I thought to myself: What are the most important problems that society faces that I could contribute to? And it was clear that finding new sustainable sources of energy was the most important.
Frances ArnoldRead
For me, I was always the only woman in my cohort, first as a mechanical engineering undergraduate student, then as a chemical engineering graduate student. There were very few women getting degrees in those fields at the time. My role models were men - great men role models.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Frances Arnold reflects on her unique position as a woman in predominantly male engineering fields and the influence of her male role models.
This quote encapsulates Frances Arnold's experience of being a woman in STEM, highlighting the challenges and isolation she faced while pursuing mechanical and chemical engineering. As a pioneer in her field, she emphasizes the significance of representation and the impact of having male role models, despite the gender disparity in her academic environment.
Themes
WomenEngineeringRole ModelsStemEducationInnovation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire young women in engineering fields during orientation speeches at universities.
More from Frances Arnold
All quotes →I see a future in which nature gives us a helping hand. Instead of destroying the natural world, why can't we use it to solve the kinds of problems that we are facing?
Frances ArnoldRead
The DNA-encoded catalytic machinery of the cell can rapidly learn to promote new chemical reactions when we provide new reagents and the appropriate incentive in the form of artificial selection.
Frances ArnoldRead
My whole interest is, how do you use evolution as an innovation engine? How does evolution solve new problems that life faces? And to have a system that can create a whole new chemical bond that biology hasn't done before, to me, demonstrates the power of nature to innovate.
Frances ArnoldRead
Most innovative things are not obvious to other people at the time. You have to believe in yourself. If you've got a good idea, follow it even though others tell you it's not.
Frances ArnoldRead
We've been modifying the biological world at the level of DNA for thousands of years. Somehow there is this new fear of what we already have been doing and that fear has limited our ability to provide real solutions.
Frances ArnoldRead
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I kept listening, kept going to see people, kept sitting in with people, kept listening to records. If I wanted to learn somebody's stuff, like with Clapton, when I wanted to learn how he was getting some of his sounds - which were real neat - I learned how to make the sounds with my mouth and then copied that with my guitar.
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