Elizabeth Blackburn by Vivian

Elizabeth Blackburn by Vivian - March 2021 Scholarship Essay

My academic role model is Elizabeth Blackburn. TIME magazine listed her as one of the most influential people in the world in 2007, and she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009. She has received over 45 awards and honors in science, such as the Lasker, Gairdner, Gruber, Harvey, and AIC Gold Medal. She is also a member of many prestigious scientific societies. As an aspiring biologist, researcher, and physician's assistant, women such as Dr. Blackburn and their dedication to academia and science inspire me to follow their lead.

Blackburn was born in Australia on November 26, 1948, my same birth month. She expressed that her first love for science stemmed from her fascination with animals, and she was inspired by a great woman scientist, Marie Curie. She said that reading the biography of this extraordinary French scientist influenced her decision to study for a science degree. I, like her, am motivated by the many women scientists that have preceded me, and I am intrigued by the reasons they chose a STEM career.

Blackburn was highly dedicated to her academics and earned very grades in high school. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of Melbourne, and then immediately after, she completed her master's degree in 1972. She did not stop there; this was only the beginning. In 1974, she earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge for work on bacteriophage viruses. There, she did research with Frederick Sanger developing methods to sequence DNA using RNA. She then proceeded to do postdoctoral work at Yale University. Her research on the protozoan Tetrahymena thermophile ultimately led to the discovery of telomerase, a member of the reverse transcriptase family of enzymes. The study was about the ends of chromosomes, which carry the genetic material; these ends tend to wear down. They discovered the molecular nature of chromosome ends and the enzyme telomerase that replenishes the ends of chromosomes. The ends of chromosomes wearing down impact diseases and aging. Telomeres protect the end of the chromosome; this is a huge breakthrough discovery in science. For this research and discovery of the nature of this enzyme telomeres, Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostaks received the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Dr. Blackburn's love for cell biology is the reason she is my academic role model. Cell biology is one of my greatest areas of interest. When I do research in college and enter the work field, I will strive to be like her; a woman who broke the stigmas of STEM and contributed an existential amount of research to cell biology. Dr. Blackburn is one of the most influential scientists of our time and proof that we can make a positive impact on our world with hard work and dedication.