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00:00:01
Professor Lyn Beazley
27 Plays1 year ago
Lyn shares how a microscope, a couple of follow up phone calls and handwritten letters helped her on the incredible career journey she has had from the early stages of Neuroscience to WA Australian of the Year.
We also talk about the mentor/mentee relationship and how she continues to support science and scientists in their journeys.
Transcript
Introduction to the Podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to Signpost Safety Nets and Squads, a podcast about all those people who help us along our journeys. Today's guest has been a neuroscientist, a WA chief scientist and a WA Australian of the Year.
Career-defining Moments and Objects
00:00:17
Speaker
Come and hear how a microscope, a handwritten letter and a voice on the end of a phone call helped Lynn along her career journey and hear how I helped Lynn achieve one of her goals for today.
00:00:31
Speaker
Welcome, Professor Lynn Beasley.
Inspiration from School and Teachers
00:00:34
Speaker
I'm honoured to be here. Thank you so much for inviting me. I've been really interested to hear about the people along your journey who've helped you along the ways. Where would you like to start? Gosh, there have been so many. Let's go back to school because I believe that's hugely important for young people.
00:00:52
Speaker
We have to get them enthusiastic, we have to get them loving learning and experiencing the world. That's what science is about for me. And more widely, enjoying the arts, learning languages. So so for school, I guess my most influential teacher was my botany teacher.
Influences During University
00:01:11
Speaker
and it wasn't actually in a classroom. She took us on an expedition, and she could probably tell I'm not Australian, and I was born back in Britain, went to a state school, grammar school they were called in those days, and we did a visit to Charles Darwin's house. and It's probably all now sort of encased in glass and and hallowed, but in those days, you could actually walk into the room where he did most of his research,
00:01:38
Speaker
see his desk and his microscope was there, and they let me look through his microscope. I looked through the microscope that Charles Darwin had used each day. I wanted to be a biologist, I was inspired. So my first person would be, I think, Miss Kendall, and I think nearly everyone will say there was a teacher who influenced them in a positive way. So that would be my first one.
00:02:05
Speaker
I know teachers are are really important. I think i would having been a teacher myself, I would definitely ascribe to a lot of scientists start off from their teachers at school. Absolutely. And they probably never even know the the impact that they had just by yet, taking you to Darwin's house. I know. It was very special.
00:02:22
Speaker
And I guess moving on to university, having the support at school to be able to apply to different universities and then be accepted. I went up to read Botany. and In fact, I switched to Zoology shortly afterwards. It was really where my passion was. I just not done Zoology at school. And I guess there were lots of inspiring people during my undergraduate time.
00:02:47
Speaker
I mean, we even had a Nobel Laureate there, nico Professor Nico Timberg, and imagine that being taught animal behavior by a Nobel Laureate. you know How extraordinary would that be? And I guess the most influential person for me during that time was the professor of of zoology, a wonderful chap called John Pringle. He's expertise was in insects and particularly insect flight. And you know, I only discovered last week that he was a regular visitor to Australia and beyond that to Western Australia and to the southwest of Western Australia because the ah flora and fauna we have here are so extraordinary and unique and he came regularly and had many friends here
00:03:33
Speaker
and I only just discovered that. So I guess he was my next mentor and and inspiration.
New Beginnings in Australia
00:03:40
Speaker
um and I had no idea when we decided that before we really settled down to life, we should see a bit more of the world. Initially, we came to Australia, my husband and I, when we came for jobs for two years to see the world.
00:03:54
Speaker
But very soon after we came here, we realized that this is where we wanted to be. This is the country we felt right in and was very welcoming to us. But also for me, it was extraordinary because even though I had a degree and then a PhD by then and in biological things, the whole treasure trove of of Australia and the animals and plants here were just a complete revelation for me.
00:04:18
Speaker
And that was very wonderful. So it meant I could set my medical research career in the context of Australia. And that let me, I think, really thrive and attract many people who shared my vision and my appreciation of all the things we have in Australia here and how special and precious they are for us.
00:04:39
Speaker
and how many lessons we can learn from them. Did you come here with the zoology and then switch into biomedical and neuroscience or was it something you were doing before you? and My PhD was in ah in neuroscience. It was a name that didn't even exist then. It was developed after I started in the field which gave those of us who are in it, a bit of a head start.
Transitioning to Neuroscience
00:05:00
Speaker
So I was really working on recovery from brain damage, but some animals, particularly lowly creatures, which they aren't really, but fish and frogs and the like, are very much better at restoring central nerve connections than the mammals are. So that was my transition from zoology into the world of medical research.
