit Freeman is another strong woman who inspires me. Her way of teaching and her strong dedication to her work are truly inspirational.
Shreeya: One of my inspirations in science and in life is Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi. When she won the Nobel Prize, the entire scientific community came together to celebrate her. They spoke about the impact she had made personally and professionally, and the acts of kindness and generosity she consistently shows in her daily interactions. She is also a guitarist in a band, which is very cool!
Gabi: My mother is an electrical engineer and without a doubt has been the biggest inspiration for me my entire life. She has taught me how to advocate for myself and to be persistent in times of difficulty. My 10th grade Biology teacher, Ms. Chartier, taught me how to excel in science and to also love it in its entirety and complexity. My previous mentors, Dr. Felicitas Bidlack and Dr. Megan Pugach inspired me to challenge myself beyond my current understanding of Biology and encouraged me to pursue more engineering-based disciplines.
Elnaz: My MSc advisor Prof. Lida Fotouhi is my inspiration. She was very energetic and had a creative approach to research that unlocked new scientific horizons for me. Her enthusiasm for science and her tireless efforts were always a motivator for me. I work every day to continue in her path with the hopes that I will one day provide inspiration and clear the path for my students to follow.
Kristen: Excellent high school teachers nurtured my curiosity in science
Bar: The women in my life have inspired me the most to continue my science career. In high school, I learned of Dr. Ronit Freeman through a research internship at the School of Pharmacy; seeing her lab and research left me in awe. The professors I’ve had throughout my degree, such as Dr. Leslie Hicks, Dr. Joanna Atkin, and Dr. Carribeth Bliem, have also created a very welcoming and encouraging environment for me to pursue Chemistry and research at UNC. Dr. Brandie Ehrmann’s work in the mass spectrometry core with street drug checking is also highly impactful and aspirational.
"...anything is amazing if you look close enough"
"...anything is amazing if you look close enough"
Which instrument do you find most interesting to work with?
Ronit: I love working with the various transmission and scanning electron microscopes that show us that anything is amazing if you look close enough.
Gabi: I’ve recently been learning a lot about live-cell imaging, so I love our ThermoFisher EVOS microscope. I’m really looking forward to getting acquainted with our bioscaffolder, a new 3D bioprinter, to help me construct tunable hydrogels for testing various models of drug delivery.
Elnaz: Potentiostat/Galvanostat has been my friend for over 14 years, and I am always eager to learn more about its use in various scientific fields. I also became interested in using the microcontact printer for biosensing applications in the Freeman lab.
Bar: I find the atomic absorption spectrometer interesting to work with. I love seeing the solution burn and change colors as different analytes are run through and the simplicity of this instrument.
Kameryn: Working with confocal fluorescent microscopes! They allow me to capture scientific discoveries in a colorful way.
What research are you most proud for having been involved in?
Ronit: I am extremely proud of the research we did during the Covid pandemic. The pandemic highlighted for me how much power and impact science has globally, and how important the work we do is. Since March 2020, when the world closed, we were committed to see how our ability to learn from nature and mimic its engineering design rules, can be used to create value and answer a real-world challenge. We took on rapid diagnostics as that challenge – the ability to provide a reliable, fast, and cost-effective detection of Sars-CoV-2. With limited resources, and restrictions due to the closure, we were determined to make it work. We were able to develop multiple new technologies for diagnostics of Sars-CoV-2 that we are now in the process of commercializing, as well as expanding the tech to other viruses and the evolving virus. Our work also gave us a better understanding of infection mechanisms that enabled others to build on and utilize for development of antivirals and other drugs.
Elnaz: Designing electrochemical biosensors to assess the effect of Persian Gulf algae for prevention of DNA damage; designing biosensors to detect exosomes and circular tumor cell biomarkers in breast cancer; fabricating self-charging batteries powered by moisture; developing lateral flow biosensors to monitor multiple disease biomarkers.
Shreeya: My proudest moments are when the new anticancer therapy I am developing in the Freeman Lab effectively destroys tumors. It gives me hope to contribute one day to finding novel treatments to deadly glioblastoma (brain cancer).
Gabi: I’m absolutely thrilled to be working on a treatment for lung fibrosis in the Freeman Lab. I’m very much looking forward to how it would affect future outcomes for people living with such a debilitating and deadly disease.
Kristen: A comparison of the bioactivity of different bisphenols that could potentially be used as a guide in choosing less harmful alternatives to BPA in the production of plastics. To survive, we need to manage the transition to materials that are not only more sustainable, but also safer for ourselves and the biomes we depend upon.
Micah: Because of its potential to change people’s lives, I’m proud of my PhD work in the Freeman lab understanding how airway mucus comes together to form insoluble aggregates that trigger mucus accumulation in respiratory diseases.
Ronit: I love working with the various transmission and scanning electron microscopes that show us that anything is amazing if you look close enough.
