Science 23.10.2020

RESEARCH | REPORT

Fig. 2. Gregariousness and positivity bias in aging chimpanzees. Older males were more likely than and senescence makes it difficult to form new
not to be observed (A) in parties with other males and (B) sitting in proximity to those males. (C) While both relationships as close relatives die. Conse-
directed aggression (with specific targets) and nondirected aggression (displays) declined with age, quently, social withdrawal may be a common
grooming remained fairly constant. Ribbons indicate 95% CI estimates. pattern. Yet social relationships are flexible,
can occur outside of kinship, and last many
humans, prioritized high-quality relationships; phenotype, showing that increasing social years in long-lived humans and chimpanzees
whereas younger adults had more asymmetrical selectivity can occur in the absence of a rich (23, 24). Thus, strongly established relation-
friendships characterized by reduced invest- future time perspective. ships may be more reliable for older chim-
ment, older adults exhibited more mutual panzees than for other primates. This may be
friendships characterized by high, equitable These data support the view that senescence especially important for species with relatively
investment. Second, older chimpanzees were drives fundamental shifts in the costs and low reproductive skew like chimpanzees,
more likely to be observed alone but tended benefits of social interactions across species. as older individuals can still obtain fitness
to socialize more with important partners by Yet although many species face new constraints benefits via cooperative alliances despite
joining parties with other males, joining larger during aging, chimpanzees and humans show changes in health and social status (19–22).
male parties, and sitting in close proximity to a response to these constraints that is not
other males. Finally, chimpanzees exhibited universal. In particular, several other pri- A second question concerns the specific
an increasing positivity bias with age, showing mate species exhibit social withdrawal during proximate mechanisms underpinning social
consistent grooming but reductions in aggres- aging—reducing social interactions overall selectivity in chimpanzees. Socioemotional
sion across the life span. These patterns were without focusing on important partners—as selectivity theory proposes that the human
notably independent of dominance rank; de- well as a negativity bias characterized by de- social aging phenotype causally depends on
spite their falling status, older males were more clines in affiliation but steady rates of aggres- an explicit sense of the self in time, but given
likely to be mutual friends with each other and sion (26–32). Why do aging chimpanzees and that other animals have constrained future-
were targets of the one-sided advances of humans instead show social selectivity and a oriented cognition (16, 17), other proximate
younger males. Together, our data indicate positivity bias? We propose that optimal social mechanisms must play a role in nonhumans.
that chimpanzees demonstrate key behav- responses to aging depend on a species’ social In some primates, age-related shifts in social
ioral signatures of the human social aging organization and life history. The relationships behavior have been proposed to stem from
of many species are primarily based on kinship, declining capacities to cope with stress (32),
yet older chimpanzees do not exhibit major
increases in sensitivity to either energetic or
social stressors despite higher overall gluco-
corticoids (22). An alternative possibility is
that chimpanzee social aging patterns are
driven by shifts in emotional reactivity, given
that an increasing capacity for emotional reg-
ulation is a feature of human aging (8, 14). Thus,
a key question is whether older chimpanzees
also exhibit shifts in affective processes, such as
a less reactive temperament or lower rates of
reactive aggression.

Our findings demonstrate how data from
long-lived, socially flexible animals are crucial
for disentangling the proximate and ultimate
causes of human social aging patterns. In ad-
dition to testing how different species respond
to the constraints of aging, comparative data
can inform our understanding of the evolution
of social roles. In other long-lived mammals
such as cetaceans and elephants, older indi-
viduals serve as stores of ecological knowledge
that benefit groupmates (33). This indicates
that a prolonged life course can shape adaptive
strategies for information processing and sug-
gests that the social aging phenotype charac-
teristic of chimpanzees and humans may be
due in part to the social knowledge that long-
lived, socially flexible species can acquire.
Indeed, older adult humans exhibit greater
crystallized intelligence and skillfulness at rea-
soning about social conflicts (34). Similarly,
older chimpanzees might acquire social knowl-
edge over their life span that makes them at-
tractive social partners despite falling dominance
status. In sum, although humans exhibit extra-
ordinary cognitive features that allow for com-
plex reasoning about the future, commonalities

Rosati et al., Science 370, 473–476 (2020) 23 October 2020 3 of 4

RESEARCH | REPORT

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3. J. E. Lansford, A. M. Sherman, T. C. Antonucci, Psychol. Aging 22. M. Emery Thompson et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, at CSCAR for statistical advice. Funding: NIH-R01AG04395,
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Ecol. Evol. 30, 407–416 (2015).