00:05:21
Speaker
what's in those animals or missing from those animals that lets these nerves regrow when in us, if you break the art the nerve that joins the eyes of the brain or you damage your spinal cord, at the moment, sadly, we can't initiate recovery, yet one of these animals could do it within about a month.
00:05:41
Speaker
So you know it was a ah wonderful model to use to begin to get more insights into the process. We're not there yet. Somebody else is going to to break through on that. We made lots of discoveries on the way, but it's still for the next generation to solve that problem.
00:05:56
Speaker
standing on the shoulders of those comforters. That's right. So along this journey, who's the next big person that stands out for you? I built up a research team which had a wonderful diversity of people in it.
Mentorship and Support in Career
00:06:11
Speaker
And so all of my team, and I could mention so many,
00:06:15
Speaker
we all work together in a very integrated way. But I have to say that externally, I was very fortunate because I came to Australia at a time when the National Health and Medical Research Council was really extending their career fellowship program to far greater numbers of people.
00:06:36
Speaker
and I was fortunate enough to gain one of those fellowships ah in fact when the letter turned out asking me if i would like to apply.
00:06:47
Speaker
I actually thought because I had one, everyone must have done. So I didn't keep it. And a voice from Canberra came on the phone and said to me, you haven't applied for one of these. Why don't you? And I went, well, maybe I should. So that voice at the end of the phone was pretty important for me, whoever it was. I don't know the name of that person, but I'm delighted they followed up.
00:07:08
Speaker
But there was a wonderful professor called Professor John Coughlin, who was in charge of that program. And those of us who gained fellowships, I'll never forget, he wrote each of us a personal congratulation letter. He kept in touch with us all. He mentored us and supported us.
00:07:25
Speaker
and Mentoring for me is hugely important. I'm delighted to say that I mentor. It's never a mentor-mentee relationship. Each side mentors the other, but I've benefited by mentors and hopefully ah helping others in a ah mentor capacity right now. A lot of these people along the way and how many people write congratulations letters handwritten, things like that means so much. and I've treasured that letter to this day. And so great of him to keep in touch, I guess, once, you know, not just like, hey, you've got it in a fun way, it's it's really good. And that doesn't happen a lot these days. Well, it was making sure the next generation of medical researchers had the support and guidance they needed, because it's not just giving you a fellowship covering your salary, for example, and a little consumables, it's guiding you
00:08:17
Speaker
and know What sort of area, what issues should you be tackling? How do you build a research group? How do you become a good supervisor of PhDs and other students? How do you work in teams? Because teams are just the strength of of an organization. And all of that is when you're a young researcher, there's an awful lot to learn. There is for everybody always, but particularly at that stage.
00:08:41
Speaker
So I think having different mentors as my career developed has been really important to me and the generosity of people. And what I've learned is if you don't ask someone for help, most people will give it, but very often you don't have the courage to ask, but go ahead and ask. The worst they can say is no, and most of the time they won't, they will say yes. So the very first grant application I wrote to the National Health and Medical Research Council I asked five people to read it. and Some wrote detailed notes. ah One of them even went through the re list of references to see if I'd left anything else. Some did picture stuff about what the title should be and the 100-word description, but I learned from every single one of those. and I was a newie on the block. I'd only just come to Western Australia. I hadn't established a career then in Australia, yet they had that generosity to help and support me. and but That, I think, is
00:09:40
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is wonderful, but it's also a responsibility for those of us who then then can help the next generation come through.
Role as WA Chief Scientist
00:09:52
Speaker
um I'm keen to know, how does one become a state chief scientist? Well, the things I had done that might make the government interested in me, because I believe you always have to be a good citizen scientist. So I'd done a lot of work with the National Health and Medical Research Council on various committees, research committee, ethics committees and the like.
00:10:15
Speaker
Similarly for the Australian Research Council, but I'd also worked in WA very collaboratively. We had a wonderful program called the Neurotrauma Research Program. One dollar out of every speed camera fine, when you went over the limit on the road, went into a program to support research into recovery from brain damage because that's one of the consequences sadly of accidents and I coordinated that between clinicians and basic researchers and they were marvelous people and it all went really well.
00:10:49
Speaker
The other thing I'd done that had brought me to government attention was that I was lucky enough to become a trustee of the WA Museum. So once you do that, then you get politicians and bureaucrats and captains of industry and fascinating people, leaders in the community coming for launches, for exhibition launches, for you know If there's a new discovery the museum has made to publicize that, I can remember finding the skeleton of Talako Leo, the Australian lion. How exciting was that? so I got to meet all these people. Then the job of chief scientist was advertised. I didn't actually apply. and The reason I didn't apply was because I wasn't sure I could do absolutely every aspect of it. I knew I could do most of it, but I wasn't sure I could do every angle.