Gabi: I’ve recently been learning a lot about live-cell imaging, so I love our ThermoFisher EVOS microscope. I’m really looking forward to getting acquainted with our bioscaffolder, a new 3D bioprinter, to help me construct tunable hydrogels for testing various models of drug delivery.
Elnaz: Potentiostat/Galvanostat has been my friend for over 14 years, and I am always eager to learn more about its use in various scientific fields. I also became interested in using the microcontact printer for biosensing applications in the Freeman lab.
Bar: I find the atomic absorption spectrometer interesting to work with. I love seeing the solution burn and change colors as different analytes are run through and the simplicity of this instrument.
Kameryn: Working with confocal fluorescent microscopes! They allow me to capture scientific discoveries in a colorful way.
What research to date are you most proud for having been involved in?
Ronit: I am extremely proud of the research we did during the Covid pandemic. The pandemic highlighted for me how much power and impact science has globally, and how important the work we do is. Since March 2020, when the world closed, we were committed to see how our ability to learn from nature and mimic its engineering design rules, can be used to create value and answer a real-world challenge. We took on rapid diagnostics as that challenge – the ability to provide a reliable, fast, and cost-effective detection of Sars-CoV-2. With limited resources, and restrictions due to the closure, we were determined to make it work. We were able to develop multiple new technologies for diagnostics of Sars-CoV-2 that we are now in the process of commercializing, as well as expanding the tech to other viruses and the evolving virus. Our work also gave us a better understanding of infection mechanisms that enabled others to build on and utilize for development of antivirals and other drugs.
Elnaz: Designing electrochemical biosensors to assess the effect of Persian Gulf algae for prevention of DNA damage; designing biosensors to detect exosomes and circular tumor cell biomarkers in breast cancer; fabricating self-charging batteries powered by moisture; developing lateral flow biosensors to monitor multiple disease biomarkers.
Shreeya: My proudest moments are when the new anticancer therapy I am developing in the Freeman Lab effectively destroys tumors. It gives me hope to contribute one day to finding novel treatments to deadly glioblastoma (brain cancer).
Gabi: I’m absolutely thrilled to be working on a treatment for lung fibrosis in the Freeman Lab. I’m very much looking forward to how it would affect future outcomes for people living with such a debilitating and deadly disease.
Kristen: A comparison of the bioactivity of different bisphenols that could potentially be used as a guide in choosing less harmful alternatives to BPA in the production of plastics. To survive, we need to manage the transition to materials that are not only more sustainable, but also safer for ourselves and the biomes we depend upon.
Micah: Because of its potential to change people’s lives, I’m proud of my PhD work in the Freeman lab understanding how airway mucus comes together to form insoluble aggregates that trigger mucus accumulation in respiratory diseases.
Where do you see the Biomaterials field in 10 years?
Ronit: Biomaterials already play an integral role in medicine and are used to restore function and facilitate healing for people with certain injuries or disease. Over the next decade we will be able to engineer more complex life-like properties in otherwise static materials, to be able to have them morph, and change in response to changing environments, and resemble more our natural tissues and organs. These future materials will enable us to treat a broader variety of conditions as well as personalize treatments according to the patient’s needs.
Gabi: I would love to see how injectable hydrogel scaffolds have advanced to repair tissue affected by inflammatory diseases!
Elnaz: In future we will see an increase in the use of biosensors in clinical centers for the early diagnosis of various diseases, including cancer. Recently, extensive research has been conducted in the preparation of various biosensors for the analysis of exosomes for the detection of cancer biomarkers, and biological fluids containing exosomes that affect cellular communication by transporting biomolecules. This will enable cancer to be monitored in a non-invasive manner and help improve survival rates and quality of life of cancer patients.
Kristen: One of the reasons I wanted to join the Freeman Lab was because I see an increasing amount of research into cellular structures as materials, and I wanted to be a part of that. I’m hopeful for advances in the understanding of cellular membranes to facilitate the development of osmosis in brackish water as a power source.
Bar: I see mass spectrometry imaging advancing in the future and becoming a more common imaging technique. In this type of imaging is where both an image and mass spectrometry measurements are collected simultaneously for a surface and this breadth of information is incredibly powerful.
Ronit: Biomaterials already play an integral role in medicine and are used to restore function and facilitate healing for people with certain injuries or disease. Over the next decade we will be able to engineer more complex life-like properties in otherwise static materials, to be able to have them morph, and change in response to changing environments, and resemble more our natural tissues and organs. These future materials will enable us to treat a broader variety of conditions as well as personalize treatments according to the patient’s needs.
Gabi: I would love to see how injectable hydrogel scaffolds have advanced to repair tissue affected by inflammatory diseases!
