Member SpotlightsGiving Students the Tools They Need to Succeed in the Biotech Industry Lori Kelman, Ph.D. A Science Advisory Board Member Since 2002 Lori Kelman, Ph.D., is Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences at Montgomery College and Editor of BIOS, a quarterly biology journal of the Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society. Kelman received her Ph.D. from Sloan-Kettering Institute/Weill Cornell Medical Center before teaching at Iona College, NY. She later relocated to Washington D.C. for a sabattical at the National Insitutes of Health and a subsequent position at Montgomery College. In this Member Spotlight, Kelman discusses her teaching responsibilities at Montgomery College and her increasing involvement with BIOS over the years. Academic & Professional Background I was born in New York City and attended public schools in Yonkers and Irvington, NY. I entered Mount Holyoke College as a music/art major but switched to biochemistry, performing research in molecular biology (regulation of E. coli tRNA genes). I worked on fungal lipids and earned a Master’s degree in biology from St. John’s University, but also taught (as a TA) general biology and genetics labs. From 1984-1986 I worked as a technician in the laboratory of Nam-Hai Chua at The Rockefeller University, producing transgenic plants, studying the transcription of the rbcL gene, helping to sequence the promoter region of that gene, and assisting with a number of other studies. I then joined the Ph.D. program at Sloan-Kettering Institute/Weill Cornell Medical Center (then Cornell University Medical College) and performed research on the regulation of histone genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae with Mary Ann Osley. I joined the faculty of Iona College, New Rochelle, NY, in 1991, and taught biology and interdisciplinary science. In 2000 my family relocated to the Washington DC area and I spent a sabbatical year at the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, in Rohinton Kamakaka’s lab, studying chromatin silencing. In 2001 I moved to Montgomery College, Germantown Campus, as a Professor of Biotechnology. In this capacity I prepare students for entry-level jobs in the biotechnology industry. Among the courses we offer are cell culture, protein biotechnology, and nucleic acid methods. I have served as Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences since 2005. In parallel with my career in education, I’ve had a career in science writing and publishing. I have served as Editor of BIOS: a quarterly journal of biology since 1998. BIOS is the journal of the Beta Beta Beta Biological Honor Society and is, as far as I can tell, the only journal in the world devoted to undergraduate research in the biological sciences. BIOS has more than 8500 subscribers, making it one of the larger scientific journals (if you don’t count Science and Nature!), although people who aren’t familiar with TriBeta likely haven’t heard of it. From 1996-1998 I was a (part-time) science writer for OMIM, and I enjoyed this immensely because of the wonderful people. Recent Awards & Fellowships Faculty Outstanding Service Award - Montgomery College - 2008 Make it Happen Innovation Grant - Montgomery College - 2007 Team Effort Award - President of Montgomery College - 2006 Perkins Grant - MD State Department of Education - 2005, 2008 Teaching Responsibilities As a faculty member in the Biotechnology Program, I teach courses designed to prepare students for entry-level jobs in the biotech industry. Montgomery County, MD, is home to more than 200 biotech companies, including several large companies that are manufacturing. Most of the companies follow GLP (good laboratory practice) and cGMP (current good manufacturing practice) guidelines, and so we train our students under these guidelines. Wherever possible we use methods similar to what the local industry is using. For example, our students learn how to culture cells without using antibiotics, which is standard in industry. Many of our lab protocols are written up as SOPs (standard operating procedures), and students learn how to properly document what has happened in lab and record traceability for reagents. Most biology or biochemistry majors today are not learning about GLP, and so we also offer a certificate in biotechnology for students who already hold a degree (about half of our students already have a bachelors or masters degree). In the past 8 years we’ve trained more than 130 students who have found employment. In addition, some of our students already work in the industry but come to us to either learn new skills or learn the theory behind skills they’re already adept at. I’m also chair of the Department of Natural Science at the Montgomery College Germantown campus. The department has 17 full-time faculty members and about 30 part-time faculty members as well as 10 full-time staff members. Career Motivations I’ve known I wanted to teach since serving as a TA at St. John’s University, where I earned a M.S. in biology. I truly enjoy teaching and can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing. I’ve