Betty K. Mansfield Human Genome Management Information System (HGMIS) Leader, Biologist Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, Tennessee What do you do? Our group serves a clearinghouse for information on the Human Genome Project and related biological and environmental research projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The people we mainly interact with are students, teachers, some members of the public when they have heartbreaking genetic problems of their own, and some researchers as well, when they are trying to find resources or other contacts. We also collaborate with other people in the Genome Project. For example, we recently helped with an educational project about genomics for judges, and we also worked on a primer on molecular genetics. We work with the people who are developing these projects to help them write various sections. We do some Web research and look for resources that are appropriate. Then we can point our collaborator in the right direction or actually work with them to write the document. We try to get information to the people who are information spreaders, so that they can provide the best information to their audiences. More and more I'm being asked to go out and speak to educators. I recently spoke to the National Association of Biology Teachers. Just recently I was invited to speak to the Flying Physicians. We've also been asked to help plan meetings with people who are really somewhat removed from the Genome Project and to help them focus more on the project. You never know what's going to come up. What information do you most want to convey to your audiences? The Genome Project was started by the DOE. I'm trying to relate the 40 years of research that led up to the Genome Project. The project had its beginnings in trying to understand mutations in DNA that were caused by environmental insults. Eventually the Genome Project will give us the ability to interpret these risk factors and to provide individualized risk assessment based on our own genetic makeup. The DOE also has some spin-off projects that will probably have almost as great an impact as the Human Genome Project. There is a microbial genome project that is sequencing microbes and that will have an impact for environmental cleanup. There is one microbe that reacts to radiation in a specific way that is very interesting. Its DNA gets broken up by radiation just like ours does, but its DNA can repair those enzymes and in a sense fix itself. This microbe could be used to clean up radioactive waste sites. That kind of organism is called an "extremophile." And there are others, such as those that live in boiling water in deep ocean vents, that have enzymes that exist at those very high temperatures and those could be used for industrial cleanups. I feel strongly that scientists owe it to the public to get information out there -- not for public relations reasons, but because the public is paying for that science. We've seen examples in the past where science moved fast and it moved in a direction the public didn't want, but there was no public discourse. I feel that it's really important to get that information out so the public can talk about it and weigh in on it. This kind of communication democratizes the practice of scientific research in this country. What is your educational background? I hold a B.S. and M.S. in biology from James Madison University. I also have had additional leadership training and management courses. What was your career path? For ten years I was a researcher in a chemical carcinogenesis laboratory providing insights into the biological mechanisms of cancer causation. This experience gave me a foundation for understanding multi-disciplinary laboratory research dynamics that has been extremely helpful in my interactions with the scientists working in the Genome Project. Eight years ago, I became the founding editor of Human Genome News and leader of the HGMIS effort. This job allows me to help facilitate communication among the many HGP researchers from different laboratories around the world. Communication efforts are critically important in the growing number of multi-disciplinary projects that cross traditional discipline boundaries. In the HGP, this means biology, biochemistry, computer data analysis (called bioinformatics), physics and engineering. Effective communication can only enhance the way we utilize data and research resources and may result in new collaborations, insights and, ultimately, in new discoveries. What are some related fields? Structural biology is an area of research that is going to play a role in analyzing the results of the Genome Project. The Genome Project is just going to define gene sequences, and we're not going to know the function of those genes. The function of the proteins can be determined using structural biology. We're looking in the direction of structural and functional relationships and helping to communicate that to the public as well. What do you enjoy most about your job? I guess what's most interesting about it is I never know what to expect. It's a job that has a lot of variety in terms of what people request. Very often students contact us because they're doing reports and looking for more information. Sometimes it's medical personnel needing things -- sources, pictures, that kind of thing. And sometimes it's families who are facing some kind of genetic condition and don't know where to turn. Of course, we can't give them medical advice, but we can help them find the appropriate resources near them. I enjoy learning as much as I can about the benefits of applying genome research to many areas of our lives and helping others gain a feel for biology and the excitement of discovery of new biological capabilities as we enter the next millennium. The work we do helps the public move toward science literacy, to make better policy decisions ultimately. Genomics will help us understand many of the mysteries and unity of life. The next century is already being called "the biology century" by many people, including our president. We're ushering in the biology century. What do you enjoy least about your job? The down side? Backlogs of work resulting from travel to scientific meetings. Also, because the HGP and the new uses of the information and resources it generates is ever increasing, I always have a feeling that I can never be totally current. I envy people who can finish their job at the end of the day and then it's over. For us it's always changing and we never know what will be coming next. What advice would you give someone interested in this field? An important piece of advice for science communicators is to be well read, and not just in science. Keep up with journals, newspapers, books and Internet sites to better understand the need for scientific information and how society perceives, learns and utilizes science and information pertaining to science. People interested in this field can come from many backgrounds -- my department consists of a highly integrated but diversely trained team from disciplines including biology, English, journalism, library science, music and marketing. Salary range Varies widely -- usually from around $25,000 - $55,000. Back to Interviewee List