00:11:38
Speaker
but luckily they contacted me and asked me if I'd be interested in the job and could I please apply and then I did. It was interviewed by the Minister then for Technology and then by the Minister of Science who happened to be the Premier and there I was with a career in medical research that I really loved but at a stage when I had a wonderful lab who were doing amazing things so I could step ah off into other arenas and this one appeared, which for me was just a marvelous opportunity. and I met so many new people and it explored new areas I hadn't known before, but I did know an awful lot of people across all the universities, CSIRO, quite a few from industry, certainly government people and community people before I took on the job. and I think that gave me a really nice head start.
00:12:30
Speaker
And did you enjoy the time that you had across while you were the chief scientist? Because you were there for several years. Oh, ask any chief scientist. They'll say it's the best job in the world. um You meet fascinating people. You get fascinating issues to address. Long-term ones, health of the environment. Then you get short-term ones.
00:12:52
Speaker
um scientific input on where to put the next hospital or to build and a new harbor through to issues about reforestation and of course for WA a very big issue of protecting endangered species. Can we support all of them that need support?
00:13:09
Speaker
How do we work out the the resources we have? so These are all a whole range of fascinating topics, but I had two areas in particular that I really sort of concentrated on, not to the exclusion of anything else, but I made them important for me. and One was getting networks of women in science at a stage when this wasn't the popular thing to do, but is now, of course,
00:13:34
Speaker
ah Because we don't have enough women, scientists, technologies, engineers, and mathematicians, not only in academia, but in industry, in government, in key community positions. So I was very keen on that across the whole state. But the other one was sam when science technology engineering and math was a new acronym and people were still asking you what it was to look at that pipeline through from primary school secondary school uni and take into a meaningful job for that individual and to meet communities needs so it's looking at
00:14:12
Speaker
the economic, environmental, social aspects of how STEM can work for you. So wasn't I lucky to be able to do those things?
Advocacy for Women in STEM
00:14:21
Speaker
Incredibly lucky. I think ah you know many people would like to have the chance to effect change and to be in a position to do that must be wonderful. Absolutely. It was a privilege and an honor. It was hugely busy. One of the things I was particularly involved with, and this was hugely exciting for me because I've always loved the night sky, was the bid to host a square kilometre array of radio telescopes, you know arguably the largest project the planet's ever known. and At the end of many years negotiations, a very nice solution was that
00:14:54
Speaker
Parts of the telescope came here to Western Australia, to the Murchison region, and others went to um our friends in South Africa. So I got to know an awful lot of the astronomy community, both here and internationally. And and to argue the case of Australia being a superb place, had to be Southern Hemisphere because we look towards the center of the galaxy, which is really the interesting place to look. So we had that advantage for us in the Southern Hemisphere, but to work with I think there are about 10 countries involved. I think there are far more now. But to see the international effort that was put together to support this initiative was extraordinary and very special for me. It's a brilliant asset to yeah Australian astronomy and and the work that goes on out there. Yes, KA. Absolutely. And it's still growing, but new discoveries are just amazing. I'm kind of interested to know if along your journey, you've had what I would call squads. So people who are
00:15:51
Speaker
cheerleaders from the sidelines who may not necessarily be in the line but are there telling you you can do this, you got this. Well, I guess I must have had those when I was chief scientist, because, you know, people knew about me and suggested I would do the job. So unknown to me, there must have been lots of cheerleaders there. But I have many cheerleaders who supported me through um people from industry that I got to know the big end of town, the resources companies and the like, of course, very prominent here in WA, the agricultural sector.
00:16:24
Speaker
ah fisheries and the like. So I think there are a lot of people who were in in my cheer squad, I'm pleased to say. Certainly schools were because they've realized how close to my heart education is. I hope women were saying, yes, you know more women would have the confidence to go into STEM or return to STEM jobs or other training in STEM. So I'm hoping that they were the cheer squad as they went along.
00:16:50
Speaker
And I stepped down after seven years. I thought it was the right time. you know I'd ah done a lot. I'd been very happy with what I'd done. But my gosh, you know that's it's a very busy seven years for me. But I realize so many people now that I continue to work within different areas on a pro bono basis, they were probably cheering for me, which which was fantastic.
Building a Career in WA
00:17:13
Speaker
um Before that at university, I think people like the vice chancellor of the university were a big supporter. And what I loved particularly when I first came to Western Australia was how open-minded and supportive people were. So if I would go along as a new person. They'd never seen me. They'd ask which research team you in. And I said, I'm not. I'm my own person setting up my own you know lab. That was me before I had postdocs and PhDs and others joining me. But if I went to them and asked to use a piece of equipment, have access to study the animals that they were involved with,
00:17:51
Speaker
if If I went out and asked whether I could you know so study things at the university farm, people always said yes. They never found an excuse which would have been easier for them. and I think in other places, sometimes I wouldn't have had that easy access. so I think a lot of people were really supportive and and supporting me. and That generosity, I think, has been very special to me.