Rosati et al., Science 370, 473–476 (2020) 23 October 2020 4 of 4

RESEARCH

A D A P TAT I O N (GxG) interactions for symbiont quality are
common, maintain variation in the benefits
Experimental evolution makes microbes more symbionts provide to hosts (3, 12), and are a
cooperative with their local host genotype prerequisite for coevolution (13, 14). Local
adaptation, whereby partners from the same
Rebecca T. Batstone1,2*, Anna M. O’Brien1,3, Tia L. Harrison1, Megan E. Frederickson1,4,5 site outperform partners from different sites,
can generate GxG interactions and occurs in
Advances in microbiome science require a better understanding of how beneficial microbes adapt to mutualisms (12, 15), but it is not ubiquitous
hosts. We tested whether hosts select for more-cooperative microbial strains with a year-long evolution (16). Furthermore, the genetic mechanisms
experiment and a cross-inoculation experiment designed to explore how nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia) underlying local adaptation or GxG interac-
adapt to legumes. We paired the bacterium Ensifer meliloti with one of five Medicago truncatula genotypes tions remain largely unknown.
that vary in how strongly they “choose” bacterial symbionts. Independent of host choice, E. meliloti rapidly
adapted to its local host genotype, and derived microbes were more beneficial when they shared evolutionary Legume-rhizobium interactions are econo-
history with their host. This local adaptation was mostly limited to the symbiosis plasmids, with mutations mically and ecologically important and a model
in putative signaling genes. Thus, cooperation depends on the match between partner genotypes and increases for studying mutualisms. Legumes trade car-
as bacteria adapt to their local host. bon for nitrogen fixed by rhizobia, which they
house in root nodules (17). Rhizobia have rapid
H ost-associated microbiota are often bene- ners should lead to evolutionary stasis, reduc- generation times, can be cultured, and can
ficial, but we have a limited understand- acquire mutations through horizontal gene
ing of adaptation between partners in ing genetic variation in mutualistic traits like transfer (18). Rhizobia are also amenable to
these mutualisms, especially at the ge- partner quality (2, 3). genome-wide association studies (GWASs)
nomic level. Mutualisms are sometimes that can identify genomic variants associated
viewed as reciprocal parasitism, potentially re- Poor-quality microbes could be “cheaters” with phenotypes (19). Adapting these approaches,
sulting in antagonistic coevolution that main- that increase their own fitness at their host’s Burghardt et al. (20) found stronger selection
tains genetic variation within populations. expense (4). However, hosts often “choose” on rhizobia in hosts than on rhizobia free-
However, recent work has questioned the pre- their microbiota (5) and preferentially associ- living in soil.
valence of fitness conflict in mutualisms (1), ate with or reward more-cooperative microbes,
and concordant fitness interests between part- selecting against would-be cheaters (6, 7). Such Here, we resequenced and cross-inoculated
partner choice can be adaptive (8, 9) but is also rhizobia after they evolved on one of five host
1Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of paradoxical: If choosy hosts select high-quality genotypes that vary in choosiness to test wheth-
Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada. 2Carl R. Woese er choosier hosts select for more cooperative
Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, symbionts, variation in symbiont quality should symbionts or whether rhizobia adapt to their
IL 61801, USA. 3Department of Mechanical & Industrial local host genotype. We used two rhizobia
Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, decrease, reducing the selective advantage of strains that differ in host benefits: ineffective
Canada. 4Centre for the Analysis of Genome Evolution & partner choice (10). Still, many hosts are choosy nitrogen fixer Ensifer meliloti strain Sm1021
Function, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, and many symbionts are not very beneficial (referred to here as Em1021) and effective
Canada. 5Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard (4, 11), making the persistence of ineffective nitrogen fixer E. meliloti strain WSM1022
University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. microbes perplexing. (Em1022) (9, 17). We paired both strains with
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] one of five inbred lines of Medicago truncatula:
Ineffective microbes might simply be mis- Line 270 is indiscriminate, whereas the others
all prefer Em1022 to Em1021, with line 267
matched with their host. A high-quality microbe almost exclusively partnering with Em1022 in

on one host genotype may be a low-quality

microbe on another. Such genotype-by-genotype

A 270 276 279 313 267 B 270 276 279 313 267
Rhizobium quality (shoot biomass, mg)
Rhizobium fitness (nodule number)15.05
12.5

4
10.0

Fig. 1. High-quality microbial partner spread 7.5 No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes
nearly to fixation in all treatment groups. The
percentage (mean ± 1 SE) of the effective N-fixing No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Shared evolutionary history
strain (Em1022) across plant generations in the
evolution experiment was calculated from soil Shared evolutionary history
samples for generations 2 to 4, and nodules were
dissected from plants in generation 5 (shaded in Fig. 2. Bacteria adapt to their local host genotype. (A and B) Mean ± 1 SE shoot biomass (A) and nodule
light orange). Colors indicate M. truncatula genotypes. number (B) for all combinations of 40 derived bacterial isolates from the evolution experiment and five
All plants were initially inoculated with 33% Em1022. plant genotypes (numbered across top). Bacteria share evolutionary history with the host genotype
they evolved on during the evolution experiment.

