In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the story of Sana Jalili, who is a microbiologist by training and an iGEM supporter. She is passionate about science communication and always on the lookout for avenues where she can engage with citizens through different platforms. In this candid chat she shares her experiences with frugal science, speaks in depth about her passions and her journey so far.
Could you share some important milestones in your professional journey so far?
I am a person with a microbiology and academic background. My work has mainly been related to frugal science and synthetic biology. My first milestone was being accepted into the student cohort at the Frugal Science Course, at Stanford University under the guidance of Dr. Manu Prakash in 2020. The second was being part of the Friendzymes Team, and winning a Gold in the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition in 2021 (in the middle of a pandemic). The third is getting felicitated with Anil Sadgopal Award for Popularization of Science, and Contribution to Science Outreach by CUBE-TIFR (Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education) for scientific communication in 2022.
You have done a lot of work regarding frugal science. Could you explain what frugal science is all about and how did you get introduced to it?
In simple terms, frugal science is all about duplicating or reproducing the experiments from a scientific setup to a DIY (Do it Yourself) setup at home. I was introduced to this concept through the Frugal Science Course by Dr. Manu Prakash in 2020 during the pandemic. As we all know, during the COVID-19 lockdown, it was very difficult to even carry out even simple experiments because access to laboratories was restricted. It’s in these scenarios that frugal science becomes truly meaningful. My first Project was working on the Incubator which we showcased as a part of coursework. Then gradually, I was curious to work on similar projects related to frugal science by myself.
How did you actually conceptualize and built a home lab?
The process of building a DIY lab at home started in the middle of the pandemic (2020). The process was difficult but I could somehow pull it through. Me and my mom used to quarrel a lot as my mom really didn’t get the idea of me using normal kitchen equipment like a pressure cooker as an autoclave for sterilizing purposes in the kitchen a.k.a. my DIY lab. I would try to convince my mom that it is only because I want to make food for my bacteria! When I started making media (food in simple terms for bacteria or any living organisms in microbiology), the first and second trials did not work, and I had to redo it multiple times to get it done correctly. I also had to keep in mind the weather conditions around me, especially when considering incubation. I experimented a lot with things at home that could be used as glassware for my experiments- such as perfume bottles instead of the regular test tubes! The process had its own difficulties but I could somehow make it happen.
Making science accessible is a goal of frugal science. Have you seen any real life implications of it?
I have seen the implications of it after the frugal science course. I have seen students after the pandemic wonder if there is any possibility of duplicating some of the scientific experiments in a DIY setup at home because one doesn’t know when the next pandemic might hit us! This has brought about much curiosity within the students and researchers as well. I was grateful in 2021 when it got internationally recognized at Global BioSummit 5.0 proceedings in Open Innovation Track- ‘Innovating Microbiological Media by Frugal Solutions’ and it reached people who were/are curious about frugal methods for DIY microbiology labs.
You are also the promoter for iGEM Asia-Oceania region. What is your personal view on iGEM and why is it important to promote this?
In simpler terms, iGEM stands for International Genetically Engineered Machine and it’s the fusion of biology and engineering systems. It is very important to increase awareness about iGEM because the concept of synthetic biology itself is new in India and its neighboring countries. In iGEM, students can work on synthetic biology using various biological systems or organisms ranging from bacteria to mammalian cells. Students across the world are working on hybrids of biological systems to provide novel solutions to scientific issues. Since it is innovative & novel, they can work on different aspects and showcase their projects globally. It also offers long-term support to projects as industrial startups.
Friendzymes was a iGEM gold winning project – it was done during the pandemic and involved collaboration from students across the world. How was the collaboration like, what were the problems faced and what are your key takeaways from the project?
The birthplace of the iGEM friendzymes was the Frugal Science course that I was a part of, in the student cohort in 2020. After that course, our Friendzymes members started to brainstorm ideas to go ahead in the iGEM competition. The ideas took a bigger shape after our Advisor’s talk (Kahlil) on Project management which was open to other iGEM teams as well to inculcate skills for running an international team in the pandemic. Personally, one of the biggest challenges I faced was the inaccessibility of wet labs as COVID-19 cases were at a peak in Mumbai. Since I did not have access to a lab, I switched to a collaboration (which was silver medal criteria) of competition. Scheduling meetings, and working on Discord/Slack/Mails for communication was my major input as a student member. Apart from that, I came from a pure biology background. I was introduced to GitHub (and I am still learning) which was new to me then. Further, my biggest takeaway from the project is mutual collaboration and socializing about scientific discoveries- ultimately that’s what Science Communication is all about!
