Antje Pokorny Almeida
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Biophysical Journal Editor, Membranes
 

At a cocktail party of non-scientists, how would you explain what you do?

Patterns. I look for patterns in observations, which is something I share with many of my biophysics colleagues. Non-scientists almost invariably assume that scientists either construct useful gadgets or develop a medication of some sort. So, rather than describe what particular problem I’m working on, I explain that we are finding patterns in nature—principles according to which “stuff works”. Then, depending on the facial expression of the person I’m speaking with, I either go find another cocktail or illustrate what that means in the context of a problem I’m currently working on.

Who would you like to sit next to at a dinner party? (Scientist or not)

More than anything, I would like to have one more dinner with two of the people who have had more of an influence on my life and how I view science than anyone else. Tom Thompson and Rod Biltonen, both of the University of Virginia. Tom passed away this December at the age of 95, and Rod doesn’t remember much thermodynamics. But yes, I would like to see Rod throw back his head again and laugh out loud when I ask him how important his beloved Second Law of Thermodynamics could possibly be, since it only came in second. During their active time, both were teachers and mentors of a kind that I aspire to be. Yes, one more dinner would be good.