Scientific research is too busy to care for the family?Chen Ting in the North Sheng: You can't have only one fulcrum in life

As we all know, scientific research is a job that has not been working online, almost all -time. For researchers who need to soak the laboratory all day, the elderly and children who want to work are even more lack of surgery. Therefore, many excellent female doctors have to choose to withdraw from the academic road at the fork of their lives.

Chen Ting, a senior researcher at the Beijing Institute of Life Sciences, also encountered these dilemma, but she finally achieved a number of original research results in her research field. She feels that although scientific research is very busy and tired, she is still a profession suitable for women. How did she deal with the problems that followed in scientific research and life, and what did she have? In this regard, we interviewed Chen Ting.

Wen | Liu Ming

In 2012, Chen Ting ended the post -doctoral work of the University of Rockefeller in the United States and entered the Beijing Institute of Life Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the "Northern Student Institute") and officially owned his own laboratory. Ten years of working in Beisheng, Chen Ting's understanding of scientific research has become increasingly deeper. She said: "I think the best scientific research is to do 'useless things'."

"Scientific research is an exploration of unknown things, and the value is to open up new areas. Because of this, the scientific research results with huge change of change are often used in the exploration stage." She explained that "the essence of scientific research is right to right The exploration of ‘useless things'. If it is something that can be used, it belongs to the development of technology, not a real basic scientific research." Chen Ting said that the real cutting -edge scientific research is difficult to assert it at the moment. Uses.

"Of course, I am doing scientific research on the money of the country, so I can't do everything that is useless. Therefore, the best subject combination of the laboratory is: 80%of the topics can be explained with others (use). , 20%means that you don't understand (use). "

Chen Ting is making reports 丨 Photo Conferring: Chen Ting

In 1994, Chen Ting was admitted to one of the best middle schools in Hunan Province -Changsha No. 1 Middle School and entered the high school science experimental class. Recalling the years of high school, Chen Ting said with each other: "There are more than 80 people in the two experimental classes, I am a" mother ". When I was in the college entrance examination, I had the first prize of the Hunan Biological Olympics and was qualified for delivery, but at that time When the teacher saw that my total score was not good, I knew it was impossible to expect me to enter Tsinghua and Peking University.

With the foundation of the Olympics, Chen Ting easily spent college life and study abroad. However, she started to learn what scientific research was at the University of Virginia.

Chen Ting said: "Our undergraduate has not really entered the laboratory. A positive English literature has not been read, so when I first went abroad, I couldn't understand a literature four or five times. I didn't learn so solid knowledge in biological knowledge, so I basically couldn't understand the dissertation at that time. "

She had to soak in the library with a thick book every day. The first exam was just passed out; the second and third time, the score gradually raised. Soon, Chen Ting entered the room academic and entered the room. After five years, she has done two subjects of cell biology and posted two good articles. But she gradually realized the shortcomings of this field: the basic framework of cell biology is to develop cells in vitro in vitro, but this is a very artificial research system, which is far from the actual environment of the body. Therefore, she, she, she Choose to change to mice in genetics during the post -blog.

Chen Ting's scientific research concept was also influenced by bloggers. However, at the beginning, her evaluation of Bo Director was three words: not tune!

"Our teacher is a British, especially interesting." Chen Ting said, "He goes out to travel with his wife for about a month every year, and is a strange place. For example, go to Amazon to explore, and drill in the tropical rain forest with local tour guides in the tropical rain forest. One month; or drifting in North Alaska ... Anyway, it is something that may not be able to return there anyway.

"He is very kind and curious. Although he is very rigorous and focused on scientific research, there is no so -called professor's shelf at all. He speaks very humorous. The socks on your feet are often whistle. I don't know where to buy it. Therefore, we will also tease the boss for Christmas. "

It is so "not tuned" that made Chen Ting realize: "This is okay."

"That is, you don't need to bring your own shelf, and feel that you are particularly amazing. He is a personal character." Chen Ting said that there is no need to have a level of scientific research, because the experimental results of 90%of scientific research are all what the experiments I do. , Even the opposite of your predictions.

