Ruth Nussinov — Keynote Address at #SCSDublin2015

Authors: Katie Wilkins, Chair of SCS 2015 and Farzana Rahman, Co-Chair of SCS 2015

The Student Council Symposium started off strong, with a lively networking session. This was followed by a fascinating talk from Dr. Ruth Nussinov. Dr. Nussinov earned her Ph.D in biochemistry from Rutgers University and is now a professor at Tel Aviv University. She is also affiliated with the National Cancer Institute. Her work, including development of the state-of-the art method for RNA secondary structure prediction and proposal of the revolutionary “induced fit” molecular recognition paradigm, has shaped the field of computational biology.

Dr. Nussinov began her talk by explaining how much it means to her to be invited by students to give a talk. Her passion for speaking to students was inspiring, as was her passion for her work. For the Student Council Symposium keynote talk, she animatedly explained the science we don’t know about the role of Ras mutations that are differentially associated with various cancers. Her pure enthusiasm for filling these knowledge gaps kept the audience engaged throughout her talk. We’re sure that drive is also part of what makes her such a successful scientist! As young scientists, perhaps even more so as young female scientists, Dr. Nussinov’s impressive career arc and her willingness to interact with students make her an incredible role model for us. As much as she loves talking to students, we loved having her! It was a valuable experience for our student presenters working on protein structures to receive her feedback and we all benefited from her expert presentation. Our thanks to Dr. Nussinov for taking the time to present at the Student Council Symposium!

Disclaimer: Any views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily those of PLOS.