Elnaz: In future we will see an increase in the use of biosensors in clinical centers for the early diagnosis of various diseases, including cancer. Recently, extensive research has been conducted in the preparation of various biosensors for the analysis of exosomes for the detection of cancer biomarkers, and biological fluids containing exosomes that affect cellular communication by transporting biomolecules. This will enable cancer to be monitored in a non-invasive manner and help improve survival rates and quality of life of cancer patients.
Kristen: One of the reasons I wanted to join the Freeman Lab was because I see an increasing amount of research into cellular structures as materials, and I wanted to be a part of that. I’m hopeful for advances in the understanding of cellular membranes to facilitate the development of osmosis in brackish water as a power source.
Bar: I see mass spectrometry imaging advancing in the future and becoming a more common imaging technique. In this type of imaging is where both an image and mass spectrometry measurements are collected simultaneously for a surface and this breadth of information is incredibly powerful.
Bar: I see mass spectrometry imaging advancing in the future and becoming a more common imaging technique. In this type of imaging is where both an image and mass spectrometry measurements are collected simultaneously for a surface and this breadth of information is incredibly powerful.
If a little girl were looking to you as an inspiration to pursue a career in science, how would you want her to see you?
Ronit: I have a little girl myself – and the most satisfying moment for me is to see myself through her eyes and in her drawings – she is drawing me as both feminine and powerful, with a super girl symbol on my lab coat – it does not get better than this!
Maggie: Good science emerges from a collection of brains. When we exclude certain types of people from STEM fields, we limit what humans can understand and create. We NEED women and young girls to take up space in the sciences, and we deserve to do so! I wish for young women pursuing a career in science to recognize their own power and value.
Ana: I’d want her to know that background doesn’t limit you. I never imagined myself surrounded by scientists, but opportunities are always around us; all it takes is a willingness to take the first step. I’d also want her to know she will face challenges, but she shouldn’t let these discourage her. Instead, she can use these as motivators and learning opportunities.
Gabi: My career in science has been anything but linear, so I would want to appear as a wearer of many hats. Not only are hats cute, but different experiences collectively contribute to progress in research. Science is for everyone, regardless of their background or setbacks, and that has allowed so many scientific barriers and gaps of knowledge to be broken down.
Kristen: Science is the most efficient way to harness creativity for the common good. I sometimes feel out of place, or like my sensory sensitivities due to autism add an unnecessary and unwelcome level of challenge to my work. I hope my own different perspectives can be an asset in my work so I too can contribute back to the field of science that I love so much.
Bar: I’d like her to see how much fun she can have! I view science through a fun lens, and I would like others to see that in me and to encourage them to pursue science as well. It’s fun for me to grow cells, it’s fun to pipette, it’s fun to run a gel, and it’s fun to light a spreader on fire before culturing bacteria. You can have fun and make great contributions to science.
Kameryn: I would like her to see me as someone who is excited and curious about learning all the little details and being creative. That creativity can not only be shown in the research lab, but also in personal/self-expression.
Micah: As a transwoman there weren’t many role models when I was growing up, much less ones in science. I’d want her to see me and know that a professional career in science is possible.
Ronit: I have a little girl myself – and the most satisfying moment for me is to see myself through her eyes and in her drawings – she is drawing me as both feminine and powerful, with a super girl symbol on my lab coat – it does not get better than this!
Maggie: Good science emerges from a collection of brains. When we exclude certain types of people from STEM fields, we limit what humans can understand and create. We NEED women and young girls to take up space in the sciences, and we deserve to do so! I wish for young women pursuing a career in science to recognize their own power and value.
Ana: I’d want her to know that background doesn’t limit you. I never imagined myself surrounded by scientists, but opportunities are always around us; all it takes is a willingness to take the first step. I’d also want her to know she will face challenges, but she shouldn’t let these discourage her. Instead, she can use these as motivators and learning opportunities.
Gabi: My career in science has been anything but linear, so I would want to appear as a wearer of many hats. Not only are hats cute, but different experiences collectively contribute to progress in research. Science is for everyone, regardless of their background or
setbacks, and that has allowed so many scientific barriers and gaps of knowledge to be broken down.
Kristen: Science is the most efficient way to harness creativity for the common good. I sometimes feel out of place, or like my sensory sensitivities due to autism add an unnecessary and unwelcome level of challenge to my work. I hope my own different perspectives can be an asset in my work so I too can contribute back to the field of science that I love so much.
Bar: I’d like her to see how much fun she can have! I view science through a fun lens, and I would like others to see that in me and to encourage them to pursue science as well. It’s fun for me to grow cells, it’s fun to pipette, it’s fun to run a gel, and it’s fun to light a spreader on fire before culturing bacteria. You can have fun and make great contributions to science.
Kameryn: I would like her to see me as someone who is excited and curious about learning all the little details and being creative. That creativity can not only be shown in the research lab, but also in personal/self-expression.
Micah: As a transwoman there weren’t many role models when I was growing up, much less ones in science. I’d want her to see me and know that a professional career in science is possible.
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