"If there is a clear up and down relationship, the students dare not tell me these results, because this is equivalent to prove that the boss's guess is wrong.

"Our laboratory has established a concept -I guess it is basically wrong! Students particularly like to accumulate this evidence to prove that I am wrong."

It is not difficult to imagine that the style of "no level" laboratory is directly and focused. In scientific research, Chen Ting was straightforward and did not around the circle. As long as the students' problems were found, they would be politely raised. At the beginning, some students were difficult to accept such a direct way. As long as they were questioned, they immediately hid in their own protective cover, either silent, or a reason to justify.

For such a student, Chen Ting told them: "Answer the question, not the tone." -Son answering other people's questions, don't care about the tone of others. "No matter who raises it, the problem itself exists independently, and the ultimate goal is to solve the problem." She said that she should focus on the problem itself, not the tone of the other party.顺理成章的，陈婷最想对学生，甚至对一切想要做科研的年轻人说的话，就是“不要太在意别人对自己的看法。”她说：“别人又不用干活、不用花时间、不用Is it meaningful to pay for you? I want to spend my time, my emotions and energy, and the hard -working funds for scientific research. My recognition of myself is the most important thing. "

She said that success is judged by others. Many people do things to satisfy others' opinions and win the recognition of others, but this is not important at all. The reason why she chose to do scientific research and was willing to bear the pain in the process was from the inner curiosity and the pursuit of the unknown world.

"Since studying vitiligo, our ideas have opened all at once." Chen Ting said excitedly that she currently has multiple "super interesting" topics at hand, and clinicians will also provide some rare cases.

"Some cases are too rare, it is just falling from the sky! We hope to find the immune exemption mechanism of this skin disease from it to develop drugs that can be cured."

What should I do? Chen Ting believes that the main role of tutors in scientific research is to determine scientific issues. "Students are restricted by knowledge and vision at this stage, and they often cannot judge which are good issues, and scientific issues determine the final output."

But this is not all. In addition to academic guidance, Chen Ting also must act as a "psychological counselor" role, and timely finds problems and psychological guidance when the student's emotions are wrong.

Chen Ting's student, also the first author of vitiligo research papers, Xu Zijian, summarized the concept often mentioned by the instructor into a "four leg theory", and spent a difficult time accompanied by this theory.

The so -called "four legs theory" means that life needs four support points: First, as a person, you must have your own hobbies; second, as a member of the family, you must establish a good relationship with parents, partners and children and children ; Again, we must have their own work or career pursuit; on this basis, think about my value and significance in a larger scale: what does I mean in this world?

"The laboratory is only a part of life. If there is only one fulcrum in life, once this fulcrum encounters a large setback, the whole life will be easily collapsed and can no longer come back." Chen Ting said, "No one is a lifetime of life. With a smooth sailing, your body may be in a condition at any time, your career may be hit at any time, and the risk of crisis in family relationships. Once there is a problem in one aspect, the other 'legs' can support it and help you slowly repair yourself slowly yourself. ,Out of the woods."

She thought about it for a moment, and then said, "Someone always asked female scientists how to balance family and work ', I am very disgusted. Because the preset of this problem is wrong! The reason to balance is to say that family and work are working and work. It is on the opposite side of 'you high and me, and family and work are necessary for individuals. The two are mutually supportive relationships. "

When it comes to the topic of "female scientists", Chen Ting believes that scientific research is a good job for women. Because the interpersonal relationship in scientific research is relatively simple, most of the sense of accomplishment can be controlled by yourself. "Many girls in my laboratory are clear -headed, their hands are dexterous, and they are very popular. They are more mature and reliable than men of the same age. Therefore, as long as they have the ability and interest, scientific research is a good job for women." In addition Society should also change prejudice to women. "It is not that women are not able to do scientific research, but people do not recognize the importance of women in scientific research." Chen Ting said.

So why are there so many female students, but there are so few female PI?

"The reason is actually very simple, because women have to have children." Chen Ting replied.

