Rita Colwell

First Person | Rita Colwell Courtesy of the National Science Foundation Ambivalence doesn't fit the mien of Rita Colwell. Director of the National Science Foundation since 1998, Colwell, 68, says that she always wanted to be a scientist, wouldn't stand for anyone stopping her advancement, and decided the day that she met her physicist husband Jack that he was the one for her. They married in 1956. "I guess I know how to make decisions," says the marine molecular biologist, dedicated jogger, mother of two, and grandmother of two. She also knows how to race dinghies--she and Jack once took third place in a regatta in New Orleans--and how to stay with a research project. Since she became director, Colwell, along with her associates, has published more than 55 papers primarily on her pet project, Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent of epidemic cholera. The team proved that cholera is ubiquitous in the marine environment, closely linked to the life cycle of plankton, and that much of this deadly bacterium can be removed with simple filtration.1 Says Colwell: "To put all of this together, which is fundamental research, and to have a practical outcome, is the greatest reward to any scientist." Tell us about your cholera paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.1 This was a three-year study. Using the material women make saris with, we removed 99% of the cholera bacteria--we reduced cholera by 50%. Vibrio cholerae is the same species and same strain that comes from patients who have cholera in hospitals. It is indeed a marine bacterium that is found in estuaries, rivers, and in most aquatic systems. It is closely linked to the life cycle of plankton, specifically the chitin exoskeleton copepod. We have been able to show that disease is related to climate, because it is related to the ebb and flow of population and the seasonality of plankton. You said this paper fulfills a hypothesis that you've had since 1970, one that many fellow scientists wouldn't accept. Was it your sixth sense or scientific deduction? It's a combination, and that is why biocomplexity is such a natural field of study. I have been a holistic type of person. I was never thrilled drilling down to the most exquisitely simple structure. I would never have been a great particle physicist. I love the synthesis and holistic view of life and understanding how things work. Both [reductionism and holism] are needed to explain the complexities of life. Where is your favorite place for jogging? In the Botanical Gardens, Christ's Church, New Zealand. It's so beautiful, the climate is so lovely--it's one of those exhilarating experiences. I usually stop there on my way to Antarctica. Do you cook? Since I've gotten busier, my husband, who couldn't boil an egg, has turned into quite a good cook. (He says it's either that, or starve). I don't love the drudgery of daily cooking, but I love the creation that one can do in the kitchen. How often are you in the lab? I am not physically in the lab with a pipette in my hand. I am in contact every week with students, and the papers are written in collaboration with students and colleagues all over the world. What music do you have in your CD player? I'm a classical music lover ... I am not into rap. For me, it's Beethoven's first, or ninth or whatever. What can I say? Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I've got a lot of books to write, particularly biographical. I think it would be nice to tell the story of women scientists. In the second half of the 20th century, when I went to sea ... we were treated one level above an albatross. I would love to tell the story. Any anecdotes? One time, I went to a department chairman to request a fellowship. He said that we don't waste fellowships on women. I did have my satisfaction many years later, attending a meeting as the president of the International Union of Microbiological Societies. I bumped into the chairman in an elevator, and he introduced me [to a companion] as his star student. I didn't remind him of the words that he said. I just smiled. Have you struggled to climb the ladder? I am very stubborn. I've always wanted to be a scientist, and always felt that those who threw roadblocks were not the level of people I wanted to stop and stay with. I always wanted to move onto a next level, with people who had vision and with whom I would have a happy career. Those who put roadblocks in the way were those people generally of lesser accomplishment, and I did not want to be blocked and left there with them. Sounds like you're ambitious. I'm not ambitious. I want the intellectual reward that comes with discovery and the joy of living. 1. R.R. Colwell et al., "Reduction of cholera in Bangladeshi villages by simple filtration," Proc Natl Acad Sci, 100:1051-5, Feb. 4, 2003.

Rita Colwell

The Scientist Staff

First Person | Rita Colwell

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