Batstone et al., Science 370, 476–478 (2020) 23 October 2020 1 of 3

RESEARCH | REPORT Fig. 3. Most of the significant genomic
variants were cooperative and local.
A (A) GWAS beta scores for symbiont quality
(shoot biomass) and fitness (nodule number)
B for the 363 variants (points) among the
40 derived isolates, averaged over all plant lines
or for each host genotype separately. Larger
symbols are variants with one or more sta-
tistically significant effects (squares indicate
segregating in the ancestor; circles indicate
de novo). For the panels showing each host
genotype, red symbol color indicates that
variants evolved in individual host environ-
ments and gray symbol color indicates that
they did not. The region shaded in gray defines
cheater variants. (B) Counts of significant
variants in each host environment. (Category
definitions are provided in the text.) Numbers
before commas indicate local variants, and
numbers after commas indicate variants that
evolved in a different host environment. Plus (+)
or minus (−) symbols indicate categories
with more or fewer variants, respectively, than
the null expectation. Orange shading indicates
a high number of total variants relative to
the other three quadrants; light red shading
indicates a moderate number of variants
relative to the other three quadrants.

past experiments (9, 17). After a year-long evo- Variation in the benefits that experimen- on the least choosy host line (line 270); fewer
lution experiment spanning five plant gen- tally evolved bacteria conferred to hosts was variants (16 to 59) were specific to rhizobia
erations, we isolated “derived” rhizobia from largely determined by the matches between derived on other lines (fig. S5A). After filtering
nodules and compared them to the original rhizobium and host genotypes. Derived and out most singletons and variants in high link-
“ancestral” strains. ancestral Em1022 did not differ significantly in age disequilibrium, reducing our set to 363 var-
symbiont quality or fitness (tables S1A and iants (fig. S5B), GWASs identified 145 variants
Even though Em1021 started with a twofold S2A). However, derived bacteria provided significantly associated with rhizobium quali-
advantage (17), it became nearly extinct on all greater benefits to the host genotype they were ty or fitness (referred to as significant variants)
host lines (Fig. 1). At the end of the experi- paired with during the evolution experiment in one or more host environments (table S3).
ment, Em1021 associated with only 15% of (Fig. 2A), although a few isolates were high- or These variants were mostly located on two
plants and occupied only 3% of 336 sampled low-quality symbionts across plant lines (figs. symbiosis plasmids, pSymA and pSymB, which
nodules. In a linear model combining strain S1 and S2). Derived rhizobia also achieved contain genes essential for the symbiotic and
frequencies in soil and nodules (17), we found higher fitness when tested on their local host free-living phases of the rhizobium life cycle,
a marginally significant effect of generation genotype, with the exception of isolates that respectively (21, 22); 62 variants were on pSymA,
(F3,96 = 2.40, P = 0.0730) but no effect of plant evolved on the least choosy host genotype 68 on pSymB, and only 15 were on the bacterial
line (F4,96 = 0.552, P = 0.698). The effective (line 270) (Fig. 2B). Linear mixed models chromosome.
symbiont, Em1022, outcompeted Em1021 on found significantly positive effects of shared
all hosts regardless of choosiness, indicating evolutionary history on both rhizobium qual- Beta scores, which represent the strength
that partner choice was not an important se- ity and fitness (tables S1B and S2B). of association between a genomic variant and
lective force. a phenotype, were strongly positively corre-
Averaged across all hosts, there was a po- lated between symbiont quality and fitness
We assayed Em1022 phenotypes by planting sitive relationship between rhizobia quality and (Fig. 3A), meaning that genomic variants that
new seeds of the same five plant lines and fitness (fig. S3), suggesting that none of the 40 increased microbial fitness also increased mi-
singly inoculating each with either ancestral derived strains evolved to cheat and that strong crobial benefits to plants. Within each host en-
Em1022 or 1 of the 40 derived isolates, testing fitness feedback makes cooperation adaptive vironment, most of the significant variants
replicates of all possible combinations of host for rhizobia. Pairwise correlations between the evolved in isolates paired with that host geno-
genotypes and isolates (17). We quantified the same trait on different hosts were weaker and type in the evolution experiment (i.e., local
symbiotic quality of rhizobium isolates by mea- often not statistically significant (fig. S4), sug- variants; red symbols in Fig. 3A and numbers
suring aboveground plant biomass and rhizo- gesting that microbial quality or fitness on one before commas in Fig. 3B). We categorized
bium fitness by measuring nodule number. host poorly predicts quality or fitness on another. variant effects as “cooperative” if beta scores
We also sequenced whole genomes of the 40 for symbiont quality and fitness were both
derived isolates and nine replicates each of the Genomic sequencing of E. meliloti isolates greater than zero, “defective” if beta scores
ancestors and conducted GWASs for symbiont uncovered 1330 genetic variants, including 547 were both less than zero, “altruistic” if beta
quality and fitness both on specific host geno- de novo mutations (fig. S5A). Most de novo scores were positive for symbiont quality but
types and across all plant lines (17). variants (305) were specific to rhizobia derived

