Meet Manasi Apte
Manasi was the chair of graduate student association. As a part of that role, she participated in many outreach and fundraising initiatives. One of them was completing the Color-run 5K race.
Masasi Apte got her Ph.D at Wayne State University, Detroit, USA. She is currently doing a post-doctoral research at National Cancer Institute (National Institutes of Health), USA. Currently, Masasi is a research associate at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville
In her spare time, Manasi likes to Listen to podcasts, watching food channels, documentaries and BBS masterpiece classics, reading Indian regional literature, cooking, and travelling. She is also a passionate science communicator and public engagement practitioner.
You can find out more about her on her website.
When did your love of STEM begin?
I participated in the National children's science congress in India as a 6th grader and got to experience firsthand the glory and the complexity of STEM research to create a lasting impact in the surrounding community. I got a silver medal for my community project centered around solving the local issue of developing healthy food habits in school kids. This and similar research and outreach in STEM fields early on along with great mentoring from scientists, teachers, and my phenomenally enthusiastic 100-year-old great-grandmom certainly inspired me to continue my STEM journey.
What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?
I came to the United States from India in 2008 as a graduate student at the Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, United States. Before that, I was a trained microbiologist and had training in Biotechnology. I did my Ph.D. studying fundamental but fascinating aspects of Fruit fly development and genetics (yes, I am talking about those tiny creatures that swarm around your ripe, sweet bananas, they are very very important in biology and research!!!) After completing my Ph.D. in 2014, I started a post-doctoral research work at the National Cancer Institute (a part of NIH). I did research in the exciting field of telomere biology (a field that studies ends of our DNA) and its implications in cancer using the awesome power of yeast genetics (yes, you can brew beer, bake bread, AND do research with yeast, it is indeed amazing!) and discovered a fascinating pathway by which yeast cells devoid of their DNA ends ( mimicking some of the cancer cells) still survive using recombination. Now I am in a completely different research field but still trying to answer something interesting and exciting with different types of yeast cells and different techniques altogether!
I think that's the main draw for me to be in STEM, especially being a research scientist! It gives you the opportunity to learn, appreciate and improve constantly. It allows you to work on something that has never been tested or to be discovered for the first time ever is a feeling unmatched. For the last two decades as a researcher, I have got to work, be friends with, and interact with a diverse community of professionals across the world while speaking the same language of Science. I have got to experience different cultures, places, and philosophies while studying science! I have learned how to communicate using both verbal and non-verbal means to different audiences and that training has helped me become a better communicator over the years. Now that I am also actively pursuing Science communications and Engagement in STEM, I frequently use STEM storytelling amongst many approaches to reach scientists and non-scientists alike. It allows me to reach across various disciplines effectively while making sure the importance of STEM is passed along in easy, accessible, and understandable formats for all science-curious minds, something I immensely enjoy and strive for.
What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?
Dare to dream, work hard to achieve it, and let no one tell you otherwise! You can and you will be successful! Also, always be a STEM ambassador and look out for the community!