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. 2018 Jul 6;293(27):10435-10437.
doi: 10.1074/jbc.AW118.003225. Epub 2018 Apr 11.

My winding trail while fulfilling my love for science and family

Kim Orth  1
Affiliations

My winding trail while fulfilling my love for science and family

Kim Orth. J Biol Chem. .

Abstract

My winding path toward a career in science was awkward, like an adolescent finding an identity. It did not follow a classic course; it had many interruptions, complications, and challenges. It also involved a bit of luck and extremely supportive colleagues, mentors, and family, including my husband, children, and in-laws. I was inspired to tell my story here because I met a young woman interviewing in 2018 for graduate school who is growing up with the same complicated family expectations, social challenges, love for science, and desire to be a scientist as I had four decades ago. Her future is uncertain, because her chosen academic path is not encouraged by those around her. We, as a society, must find ways to encourage, promote, enable, and give strength to those who want to follow their dreams, despite facing many challenges in their lives. Here are some things I learned on my career path that I hope might be helpful for others.

Keywords: AMPylation; YopJ; acetylation; enzyme mechanism; microbiology; post-translational modification (PTM); signal transduction; type III secretion system (T3SS).

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that she has no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article

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