Photo: Jason Varney Photography
In this section, seven prominent life scientists from underrepresented groups in academia and industry talk about their lives and career paths. Though their stories are very different, many share a common theme: a powerful mentor, maybe more than one, who offered encouragement at a crucial juncture in their careers. And many of these scientists are strongly focused on "giving back" by encouraging young people to study science and recruiting novice scientists to their labs. As these profiles show, there are many possible paths to success in the life sciences, and one character trait that really matters: persistence. Or even, as a couple of our profiled scientists say here, "hard-headedness."