Batstone et al., Science 370, 476–478 (2020) 23 October 2020 2 of 3

RESEARCH | REPORT

negative for symbiont fitness, or “cheater” if hosts (Fig. 1), suggesting that this strain is a 11. P. H. Thrall, J. Burdon, M. J. Woods, J. Appl. Ecol. 37, 52–65
beta scores were positive for symbiont fit- universally poor competitor. By contrast, (2000).
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five host environments, most of the signifi- variants that differed in both symbiont quality 12. M. A. Rúa et al., BMC Evol. Biol. 16, 122 (2016).
cant variant effects were cooperative and local and fitness. Derived bacteria provided greater 13. K. D. Heath, Evolution 64, 1446–1458 (2010).
(Fig. 3B and table S3). host benefits and generally achieved higher fit- 14. J. D. Hoeksema, New Phytol. 187, 286–300 (2010).
ness on the host genotype with which they 15. S. S. Porter, M. L. Stanton, K. J. Rice, PLOS ONE 6, e27935 (2011).
We used permutations to assess whether shared evolutionary history (Fig. 2), and we 16. T. L. Harrison, C. W. Wood, I. L. Borges, J. R. Stinchcombe,
this pattern could have occurred by chance by detected a significant excess of genomic var-
randomly assigning genomes to phenotypes iants with cooperative effects on local hosts Ecol. Evol. 7, 4367–4376 (2017).
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There were significantly more local-cooperative tation is a more important evolutionary force
associations in all five host environments (Fig. shaping microbial cooperation than is partner materials.
3B, plus symbols) and significantly fewer local- choice. Furthermore, when microbes are con- 18. P. Remigi, J. Zhu, J. P. W. Young, C. Masson-Boivin, Trends
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jugative transfer relaxases, among others (table associated microbiomes. Our results also imply 23. K. M. Jones, H. Kobayashi, B. W. Davies, M. E. Taga,
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and cheating or altruism less often, than ex- Lab, especially E. Dutton and J. Laurich, as well as L. Burghardt,
pected by chance as bacteria adapted to their 1075–1089 (2010). J. Lau, J. Stinchcombe, and C. Wood, provided feedback.
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reactions, and A. Petrie, B. Cole, and C. Bonner managed the
In our evolution experiment, we expected 548, 43–51 (2017). greenhouse. Funding: We acknowledge funding from an NSERC
the choosiest host line to most strongly favor 6. E. T. Kiers, R. A. Rousseau, S. A. West, R. F. Denison, Nature Discovery Grant and Accelerator Supplement (M.E.F.), Ontario
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20142036 (2014). all authors wrote the manuscript. Competing interests: The
9. R. T. Batstone, E. M. Dutton, D. Wang, M. Yang, authors declare no competing interests. Data and materials
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SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS

science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6515/476/suppl/DC1
Materials and Methods
Figs. S1 to S6
Tables S1 to S4
References (25–60)
MDAR Reproducibility Checklist

13 March 2020; accepted 31 August 2020
10.1126/science.abb7222

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• Hundreds of Scientifc Session videos, highlighting the
@AAASmeetings work of individual panelists will be available to stream.

/AAAS.Science • E-poster galleries will showcase research, including
highlights from early career researchers.

Live February 8–11,

• Invited Topical Lecturers will be available for Q&A.
• Scientifc Sessions will convene to discuss how each

presenter’s work interacts with others’ and for Q&A.
• Public Workshops will focus on:

• Advancing your career;
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A A AS A N N UA L MEET ING | V I RT UA L | February 8–11, 2021 | #AAASmtg 3

Plenary Lectures

Claire M. Fraser
President, AAAS
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Presented by:

Ruha Benjamin
Princeton University

Anthony S. Fauci
U.S. National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases

