Hailing from a household of engineers (her grandfather, father, and mom are all engineers), Ritu Raman’s journey into engineering was virtually predestined. Even now as a professor at MIT, she continues to faucet into her household’s scientific backgrounds, whether or not it’s discussions about everybody’s analysis or collaborating on her newest endeavor, her first e-book about biofabrication, which was delivered to life by her mom’s illustrations.
Raman’s ardour for science is palpable and has earned her many prestigious accolades throughout her profession, similar to her inclusion in Forbes’ 30 Underneath 30 record whereas working as a postdoctoral researcher at MIT. Right now, she is the d’Arbeloff Profession Improvement Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and presently leads a laboratory that focuses on engineering biofabrication options with the objective of connecting residing methods with machines.
Raman and her workforce goal to engineer a synthetic model of the physique’s neuromuscular system to decipher, monitor, and maybe sooner or later restore the communication between nerve and muscle cells. Her analysis may have far reaching implications for individuals affected by neurodegenerative ailments similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or those that have sustained extreme harm and have to regain mobility.
All through her profession, Raman has additionally been a powerful advocate for feminine scientists. Acknowledging her personal distinctive upbringing and publicity to science, she devotes herself to supporting girls striving to develop into leaders in STEM. Her advocacy and stellar contributions to scientific development introduced her to the eye of the “#IfThenSheCan” exhibition on the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. The exhibition options 120 life-sized, 3D-printed statues of ladies in science to assist unfold consciousness in regards to the affect of up to date girls STEM innovators and function fashions main a wide range of fields.
Raman took the time to speak to us about her work, how her household’s loves of science has influenced her, and the way anybody can develop into an advocate.
What sparked your curiosity in engineering design and biofabrication?
My curiosity in engineering and design was sparked very early as a result of my mother, my dad, and my grandfather have been the three adults that I spent probably the most period of time with rising up, and they’re all engineers (chemical, mechanical, and civil engineering).
I used to be born in India, however I moved to Kenya after I was fairly younger as a result of my dad was placing up communication towers in rural villages. I used to be capable of see kind of the design, building, and affect of an engineered answer in actual time, and that was a really compelling demonstration of a job the place one thing is created and has a optimistic affect. These kinds of experiences made me very enthusiastic about engineering at a reasonably younger age.
After I began faculty, my objective was to develop into an engineer, particularly with the aim of going into house by way of some kind of aerospace program, however I enrolled in an introduction to biomedical engineering class when the introduction to aerospace engineering class was full. That class was tremendous attention-grabbing to me as a result of it was the primary time I discovered that engineers may have been affect on medication. You wouldn’t have to be the individual suturing someone up or utilizing syringes. You might be the individual designing the drugs or the system, and that was very thrilling.
On the finish of that class, they talked in regards to the very new rising subject of tissue engineering and the way you would construct with cells like they’re another materials, and to me that was very compelling and has been the driving motivator of my work in biofabrication over the previous decade.
You mentioned your loved ones was your inspiration on your job alternative. Have in addition they have been your mentors?
Sure. I speak to my dad and mom every single day. We’re simply very related individuals. If you end up a child, your dad and mom are your dad and mom, however when you’re adults, it’s a must to discover widespread pursuits and be associates. I’m principally engaged on tasks within the lab, however my dad and mom have a number of arms on tasks occurring on a regular basis at residence. I speak about my tasks with them and we troubleshoot issues collectively. It’s a huge a part of our dynamic.
Are you able to inform us a bit in regards to the analysis focus of your laboratory: adaptive organic/residing supplies?
I feel broadly you would say biofabrication is engineering a purposeful materials or machine utilizing residing cells, and that is the overarching objective of our lab. We give attention to a particular tissue system, the organic motor management system, eager about how we energy and management voluntary motion in our our bodies. We’re occupied with construct tissue fashions of skeletal muscle, motor neurons, and sensory neurons in a petri dish.
When it comes to utility, half of the lab focuses on medical functions of those platforms, asking how muscle harm, nerve harm, or neurodegenerative illness, for instance, affect mobility and the way can we develop new therapies that may assist restore mobility to individuals who have misplaced it.
