By Rosemary Wilson and Adam Gristwood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Science, society & serendipity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As a child, alumnus Jacques Dubochet was scared of the dark. One day, nervously watching the sun disappearing over the horizon, he headed to his local library determined to find out where it went. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor me it was necessary to confront my fears with understanding,\u201d explains Dubochet, winner of the inaugural Lennart Philipson award. Taking comfort in knowledge instinctively led him to a career in science, where his defining work came not from studying disappearing light, but disappearing water, developing a technique that revolutionised structural biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Friend not foe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnfortunately water evaporates in an electron microscope, but when treated with suitable care, water is the electron microscopist\u2019s best friend,\u201d says Dubochet, who together with colleague Alasdair McDowall and Marc Adrian, invented cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) sample preparation. The method enabled samples to be kept in their native state without the need for dyes or fixatives: its development over time has enabled researchers to zoom in on structures, viruses and protein complexes at unprecedented resolution. \u201cElectrons are great: even a single molecule may leave a trace in their beam and electron microscopists have learned to make use of them with breathtaking effect,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut they are also rather destructive: the column of an electron microscope must be under a vacuum, while risks of structural damage lurk around every corner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For me it was necessary to confront my fears with understanding.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Scientists, including Dubochet had already tinkered with a variety of methods to try and fix biological samples for observations in the electron microscope, but working as a group leader at EMBL Heidelberg in the early 1980s, Dubochet recognised that in order to preserve the natural structure of biological samples for measurement under the electron microscope, they had to remain in their natural environment \u2013 water. But to avoid evaporation in the vacuum of the electron microscope column water needs to be frozen, with ice crystals causing further hazards to delicate samples. So Dubochet set out to find a way of freezing water without producing any ice crystals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Visionary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJacques had a vision,\u201d explains Gareth Griffiths, incumbent Chair of EMBL\u2019s Alumni Association, as well as a friend and colleague. \u201cHe found a way of freezing thin films of water so fast that crystals had no time to form. At first the idea of \u201cvitrification\u201d of liquid ice was dismissed, but overtime the technique has become increasingly important to life science research, and it is clear today it is Nobel Prize-worthy.\u201d While other structural biology methods require extensive, complicated and potentially disruptive sample preparation techniques, cryo-electron microscopy enables the scientist to view the sample in its natural environment. It is central to the work of labs the world over, including several at EMBL, while cryoEM of vitreous sections (CEMOVIS), is widely regarded as having potential to become a powerful method in the future. \u201cWith a bit of chance it\u2019s going to be trivial to see the atomic structure of protein complexes!\u201d Dubochet says excitedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After leaving EMBL, Dubochet took up a professorship at the University of Lausanne, fulfilling a passion for teaching, while also introducing courses on ethics and philosophy- an area he is still very active in. \u201cWith knowledge comes great responsibility,\u201d he says. Now retired, he looks back with a smile at all he has achieved and experienced. \u201cI have been lucky,\u201d he adds. \u201cAlthough \u2018serendipity\u2019 probably captures it better, being in the right place at the right time. EMBL was the best time of my life: my children were born, I had my best scientific moments and still have plenty of friends here. We often come back to visit, it\u2019s a great pleasure. Voila!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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Melina Schuh, who completed her PhD at EMBL Heidelberg in 2008, is the winner of this year\u2019s John Kendrew Award for excellence in science and science communication. PHOTO: EMBL Photolab\/Marietta Schupp<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
By Julia Franke<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
High risk, high gain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Melina Schuh\u2019s approach to science has been described as \u201cfearless\u201d. But dig beneath this steely description of this year\u2019s John Kendrew Award winner and you find a story of outstanding research, fast-track career progression, and innovative outreach. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn both my diploma and PhD, I tried something high-risk, high-gain and it paid off,\u201d explains Schuh, an alumna whose group has made several important findings in the field of fertilisable eggs in mammals. \u201cUnderstanding more about oocyte maturation could have important implications for human health, as errors during this process can lead to problems such as miscarriages, birth defects, and infertility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In both my diploma and PhD, I tried something high-risk, high-gain and it paid off.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
While carrying out her PhD in the Ellenberg group at EMBL Heidelberg, Schuh immediately hit the ground running, and using confocal microscopy established new ways of directly imaging meiosis in mammalian cells. \u201cThis was an ambitious project because these cells are very sensitive and meiosis in oocytes is a very long process \u2013 but the collaborative working environment at EMBL was hugely motivating,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After receiving her doctorate, Schuh achieved something rarely heard of in today\u2019s academic world: she was offered a group leader position at the Medical Research Council\u2019s Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), despite having no formal postdoctoral training. \u201cWhat distinguished Melina was her independence so early in her career,\u201d says Jan Ellenberg, proudly reflecting on the achievements of his mentee. \u201cFrom the start, Melina showed courageous and strategic decision making, and in many respects her PhD was like a postdoctoral training.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Far beyond the bench<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Her stunning images of polar body extrusion have graced the covers of several top journals, but Schuh has also been involved in projects that go far beyond the bench. One example is an acclaimed collaboration with artist Rob Kesseler as part of a travelling exhibition that aimed to explore mitosis, called Lens on Life<\/i>. \u201cThere are many shades of research, and through this project we were able to devise creative and inspiring ways of explaining how this fundamental life process is applicable in everyone\u2019s lives,\u201d she says. \u201cArtists and scientists have a lot to learn from one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of next year, Schuh will move on to the next stage of an already remarkable career, as a director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in G\u00f6ttingen, where ambitious projects in science and beyond will remain at the heart of her work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is important to go for projects you are enthusiastic about,\u201d she adds. \u201cRecently, we led the first study of meiosis in live human oocytes, which has opened up a new and exciting field of research. By continuing to do fundamental biological research on the human system, we hope to contribute to the understanding of this fascinating field, and ultimately also to healthcare and society.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
EMBL rewards the special work of alumni through the John Kendrew and Lennart Philipson awards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,17593],"tags":[80,149,302,240,241],"embl_taxonomy":[],"class_list":["post-5012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-people-perspectives","tag-alumni","tag-award","tag-ellenberg","tag-john-kendrew-award","tag-lennart-philipson-award"],"acf":{"article_intro":"
![\"Melina](\"https:\/\/www.embl.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/1508-JKA-LPA-Schuh.jpg\")