Mary L. Gray
Microsoft Research

Sethuraman Panchathan
National Science Foundation

4 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE | aaas.org/meetings

Topical Lectures

Anne H. Charity Hudley
University of California,
Santa Barbara

Joseph M. DeSimone
Carbon, Inc. and
Stanford University

Ayanna Howard
Georgia Institute
of Technology

Yalidy Matos
Rutgers University

Nalini M. Nadkarni
University of Utah

As of September 30, 2020

A A AS A N N UA L MEET IN G | V I RT UA L | February 8–11, 2021 | #AAASmtg 5

Scientifc Sessions

2021: A CRITICAL YEAR TO SUPPORT BIOSPHERE RESPONSES TO COMPUTING, ARTIFICIAL
CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY GEOENGINEERING INTELLIGENCE, AND SOCIETAL
Organized byAndrew Allen, The Royal Organized by Forrest Hoffman, Oak Ridge IMPACTS: AN INFLECTION POINT
Society, London, United Kingdom National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN; Organized byDaniel A. Reed, University of
Cheng-En Yang, University of Tennessee, Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
21ST CENTURY ALCHEMY: TURNING Knoxville, TN
WASTE INTO RESOURCES CONSEQUENCES OF INCARCERATION
Organized byBoyoung Choe, National BRAIN-MACHINE INTERFACES: ON HEALTH INEQUITY AND RACIAL
Research Council of Science and Technology, SCIENCE, IMPACT, AND ETHICS INJUSTICE
Sejong, Korea, Republic of (South) Organized byJit Muthuswamy, Arizona State Organized by Linda Teplin, Northwestern
University, Tempe, AZ; Eric Maass, Medtronic University, Chicago, IL
AEROSPACE INDUSTRY: RTG, Tempe, AZ
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHYSICAL AND CONVERSATIONAL CHALLENGES OF AI
FUNCTIONAL EXPANSION CANNABIDIOL 2021: SCIENCE, SAFETY, TEAMING WITH HUMANS
Organized byLynnette D. Madsen, National AND SOCIETAL ISSUES Organized byRandi Martin, Rice University,
Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA Organized bySol Bobst, ToxSci Advisors LLC, Houston, TX
Houston, TX
AMAZON DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS TO COUPLING EXPERIMENTS AND MODELS
FOSTER CONSERVATION AND SOCIO- CLEARING THE AIR: THE CASE FOR IN STUDIES OF THE MICROBIOME
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY LOWERING US PM2.5 STANDARDS Organized byMark Alber and Joel Sachs,
Organized byJessica Tome Garcia and Organized byMarianthi-Anna University of California, Riverside, CA
Lauren Barredo, Sustainable Development Kioumourtzoglou and Joan Casey, Columbia
Solutions Network, New York, NY University Mailman School of Public Health, COVID-19 ACADEMIC SYSTEM STRESS
New York, NY TEST: WINNERS AND LOSERS WHEN
AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL BLUEPRINT SCIENCE MOVES HOME
TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEX COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS: THE Organized byStephanie Pfirman, Arizona
DYNAMICS OF A PANDEMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY State University, Tempe, AZ
Organized byMarianne Lucien, ETH Zurich, AND ENVIRONMENT
Zurich, Switzerland Organized by David Souza, UK Research CREATING AND IMPROVING PATHWAYS
and Innovation, Swindon, United Kingdom FOR STEM PROFESSIONALS TO ADVISE
APPROPRIATE SCIENTIFIC RESPONSES CONGRESS
TO CRISES COASTAL STORM EFFECTS IN THE Organized byMike Miesen and Laura Manley,
Organized by Atsushi Arakawa, Japan TIME OF CLIMATE CHANGE Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Science and Technology Agency, Organized by Ronadh Cox, Williams
Tokyo, Japan College, Williamstown, MA DECONSTRUCTING CANCER CELLS
FOR MORE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR COLLABORATING AT A DISTANCE Organized by Matthew Midgley and Emily
PHYSICS: EXPERIMENTAL AND TO FIGHT COVID-19 Mobley, Wellcome Sanger Institute,
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES Organized byHeather Evans, National Cambridge, United Kingdom
Organized bySergei Gleyzer, University of Institute of Standards and Technology,
Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL; Meenakshi Narain, Gaithersburg, MD; Marla Dowell, National DESIGNER MOLECULES:
Brown University, Providence, RI Institute of Standards and Technology, UNDERSTANDING AND UTILIZING
Boulder, CO THEIR QUANTUM NATURES
ASTROBIOLOGY AND ORIGINS OF LIFE: Organized byJens Dilling, TRIUMF,
FROM CHEMICAL NETWORKS TO LIVING COMPLEX GLYCANS IN CORONAVIRUS Vancouver, Canada; Ronald Fernando Garcia
ECOSYSTEMS BIOLOGY: THE SWEET SECRETS OF Ruiz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Organized by David Baum, University of A PANDEMIC Cambridge, MA
Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI Organized by Iain Wilson, Universität
für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, Austria; DEVELOPING RESILIENT FOOD
BACTERIA, KEY PLAYERS IN MANY Elisa Fadda, Maynooth University, SYSTEMS IN A DISASTER-PRONE
DIVERSE ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS Maynooth, Ireland WORLD
Organized by John Beutler, National Organized byNicole Arbour, International
Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF Institute for Applied Systems Analysis,
THE OVARY: APPLICATIONS FOR Laxenburg, Austria
BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS IN MOUNTAIN PREDICTIVE TOXICOLOGY
ECOSYSTEMS: RESEARCH AND Organized byKaren H. Watanabe, Arizona DIGITAL AND GREEN: INSTRUMENTS
EDUCATION State University, Phoenix, AZ; Mary B. FOR DRIVING SOCIO-ECONOMIC
Organized byRobert Pal and Beverly Karplus Zelinski, Oregon National Primate Research RECOVERY
Hartline, Montana Technological University, Center, Beaverton, OR Organized byVinny Pillay, South African
Butte, MT Department of Science and Technology,
COMPUTER SIMULATION Pretoria, South Africa
MODELING FOR COVID POLICY:
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Organized byAbraham Flaxman, Institute for
Health Metrics and Evaluation, Seattle, WA

6 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE | aaas.org/meetings

DYNAMICS IN URBAN ECOSYSTEMS INEQUITIES IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE MICROBIOME AND GUT1BRAIN
AND ENVIRONMENTS: MULTI- ECOSYSTEM: POLICING, MONETARY INTERACTIONS
DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES SANCTIONS, JAIL Organized byRosa Krajmalnik-Brown,
Organized byQihao Weng, Indiana State Organized byWilliam Alex Pridemore, State Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ;
University, Terre Haute, IN; Elizabeth A. University of New York at Albany, NY Sarkis Mazmanian, California Institute of
Wentz, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ Technology, Pasadena, CA
INSTITUTION, JOURNAL, REPORTER:
DYNAMICS OF TROPICAL FORESTS AND STRATEGICALLY MITIGATING COVID-19 MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL
THEIR IMPACT ON THE CLIMATE MISINFORMATION TICK1BORNE DISEASES
Organized by Frédéric Achard, European Organized by Valeria Sabate, American Organized byTimothy Sellati, Global Lyme
Commission Joint Research Centre, Association for the Advancement of Alliance, Stamford, CT; Susanna Visser,
Ispra, Italy Science, Washington, DC Centers for Disease Control, Fort Collins, CO