The opposite half of the lab is targeted on robotics, eager about how can we use the actuation of residing muscle to energy robots that stroll and swim and grip and do a number of attention-grabbing issues after which have this extra functionality of having the ability to dynamically reply to their environments, which is one thing that conventional robots which can be made out of non-biological supplies can not do.
The third rising space of the lab is specializing in 3D printing and the way we manufacture multi-cellular methods and what sorts of latest instruments and methods and protocols we want to have the ability to do this.
How do you conduct the design strategy of your biofabrications/bio-hybrid gadgets?
We’re nonetheless evolving our design philosophy. Design is a subject by itself and never one thing I’ve been formally educated in, however the MIT Mechanical Engineering Division has an enormous school that does particularly give attention to the idea and follow of engineering design. We work very carefully with a number of collaborators inside and outdoors our division that assist us in our analysis.
Is there a discovering or discovery made by your laboratory that you’re significantly happy with?
A brand new story is popping out of our analysis quickly. Lots of people up to now, when eager about train, assume principally in regards to the affect on muscle i.e., I train, and I get stronger. Definitely, now we have proven that our methods can do this as nicely, however there was this rising concept within the subject in biology that train has systemic, whole-body results and that muscle, when exercised, secretes all of those cytokines [signaling proteins that help regulate inflammation] that may act as signaling molecules for different cells.
Now we have proven that after we train our muscle implants after we implant them in vivo, that we are able to speed up the speed at which they’re built-in into the encircling tissue and the speed of purposeful restoration. We predict the rationale for that is due to enhanced vascularization and enhanced innervation of exercised muscle. These outcomes have made us tremendous occupied with not solely what muscle can do for itself, however the way it impacts all the methods in our our bodies and there’s a entire world to uncover right here.
Supporting girls in STEM has been essential to you all through your profession. What initiatives have you ever launched to this point or participated in and what actions have you ever deliberate for the long run?
It could be very straightforward to have a look at the world and get slightly panicky, considering now we have so many points that now we have to resolve. If now we have all these points, we want as most of the greatest individuals engaged on them as doable. When you preserve again half the individuals on this planet from engaged on options to our issues, all of us mutually fail collectively.
My efforts have largely targeted on girls as a result of that’s my expertise, and I hope that issues I’ve skilled can assist form the initiatives that we deploy to be most impactful.
I served as an If/Then Ambassador for AAAS [Association for the Advancement of Science] for 3 years beginning in 2019, the place we have been a bunch of about 100 girls across the nation at completely different levels of their careers who participated in several issues like museum reveals, TV exhibits, and an exhibit on the Smithsonian of 3D-printed statues of ladies. It’s getting youthful individuals to not simply see one or two girls, however a spread as a result of then they will extra simply discover somebody who’s compelling to them or reminds them of themselves.
After I was a postdoc at MIT, I heard from many individuals that it was troublesome to search out girls audio system for occasions like seminars. I made a decision to make a database of ladies at MIT — graduate girls, postdocs, analysis scientists, and many others. — with their technical areas of experience that’s searchable and publicly accessible. The database is known as WISDM (Ladies in Innovation and STEM Database at MIT) and there have been WISDM sponsored occasions and speaker collection all through the Boston space which were methods to spotlight the voices of ladies in our neighborhood.
Proper now, I’m doing a number of issues which can be extra targeted on serving to girls by way of the transition from postdoc to college life. There are a number of “rising stars” workshops the place you assist candidates navigate the appliance course of and, particularly, give attention to points that I want girls didn’t need to take care of, like being requested inappropriate questions on companions or household or how that may play into constructing their lab, and as an alternative steer them in direction of educational success.
The variety of girls in STEM has improved within the final couple of years, nonetheless, we’re nonetheless far-off from fairness. What is required to convey extra girls to the desk and make them thrive?
One of many causes it has improved is as a result of there have been many initiatives targeted on the sooner levels of curiosity in STEM. After I was rising up, there was not a lot science academic content material focused at me. Now there are a number of TV exhibits, toys, and different illustration in media. We’re bringing a number of girls in and 50% of MIT undergraduates are girls, and I’m very completely satisfied about this progress.