00:18:20
Speaker
I really love what you said where you looked at the chief scientist position and went, I think I've got some of it, but not all of it. ah So I won't go for it. And then someone calls you and says, you can do this. And in fact, you can do it. And you did it wonderfully. right That's one I think they suggest to people if you can do.
00:18:37
Speaker
most of a job, and you can learn the rest, then go for it. I mean, I could never be a ballet dancer or an opera singer, please, that's way beyond my skill sets. But if you've got most of what the job requires, and you're prepared to be open minded, you know, Harvard, they say a point for talent trained for skills.
00:18:57
Speaker
because you can always begin to add those extra skills, but you've got to have the talents for the job. Yeah, 100%. And I'm grateful that people in the West Australian government thought that I had those talents even when I wasn't sure myself. It was brilliant because I met you while you were the chief scientist in WAN. I thought you were fantastic. Wasn't it great? I could meet so many amazing people such as yourself. I mean, it just it's just such a joy being a chief scientist. Yeah. and You get to see all these amazing things happening. you know You go into industry plants and you go out with farmers and see them trying and a new sort of chickpea that's been developed in the lab the year before. ah You go to huge mine sites and see that the automated um trains that are just trundling along without a driver. and You just think, this is all extraordinary. so It really is a
00:19:54
Speaker
privileged to to be a chief scientist. The last thing I wanted to ask you is, you've mentioned it a few times in terms of mentoring and supporting PhDs and postdocs, so How are you really feeling like you're paying it forward to help the next generation of STEM people come through?
Ongoing Mentorship and Support
00:20:10
Speaker
Well, in lots of ways. I work a lot with the Academy of Science and the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. I mentor quite a few people. I'm patron of lots of science-related organizations.
00:20:24
Speaker
I'm lucky enough to have been able to set up some PhD scholarships and honors scholarships that have my name on them. I'm very modest. I think it's amazing people have done that, but they have. I'm involved with programs to help young people with autism who I think are extraordinary and important. And at the moment, we're still learning how to work with these talented young people and to give them the best chances of in life. So I work with not-for-profit organizations to support those. I'm patron of organizations that, for example, are the peak body to support self-help groups in the health area.
00:21:08
Speaker
So the idea is that whether you're running a men's shed or a support group for, say, postnatal depression or for urology research or whatever it is, that those self-help groups, we are the umbrella organization. Grandparents Raising Grandkids is another one in our group. So I'm patron of that. So I'm lucky enough to be patron of quite a few organizations, another one supporting research into mesothelioma, which is sadly a West Australian disease because of the mining at Wittenham with asbestos. It's a national problem and a world problem, but particularly, im unfortunately, prevalent here in WA from our history of mining asbestos and looking at support packages for people who are facing that really daunting diagnosis. so yeah I'm really hugely busy. I'm delighted to say people are kind enough to keep asking me to do things. I'm not very good at saying no. In fact, that's one of my worst aspects. I'm not good at saying no, but the people who ask me to do things are amazing.
00:22:15
Speaker
and I've got a bit of a mantra, which is, if you've got the opportunity, you've got the responsibility, and I still have opportunities, which is really nice. But my real mantra is that when your head hits the pillow at the end of the day, if you can have done something to help make the world a better place, it might be within your family, kindness to a stranger, something local, something national, or even something global, you should be doing it.
00:22:44
Speaker
and I'm lucky enough to be in a position where people ask me to do things, but at the end of the day, I can often think, gosh, I've done a little bit to make the world better. I've been involved with environmental programs, for example, for conservation of turtles in West Australian waters. you know That's really important for our future. All these things that luckily, I'm still doing. People haven't stopped inviting me.
00:23:11
Speaker
And I guess because they got to know me more as chief scientists. So I became, you know, when people were saying, oh, I wonder who could do that job. Well, maybe my name popped up a bit more often than it would have done otherwise. Sounds like you're no less busy now. You're not the chief scientist. I will hit the pillow and say, I've done a podcast with Camille. That's, I hope, I'm sure, you know, everything you do is helping to make the world a better place. So thank you for letting me get my free kick on that one today. I'm very happy to help you kick your goal and kick a goal for me too today. So it's been lovely talking to you about your journey and the people along your journey and what you've got out of it. And um
00:23:51
Speaker
I'm hoping to see much more of you around the the traps of STEM and and STEM promotion in the future. I hope so too.
Podcast Engagement and Call to Action
00:24:01
Speaker
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