EFFECTS OF SPACE TRAVEL ON THE INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSES TO COVID: MONARCHS: PUBLIC RESPONSE
HUMAN BODY THE IMPACT ON UNDERGRADUATE SEEN THROUGH POLICY, MEDIA,
Organized byDavid Souza, UK Research and STEM INSTRUCTION AND CITIZEN SCIENCE
Innovation, Swindon, United Kingdom Organized byCharles Henderson, Western Organized byBruce Lewenstein and Anurag
Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI; Agrawal, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
EVALUATING THE PROMOTION AND Michael Feder, American Association for the
PROTECTION OF THE U.S. BIOECONOMY Advancement of Science, Washington, DC NEUROSCIENCE FOR ARCHITECTURE:
Organized byMary Maxon, Lawrence EVIDENCE FOR A NEW BRAIN1BASED
Berkeley National Laboratory, Emeryville, INTERPRETING PUBLIC OPINION OF SCIENCE OF DESIGN
CA; Jeff Furman, Boston University, MA SCIENTISTS AND THEIR WORK Organized by Thomas D. Albright, Salk
Organized by Cary Funk, Pew Research Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA
EVOLVING POLICY PRIORITIES Center, Washington, DC
IN INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC OCEANIC RESPONSES TO THE CLIMATE:
PARTNERSHIPS LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND RECOGNIZING CHANGES
Organized by Amanda Vernon, American HEALTH: DEAF CHILDREN DURING AND EXTREMES
Academy of Arts and Sciences, QUARANTINE Organized by Lijing Cheng, Chinese
Cambridge, MA Organized byDonna Jo Napoli, Swarthmore Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
College, PA
EXPLORING MARS: PAST, PRESENT, OPEN SCIENCE: ISSUES AND
AND FUTURE MAPPING AND MODELING CHALLENGES ACCELERATED
Organized by Matt Shindell, Smithsonian MICROBIOMES BY COVID119
National Air & Space Museum, Organized byMatthew Sullivan, The Ohio Organized byJerry Sheehan, National
Washington, DC State University, Columbus, OH; Ruth Varner, Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD; Kazuhiro
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH Hayashi, National Institute of Science and
EXPLORING TIPPING POINTS IN Technology Policy, Tokyo, Japan
NATURAL AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS MESSENGERS FROM THE COSMOS:
Organized byVeera Mitzner, Future Earth, RECEIVING GRAVITATIONAL WAVES, OPPORTUNITY AT TIMES OF CHANGE:
Boulder, CO PARTICLES, AND LIGHT CATALYZING THE EVOLUTION OF
Organized byNancy Levenson, Space GRADUATE EDUCATION
HOW THINKING ABOUT RELIGION Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD; Organized byBarbara Natalizio, National
CAN INCREASE RACIAL AND GENDER Gabriela Gonzalez, Louisiana State University, Postdoctoral Association, Rockville, MD
DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE Baton Rouge, LA
Organized byBethany Boucher, Rice
University, Houston, TX

HUMAN IMPACTS ON GLOBAL WILDLIFE
AND THEIR HABITATS
Organized byDavid Souza, UK Research and
Innovation, Swindon, United Kingdom

HUMAN NICHE CONSTRUCTION
THEORY: A LENS TO ANALYZE ONGOING
CLIMATE CHANGE
Organized byCara Ocobock, University of
Notre Dame, IN

INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE, SCIENCE,
AND ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR
COLLABORATION
Organized byCurtis Baxter and Robert
O’Malley, American Association for the
Advancement of Science, Washington, DC

