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132 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS II

On Being a

Scientist and Parent

Ursula Goodenough

Washington University

P

arent–scientists may hope to be remembered for

their science, teaching, and/or public service, but

the most enduring memories of their own are like-

ly to be those of being a parent. As a mother of five and

grandmother of three, I’m often asked to offer advice

that might be helpful to those starting out. Herewith

are some maxims.

1.The key move is to embrace the following mantra:

Of courseI’m going to have kids and of courseI’m going

to have a scientific career. Neither is contingent or

negotiable. They are both going to happen.

2.It turns out that kids aren’t all that interested in

what we do when we aren’t with them, and are very

adept at moving back and forth between parent time

and nonparent time. If you’re pipetting at the bench

and missing your baby, it’s actually pretty unlikely that

your baby is missing you.

3.Like most of the rest of us, kids like to know what to

expect. Try to find and maintain a family rhythm, even

though there are of course times when things have to

be arranged differently. A ritual time for us was the din-

ner meal—home-cooked, conversational, centered—

which continued throughout adolescence. Another was

Sunday-afternoon walks in the woods at a nearby

nature preserve, coming to know the same trees and

Parent-scientists may hope to be

remembered for their science, teaching,

and/or public service, but the most

enduring memories of their own are

likely to be those of being a parent.