I feel the problem is that we weren’t concentrating on as many individuals later of their careers and, clearly, individuals rising as leaders and being supported all through their careers is necessary to maintain this going. It doesn’t make sense to coach a bunch of individuals after which not have them lead corporations or lead establishments and do nice work. I feel a part of that’s as a result of there simply weren’t many ladies in earlier generations of STEM and those that have been there have been struggling to outlive. It’s not the job of those girls to pull everybody up when they’re making an attempt to maintain themselves afloat, however as we get extra girls, like myself and others, progressing by way of the ranks, hopefully we are able to share the burden and convey extra individuals up with us.
Do you’ve any options for somebody who desires to be lively in supporting extra girls in science?
First, I wish to remind girls that their very existence and persistence in science is a type of activism. If all you are able to do is simply be a scientist who can also be a lady, then that’s sufficient and nothing extra is required. I feel that could be a excellent place to start out as a result of considered one of my senior feminine mentors, one of many only a few that I’ve, instructed me as soon as that a very powerful factor I may do for girls in science is to simply be a profitable lady in science.
Second, I’ve had probably the most success in initiatives that concentrate on points which can be particular and native to my neighborhood sort out it like several type of scientific or engineering drawback. What’s state-of-the-art, what’s lacking, and what can I do particularly? The extra native it’s, the extra possible you possibly can have an effect that’s affordable. Then you possibly can scale it will definitely. I feel that specificity, on the lookout for issues that you would be able to resolve in your hyperlocal atmosphere, is probably the most impactful factor that you are able to do to have a optimistic affect.
What’s …
Your favourite passion?
One of many issues I’ve began doing lately that has introduced me a number of pleasure is taking part in piano. I used to play after I was youthful after which I ended after highschool as a result of in some unspecified time in the future there may be lot of strain to be good at one thing and piano stopped being enjoyable for me, and I didn’t play for a few years.
Not too long ago although, I purchased a home and my dad and mom requested if I needed this previous upright piano and so I began taking part in. My rule for taking part in is that I don’t let anyone hear, I don’t carry out for anybody, and I wouldn’t have any kind of objective. My plan is simply to make music and to convey myself pleasure. It’s a very egocentric act in a great way and that has been enjoyable for me. I’m a really goal-driven individual, and so to do one thing that’s only for enjoyable that I wouldn’t have to be good at is a superb pleasure.
Your favourite journey vacation spot?
I moved round lots rising up and so all of the journey I did was disturbing, going from India to Kenya, Kenya again to India, after which all these locations within the US. Final 12 months, I lastly traveled like I had all the time needed to and went to Scotland and France on my own. It was very nice to exit and discover and I feel what I discovered is that as a result of I’ve lived in so many locations, I don’t love going to the identical place time and again. I wish to go to a brand new place, not essentially see all of the websites, however simply stroll round till my legs harm, see one thing new, spark new concepts, and simply really feel extra related to the worldwide neighborhood.
Who would play you in a biopic?
I actually like Freida Pinto and I comply with her on Instagram. I might like to have her play me in a biopic.
A discovery (any analysis subject or time) you want you’d have made?
From the neuromuscular realm, I’ve been actually compelled to see the therapies for spinal muscular atrophy which can be based mostly on ASO-type medicine [short single-stranded antisense ribonucleic acid oligonucleotides] and seeing the purposeful affect it may have on someone who wouldn’t have been capable of transfer or stroll in any respect however now can.
That is principally completed in infants, however I feel it is a compelling case of how a lot mobility issues and the way a lot restoring that may do to enhance someone’s well being and high quality of life. I want I had completed that, however I hope that some issues we do in our lab can contribute to related discoveries sooner or later.
An individual (well-known or not) you wish to have dinner with?
The one member of the family I by no means acquired to work together with, as a result of she handed away earlier than I used to be born, was my mother’s mother. I wish to meet her not simply from a private perspective, however as a lady in science. I’m a mechanical engineer and my mother is a chemical engineer, however my grandmother really studied botany.
I might love to listen to what it was wish to be a lady occupied with science at the moment, and hope that she can be happy with all of the advances which have occurred since then. Being a lady in science is presently troublesome however clearly I’m benefiting from the truth that I’m already third era, which could be very uncommon. I might love to speak to her.