A A AS A N N UA L MEET IN G | V I RT UA L | February 8–11, 2021 | #AAASmtg 7

PHOSPHORUS AND CLIMATE CHANGE: STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES AND THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF HUMAN
A VICIOUS CIRCLE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN ADAPTING HEALTH AND AQUATIC SOCIAL-
Organized by James Elser, University of TO CLIMATE CHANGE ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
Montana, Polson, MT; Matt Scholz, Arizona Organized byPamela Doughman and Ben Organized byKathryn Fiorella, Cornell
State University, Tempe, AZ Wender, California Energy Commission, University, Ithaca, NY
Sacramento, CA
POLYGENIC RISK SCORES: USES THE MATHEMATICS OF HOMEOSTASIS
AND MISUSES IN HEALTH, RESEARCH, STRENGTHENING SUSTAINABILITY AND HEALTH
AND SOCIETY PROGRAMS AND CURRICULA IN Organized byMichael Reed, Duke University,
Organized by Sarah Tishkoff, University of HIGHER EDUCATION Durham, NC
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Kyle Brothers, Organized byLida Beninson and Emi
University of Louisville, KY Kameyama, National Academies of Sciences, THE PANDEMIC’S SOCIAL ECOSYSTEM:
Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC LEARNING NEW PATHS TOWARD
PURSUING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE KNOWLEDGE AND TRUST
THROUGH SCIENCE AND RELIGION THE COVID-19 INFODEMIC: Organized byJonathan Coopersmith, Texas
Organized byLilah Sloane-Barrett and Katy COMBATTING MISINFORMATION A&M University, College Station, TX; Lisa
Hinman, American Association for the DURING GLOBAL CRISES Onaga, Max Planck Institute for the History of
Advancement of Science, Washington, DC Organized byStefan Stieglitz, University of Science, Berlin, Germany
Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
REDUCING WASTE IN THE U.S. SEAFOOD THE QUANTUM ECOSYSTEM:
SUPPLY CHAIN THE CRITICAL AND EVOLVING ROLE INNOVATION
Organized by Lekelia Jenkins, Arizona OF SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEES Organized byCharles Clark, Joint Quantum
State University, Tempe, AZ; Dave Love, IN POLICYMAKING Institute, Gaithersburg, MD; Araceli Venegas-
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Organized byMichael Fernandez and Gomez, QURECA, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Erin Heath, American Association for the
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION: Advancement of Science, Washington, DC THE ROLES OF STATISTICS AND DATA
ENHANCING COLLABORATIONS SCIENCE IN FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY THE DIGITALIZATION OF HEALTHCARE Organized by Lei Liu, Washington
Organized byLorne Whitehead and Michele AND ITS EFFECTS ON ENGAGEMENT University in St. Louis, MO
Mossman, University of British Columbia, AND GOVERNANCE
Vancouver, Canada Organized byCalvin Ho, University of Hong THEY (AND WEB ARE WHAT WE EAT:
Kong, Hong Kong; Madeleine Murtagh, LINKING DIET AND GUT MICROBIOME
RESOLVING LGBTQ DISPARITIES IN Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, TO HUMAN HEALTH
STEM REPRESENTATION THROUGH United Kingdom Organized byFarida Mohamedshah, Institute
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA of Food Technologists, Chicago, IL
Organized byRochelle Diamond, National THE DYNAMIC PAST: HOW SCIENCE
Organization of Gay & Lesbian Scientists & HELPS GIVE VOICE TO SILENCED TIME MATTERS: TRANSIENTS AND
Technical Professionals, Pasadena, CA STORIES DYNAMICS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF
Organized byRobert O’Malley, American ECOSYSTEMS
RESPONSE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY Association for the Advancement of Science, Organized byAlan Hastings, University
TO COVID-19 AND CLIMATE CHANGE Washington, DC of California, Davis, CA; Kim Cuddington,
Organized byAndrew Allen, The Royal University of Waterloo, Canada
Society, London, United Kingdom THE FUTURE OF CITIES: GREEN
BUILDINGS AND SUSTAINABLE UNDERSTANDING AND ENABLING
SCALING LOCALIZED MANUFACTURING INFRASTRUCTURE HUMAN TRAVEL TO THE MOON
FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE Organized byDavid Souza, UK Research and AND MARS
Organized byK.C. Morris, National Institute Innovation, Swindon, United Kingdom Organized byLeslie DeChurch, Northwestern
of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, University, Winter Park, FL
MD; Björn Johansson, Chalmers University of THE GUT MICROBIOME: IMPACT FROM
Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden EARLY LIFE ON HEALTH AND DISEASE USING GENOMICS TO TRACK
Organized bySamantha Wynne and AND DEFEAT COVID-19, MALARIA,
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FOR Emily Mobley, Wellcome Sanger Institute, AND CHOLERA
HUMANITARIAN GOALS Cambridge, United Kingdom Organized byAlison Cranage, Wellcome
Organized byLynnette D. Madsen, National Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United
Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA THE IMPACTS OF MOBILE TECHNOLOGY Kingdom; Emily Mobley, Wellcome Sanger
AND REGULATION IN A PANDEMIC Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Organized byKatina Michael, Arizona
State University, Tempe, AZ; Roba Abbas, USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE
University of Wollongong, Australia UNDERSTANDING OF CHANGES
TO BIODIVERSITY
THE IMPORTANCE OF BIOLOGICAL Organized byJonas Brunschwig, swissnex
COLLECTIONS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST Boston, Cambridge, MA; Tiffany Merz-Cheok,
COVID-19 University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Organized byKeegan Sawyer and Audrey
Thevenon, National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC

