Dr. Rachel Rawle is currently a professor of biology at Shoreline Community College in Seattle, WA. She earned her PhD in Microbiology from Montana State University. She has been published numerous times for her research on various topics, including bacteria-arsenic interactions.
Can you describe your career pathway and journey?
My recollection is that I’ve always liked science. In high school I took a biology class that was, well, less than stellar (the main thing I remember from the course was watching Arachnophobia during class…), but despite the lack of any real science experiments, it was when I decided I wanted to go into science. My teacher said something to the effect of “if you like being in a field where there are constant unknowns, science is the place for you!” I loved the idea of seeking the unknown and exploring new things. Maybe Arachnophobia is more inspiring than we thought 🙂 I was lucky during high school to get a job as a calibration technician for a local company that serviced aerospace companies. It was my first real-life exposure to scientists in the real world. I got to interact with very interesting people who produced things like missiles (!), and learned skills I had no access to in my high school classes. This included skills like calibration of pH instruments and industrial ovens, soldering, proper documentation, and data analysis. I still feel lucky I had this job as a high schooler!
I began college thinking I wanted to go into biomedical engineering. I was involved in a number of high school science camps in biomedicine, all of which I loved, but I found myself drawn to the fundamentals and after my freshman year decided to major in microbiology. I loved (and still love) studying microbiology. It fascinates me how much the unseen world impacts our lives. During my undergrad, I participated in a summer research program at Baylor College of Medicine where I worked on a Muscular Dystrophy project. I also did mentored research at my university where I studied cancer-associated macrophages. These two research experiences were a great first dose of what it was like working in an academic research lab. I learned science requires resiliency and that you can always learn something from a perceived “failure”. Throughout my undergrad I also worked in the microbiology deparment stockroom, where I prepared media and cultures for the microbiology classes and labs. I absolutely loved my job and received amazing encouragement and support from my boss. At the end of my undergrad, I went to China on a study abroad in environmental microbiology. This was such excellent experience for me to learn about environmental microbiology in a place so different from the one I grew up in. Not to mention an opportunity to try a lot of different and delicious foods!
After my undergrad I got a job working as a microbiologist for a contract manufacturing company that produced nutraceuticals (things like sports drinks, dietary supplements, etc.). I learned about what microbiology looks like in industry, and I got great experience testing materials to ensure they met federal regulation for microbial counts, pesticide levels, identity, and other standards. I also got to perform environmental sampling of the manufacturing facility, which involved “gowning-up” in special clothing that reduces contamination on the manufacturing floor. Meanwhile, I knew I wanted to go to graduate school and worked on my application materials at this time.
I chose to go to Montana State University for my Ph.D. in microbiology. MSU has a tier 1 research program and is also located in a smaller town with amazing mountains – in other words, it checked all my boxes. I came in through an interdisciplinary program that allowed students to rotate through different departments when choosing a lab to work in. Because of this, I was able to work with advisors in Biochemistry, Environmental Microbiology, Engineering, and Microbiology. My project focused on how bacteria interact with arsenic, the number one environmental toxin as set by the EPA. The key thing to know is that arsenic exists in different forms, and these different forms have varying levels of toxicity. Furthermore, the main drivers that change arsenic from one form to another are bacteria. I explored bacteria from the soil and bacteria in the human gut, and how different types of bacteria change arsenic into forms that are more or less toxin to humans. I used some really cool tools to understand these bacteria, including mass spectrometry to look at systems-wide metabolites (called metabolomics), and RNA sequencing of whole bacterial systems (called transcriptomics). I learned a lot about analyzing big data and presenting complex information.