written about this for SAB before, but I just love the feeling of helping someone understand a concept or watching someone realize something for the first time. I’m not cut out to run a lab -- I wasn’t the best researcher, I know I can’t design experiments well, and I can’t write grants, but I can be a “catalyst” that produces scientists and scientifically-literate citizens. Sometimes the old saying “if you can’t do, teach” really is true! Career Expectations When I left St. John’s University, I went to the Rockefeller University specifically to gain lab experience to make myself a more attractive candidate for Ph.D. programs. I then earned my Ph.D. from Cornell University specifically to make myself a more attractive candidate for a faculty position at a small college. That all worked well for me, and I expected to stay on the faculty of Iona College until I retired. But I met my husband, Zvika, and we moved to Maryland so he could take a position at CARB/UMBI (the Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology, part of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute). The move required that I leave a position I loved, and also to move away from my family, which is not something I thought I ever would do (I miss them terribly and don’t see them often enough). I was lucky to find a position I love at Montgomery College (with a nice commute, which is always a plus). I also like to tell my friends that I have a nice house now, and I was nowhere near being able to afford a nice house in NY. I also would not have predicted I’d become a journal Editor. I learned about BIOS at Iona College, which has a TriBeta chapter, and published two articles in the journal. When the previous Editor retired, I applied for the position and was happily surprised to be selected for an interview. Since accepting the position I’ve become very active with TriBeta and suggested that current undergraduates find out about this society. I’ve just returned from the 2008 convention, which was held at Northern Kentucky University. Nearly 200 delegates attended, and more than 80 presented their research at the conference. We also went on some wonderful field trips, such as a behind-the-scenes tour at the Cincinnati Zoo or electrofishing on the Ohio River. Serving TriBeta has been extremely rewarding, and also involves teaching. BIOS publishes undergraduate research, meaning that nearly all our authors are first-time authors, and so part of what I do is to guide our authors through the publishing process, giving them valuable experience in getting a manuscript published. I’m lucky enough to be achieving my career goal nearly every day -- my goal was to teach, and I’m doing that. I’m happy in my current position and have no plans to leave. Like all scientists I need to stay current and keep learning new things, which I also enjoy. I hope to take a sabbatical in a year or two and perform some research, most likely in the field of DNA replication. Hobbies & Interests Like many moms, a lot of my “extracurricular” life is being involved with my kids’ lives. I’m known as the “science lady” at their elementary school because I’m the parent in charge of the science fair. I’m also a co-chair of the local PTA Reflections program, an arts program. Students submit entries in one of six categories (visual arts, literature, photography, music, dance, and video) interpreting a theme (the 2009 theme is “Wow!”). I love to bake cakes and bread, and make candy (although I haven’t had time to make hand-dipped candies for the past few years, I hoped for a low-humidity fall this year and will teach my children how to make and dip the candies). If you'd like to comment on this article, or join in discussion on other topics with SAB members, please visit our community forums. Web Resources Montgomery College Biotechnology Program Tri-Beta National Biological Honor Society Publications Kelman, L.M. 2004. Would I do it all again? The Science Advisory Board Perspectives. Published online http://www.scienceboard.net/community/perspectives.112.html Kelman, L.M. and Kelman, Z. 2004. Multiple origins of replication in archaea. Trends Microbiol. 12, 399-401. Kelman, L.M., Hurwitz, J. and Kelman, Z. 2004. DNA Replication Fork, Eukaryotic. In: The Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry (Lennarz, W.J. and Lane, M.D., eds.) Academic Press/Elsevier Science, San Diego. Kelman, L.M. 2004. Deja vu all over again? The Science Advisory Board Perspectives. Published online http://scienceboard.net/community/perspectives.141.html Kelman, L.M. 2005. Women in science. Science Advisory Board Perspectives. Published online http://scienceboard.net/community/perspectives.154.html Shin, J.-H., Kelman, L.M., and Kelman, Z., (2007) Chapter 16 " Initiation of DNA replication in thermophiles ", (pages 265 - 277) in Thermophiles: biology and technology at high temperatures, edited by Frank Robb, Garabed Antranikian, Dennis Grogan and Arnold Driessen, CRC Press. pp. 265-277. ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Member Spotlights ] |
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