Chen Ting said that there are no major problems during the PhD in girls, but after the doctoral graduation, the girl is generally aged 27 to 35 years old. At this stage, it is both the golden age of women and children who have children and scientific research climbing. Once women have children, they can be limited when they can work, and men of the same age will not have the same problem. It is difficult for women to be more difficult to win with men of the same age in fair competition. Therefore, Chen Ting often told female students: "If you choose to do scientific research, either have a good husband or a good mother." The words contained a little helplessness.

Speaking of this, Chen Ting couldn't help but vomit: "Many men PI often brag about not going home on weekends, contributing very little to the family, and proud of this. I think this is a particularly remarkable and worthy of showing off. Consider the angle. "

Having said that, in fact, Chen Ting admitted that in the early days of the laboratory, he was completely "zero contribution" to the family. For at least a year or two, she often dragged her tired body after a day of busyness, sitting on the sofa and fell asleep, and was awakened by her family every time she went to the house to sleep well. In the next few years, I started trying to accompany her daughter. As soon as I had time, I participated in outdoor sports with my daughter, skiing with winter vacations, and taking children to climb mountains and hiking in the summer vacation. Chen Ting and her daughter climbed the Four Girls Mountain 丨 Picture: Chen Ting

Chen Ting believes that only by solving the problem of parenting can women be performed in scientific research. She takes her postdoctoral Lockefeller University as an example: In addition to providing very cheap dormitories for researchers, the school also built a great kindergarten in the center of the campus: kindergartens have first -class faculty, and the charges are based on their parents' salaries. Sexual charges; in order to allow novice parents to bring their children while they can do a good job, the kindergarten of Rockefeller University even arranged psychological counseling services for parents. All of this work is to allow the school's professors and postdoctorals to send their children to kindergarten with peace of mind every day, and then go upstairs to work hard to study, which can take into account family life and career pursuit.

Therefore, instead of shouting slogans, it is better to do more practical things, to establish more high -quality kindergartens to help women solve parenting problems. "Female scientists in the critical period of climbing can put more time and energy on scientific research, so as to maximize the contribution of 'half -day" to scientific research. "

Chen Ting's "four leg theory" has nothing to do with her women's identity. As a mother, she can better understand the role of family relationships and parent -child relationships in life. The process of being a mentor also gave her a different experience in her children's education.

Chen Ting often talks with her daughter Xiaomi and talks about life. The experience of bringing a student made her realize the serious consequences of suppressive education, and also gave her the understanding and practical approach of ordinary parents in the education of her daughter.

Among her students, many people have been strictly disciplined at home and implemented high -pressure policies until college. "This clear reward or coercion mechanism has made them extremely lack of internal driving forces of scientific research." Chen Ting found that they must know that there is a clear prize waiting for it to do the motivation to do scientific research; on the contrary, there is no more than there is no more than there is When the questioner, it is difficult for them to write the answer on the blank paper of scientific research.

Therefore, Chen Ting did not choose to give her daughter an extra -curricular tutoring class like most parents, but kept paying attention to cultivating her self -study habit. After junior high school, her daughter realized the importance of self -learning and felt the joy of learning independently. During the weekend holiday, Chen Ting often took the children to climb the mountain, and the mother and daughter had intimate and equal relationship.

"I used to think she was an ordinary mother, and now I know that she is very amazing, and scientific research is great." The daughter said.

Introduction to the interviewee

Chen Ting, a senior researcher at the Institute of Life Sciences in Beijing. Born in Hunan in 1979, he graduated from the Department of Biology at Xiamen University in 2001, graduated from the Department of Microbiology, University of Virginia Medical College in 2006. From 2007 to 2012, he worked for postdoctoral research at the University of Rockefeller in the United States, and joined the Beijing Institute of Life Sciences at the end of 2012.

Chen Ting is mainly engaged in the research of organizational regeneration regulation and the mechanism of disease, focusing on studying biological functions and molecular mechanisms determined by the fate of stem cells during the tissue regeneration process, as well as the pathogenesis of genetic or obtaining skin diseases. Provide new directions for the treatment of diseases; many papers have been published, and many original results have been achieved in the development of hair follicles stem cell development, stem cell regional specificity, and symmetrical distribution mechanism of vitiligo.

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