During my undergrad and graduate schooling, I held a number of teaching positions. I found that as much as I loved science, I loved it more when I was discussing it with students. So I completed a College Teaching Certificate alongside my Ph.D. so that I could pursue a career in teaching at the college level. After graduate school I actually went back to China to teach environmental microbiology and technical writing in English. I had a blast working with the students at the Chinese universities in Wuhan, as well as traveling in the surrounding areas. I learned that I loved dry hot noodles (a Wuhan favorite) and really do not like what is colloquially called “stinky tofu”. It really is stinky 🙂
Once I got back from China, I worked as a consultant analyzing RNA sequencing data. At the same time, I was applying for teaching positions and got my current position, professor of biology at Shoreline Community College. To be honest, its exactly the job I was looking for it and I have loved working with the students at Shoreline. I teach cell culture, microbiology, principles of biomanufacturing, and introduction to bioreactors and cleanroom dynamics. My current goals are to get tenure (coming up next year!) here at Shoreline CC, and to continue growing tomatoes in my garden.
What do you like most/what do you find most interesting about your job?
One thing I have loved about my job is the involvement with the biotech industry in Seattle. We are developing new biomanufacturing courses, which means that we get training from industry partners in the area. I have loved this piece because I get to learn new things, incorporate them into curriculum, and share them with students. This leads directly to job placement for our students, and it is very rewarding to work with our amazing students and see them find positions they are satisfied in.
What skills do you find to be most vital to your job? (They could be technical, professional, etc.)
Resiliency, willingness to learn new things, kindness
How did you first get started in this field and/or what were some of the most important steps or influences on your journey to becoming a scientist in this field? What do you think a high school student just getting started in this field should do to jumpstart their career?
I actually answered this one in the first question, so see the first paragraph in question #1! 🙂 In terms of recommendations for high school students, I suggest seeking out opportunities wherever you can find them. Try new things, even if its not exactly what you think you want, you never know where it will lead you!
As a woman, what challenges (if any) have you faced in this field?
To be honest, I have had challenges throughout my career path, but those challenges were not a result of me being a woman. I have worked with respectful and kind persons. I hope this increasingly becomes the norm for women in science.
How do you see the future of this field of science playing out (what predictions, hopes, etc. do you have?)
My work with high school students in the past few years has actually made me feel very hopeful about the future of science. The young people I work with are so bright and passionate. I am excited to see what changes and discoveries they make. In terms of biomanufacturing specifically, I have hopes that drug and therapy prices can be reduced so as not to be such a burden on the people who need them. I acknowledge this is a complex issue, but I hope for it just the same.
What is the coolest experiment, study, research, or work you have ever done?
One the most fun things I’ve been involved in is helping to build our Biomanufacturing Training Program for high school students. This program was initiated by a local biomanufacturing company, AGC Biologics, and it’s an awesome program that gives high school students the opportunity to receive biomanufacturing training at an actual industry site. I have loved working to build a program that feeds the passion of our students and gives them tools for a career in biotechnology. It has been a very rewarding experience and I’m looking forward to see how it evolves in the future!
My Reflection:
Thank you so much to Dr. Rawle for answering all my questions in such informative detail! I actually met Dr. Rawle when she was a guest speaker at a summer program I did at Shoreline Community College, and while she seemed super interesting, I didn’t get to hear too many details about her path, so it was really cool to get more information. It was really intriguing to read about Dr. Rawle’s career path, especially the part where she talked about the opportunity she got in high school to be a calibration tech! It’s amazing that she was able to get started so quickly! I also thought it was so cool how Dr. Rawle was able to travel to China to work, one of my hopes for my career is that I will be able to travel a bit. I also thought it was amazing how she was able to be in an interdisciplinary program in graduate school. I strongly thing interdisciplinary studies are very important, and I hope that I will be able to do some interdisciplinary learning in college. I also enjoyed reading about how she doesn’t feel that she’s faced too many difficulties as a woman in this field. I have been pleasantly surprised to hear most of the scientists I have interviewed say the same thing, as that gives me hope that my future career will not be as challenging in this regard as I’d previously expected. Finally, I really agree with her thought that drug and therapy prices should be reduced – I think everyone should be able to afford whatever medicines and treatments they need. Lastly, I’d just like to say thank you again to Dr. Rawle for doing this interview and being a great guest speaker at the SCC summer program!
The Rosalind Project 