Are there any memorable moments during the iGEM friendzymes experience?
It was an international team, and time management was essential. I am grateful to my team members for respecting different time zones and working collectively. Personally, due to some of the emergencies, if I missed discord chats in a week, I needed to go through all messages and stay updated. I would like to thank my team members here, for being cooeprative. Another memorable incident was that- we had an offtopic discord channel, whenever I felt a little stressed, I would visit that page and enjoy all the jokes and memes that were shared. That provided me with a nice balance during the pandemic!
In iGEM there are a lot of industry collaborations with students for their projects. What do you think are the benefits of industry collaborations and what do you think about industry academia collaborations?
In iGEM after your project completion and presentation at Jamboree-which is an annual event that shows all the projects done by students across the world, you are given an option to continue with the project by collaborating with different industries. As a person with a scientific background, it is very important to know how the industry works because it is only then that you can make your discoveries and innovations accessible to the general public – and they can benefit from the science. Industry and academia are like two sides of a coin. A student being in academia might know theoretically what a bioreactor is but would not know the scale and size of it and how that particular instrument is being used to make products that are not visible in the day-to-day life. I feel that it is important to have students explore the industry so that they have a clarity of how the industry works and then they will have a better idea while making a choice between industry and academia. Students have a tendency to stay in academia and not explore the industry at all, hence completely leaving out the industry option for their careers.
Your career is based on communicating science, whether it being in academia or being in iGEM in which communicating science plays a huge role. What are the useful skills that you have picked up communicating science?
Public speaking was one of the key skills I learned during pandemic times (2020-21). After getting a lot of exposure in communicating science I got to learn how to effectively communicate science to students across different age groups. I learned to not use very technical terms or jargon while I am communicating science and to make it more friendly to listen. For example, if I had to explain what a microbe is to a 3rd/4th Std kid, I would start with ‘germs’ – a term that the student would really be familiar with and then continue to build up on that as microbes later. I also gained a lot of respect for the people in science communication because it’s a relatively new field and it involves public speaking, using simpler terms instead of scientific complex words.
What does a typical day in your life look like in between academia, frugal science projects and iGEM?
My day starts at 6 am. I reside in Mumbai and it is a two-hour commute to reach the institute, so I have to catch Mumbai local trains during peak hours. After reaching the institute, I work on experiments, handle microorganisms patiently and carefully, and then take lectures for students. After I’m done my research work and lectures, I come back home around 7 pm or later, again depending on Mumbai local timings. Then, I indulge in planning for the experiments for the next day, plan my teaching activities, or anything else in hand. iGEM meetings usually take place after 8 or 9 p.m. IST. Regular updates on Slack, checking emails, going through research papers occur at the night time. Coming to the frugal science courses, I generally do it during the winter vacations or summer vacations when I have time.
What advice would you like to give students who want to explore frugal science?
Dr. Manu Prakash runs a frugal science course and one can access the course by visiting the website of Stanford University. Apart from that there are a lot of frugalists who have worked with Prof. Prakash so you can try to connect with them on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. I joined Twitter and I got enrolled in Frugal Science course in 2020. I would recommend being active on Twitter – there are a lot of frugalists there and you can just let them know that you are interested in working with them. Next would be to join frugal science communities on Twitter. After joining the community myself, I have realized that there are a lot of people who want to build a DIY home lab – however, it is difficult to have a microbiology DIY lab as compared to a physics lab or a botany DIY lab, because it involves- cultivating microorganisms, making media for them, sterilizing equipment etc., so it is a very difficult task. By joining communities you can learn from the experiences of other frugalists. This was how I got to build my path in frugal science networking and collaborations help a lot.
Sana Jalili’s career story is truly inspiring! Her passion for science communication and engaging with citizens is truly amazing. Curious✨ to read more about her journey!
I just read this comment . Thanks Srnidhi for such a lovely comment . You are always welcome to know about my journey in science. 🙂
🙂