8 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE | aaas.org/meetings

WORKSHOPS HOW TO CREATE COMPELLING UNIQUE STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING
RESEARCH TALKS USING ELEMENTS AND LEARNING ABOUT SCIENCE AND
Career Workshops OF STORY TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Organized by Holly Walter Kerby, Wisconsin Organized by Deborah Stine, Science,
Opportunities to gain advice and Institute of Discovery, Madison, WI Technology, and Innovation Policy Analysis
strategies from experienced STEM & Education, LLC, Pittsburgh, PA
professionals INTERNATIONAL DOCTORAL
NETWORKS AND RESEARCHERS’ WHAT STORY? THE POWER OF
COMMUNICATING FOR IMPACT: HOW MOBILITY FOR EXCELLENT RESEARCH THE PODCAST FOR SCIENCE
TO SHARE RESEARCH THROUGH THE Organized by Julie Lepretre, European COMMUNICATION AND YOUR CAREER
NEWS MEDIA Commission, Brussels, Belgium Organized by Elaine Devine, Taylor &
Organized by Diana Brazzell, Footnote, Francis, Abingdon, United Kingdom
Washington, DC JOURNALS, JOURNALS EVERYWHERE,
BUT WE SHOULD STOP AND THINK WINNING UNDECIDED HEARTS &
ELEVATING SCIENCE IN A VIRTUAL, Organized by Roxanne Bogucka, University MINDS: COMMUNICATING WITH VALUES
WORK-FROM-HOME ENVIRONMENT of Texas at Austin, TX Organized by Heather Conklin, Science
Organized by Greg Kunkle, Pacific Northwest Communication Journal Club, Oceanside, CA
National Laboratory, Richland, WA MIND THE GAP: BRIDGING THE
EXPECTATION GAP BETWEEN YOU ARE A LEADER! NAVIGATE YOUR
ENGAGING WITH INSTITUTIONS RESEARCHERS AND EMPLOYERS STEM CAREER JOURNEY THROUGH 360
ABROAD THROUGH THE FULBRIGHT Organized by Mostafa Moonir Shawrav, DEGREE LEADERSHIP
SPECIALIST PROGRAM Marie Curie Alumni Association, Vienna, Organized by Alaina Levine, Quantum
Organized by Amirah Nelson, World Austria Success Solutions, Tucson, AZ
Learning, Washington, DC
MIND THE GAP: ENGAGING SCIENTISTS Advocacy Workshops
FOSTERING CAREER DEVELOPMENT WITH K-12 EDUCATORS TO ADVANCE
THROUGH RESEARCH LEARNING STEM EDUCATION Explore ways of promoting science
EXPERIENCES Organized by Kitchka Petrova, National in your community
Organized by Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Ali Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA
Abedi, University of Maine, Orono, ME BRINGING SCIENCE TO LOCAL POLICY
PREPARING FOR SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS: THE LOCAL SCIENCE
HOW TO BUILD AND MANAGE RESEARCH CAREERS INSIDE OR ENGAGEMENT NETWORK
SCIENTIST NETWORKS OUTSIDE OF ACADEMIA Organized by Daniel Barry, American
Organized by Robin Tim Weis, Office Organized by Mostafa Moonir Shawrav Association for the Advancement of Science,
of Science and Technology Austria, and Gabor Kismihok, Marie Curie Alumni Washington, DC
Washington, DC Association, Vienna, Austria
CLIMATE CHANGE CONVERSATIONS:
HOW TO CREATE AND DELIVER AN REIMAGINING MENTORSHIP VIA CREATING DIALOGUE ABOUT
EFFECTIVE WEBINAR AN INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING SOLUTIONS
Organized by Dennis Meredith, COMMUNITY Organized by Elana Kimbrell, American
Independent, Fallbrook, CA Organized by Amanda Diekman, Indiana Association for the Advancement of Science,
University, Bloomington, IN Washington, DC

SKILLS FOR RESILIENT RESEARCHERS
Organized by Julie Lepretre, European
Commission, Brussels, Belgium

A A AS A N N UA L MEET IN G | V I RT UA L | February 8–11, 2021 | #AAASmtg 9

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND Culture, Equity, CONNECT WITH US!
OUTREACH FOR STEMM EDUCATORS & Inclusion Workshops #AAASmtg
Organized by Theresa L. Harris, American
Association for the Advancement of Science, Discover strategies for creating @AAASmeetings
Washington, DC inclusive networks
/AAAS.Science
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE BUILDING YOUR PROFESSIONAL
TIME OF COVID: SOLUTIONS FOR NETWORKS AS A WOC IN STEM The 2021 AAAS Annual
REMOTE STEM OUTREACH Organized by Ana Porras, Cornell Meeting will convene
Organized by Victoria Herrmann, University, Ithaca, NY entirely online, February
The Arctic Institute, Washington, DC 8-11, with related prereleased
CAREERS IN STEM POLICY: materials available starting
CONTINUING EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES FOR in late January.
ENGAGEMENT IN TIMES OF COVID-19 UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES
Organized by Latasha Wright, BioBus, Organized by Brandy Huderson, National Please see our website
Bronx, NY Science Foundation, Alexandria, VA for the most up-to-date
program information:
CREATING SCIENCE-POLICY CONCEPTUALIZING STUDENT
CAPACITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES DIVERSITY IN THE CLASSROOM aaas.org/meetings
THROUGH FELLOW-SHIP PROGRAMS Organized by Stanley Lo, University of
Organized by Marcella Ohira, Inter-American California San Diego, La Jolla, CA Registration will be
Institute for Global Change Research, available in November!
Montevideo, Uruguay ETHICAL EVALUATION OF A/IS IMPACT
ON HUMAN WELL-BEING USING IEEE
LEGISLATORS IN LAB COATS: HOW 7010-2020
TO RUN FOR OFFICE AND CHANGE Organized by Alice Vo Edwards, The CEO
THE WORLD Within LLC, North Las Vegas, NV
Organized by Shaughnessy Naughton, 314
Action, Philadelphia, PA INCLUSIVE ONLINE TEACHING:
TOWARD MORE IMPACTFUL AND
PATHWAYS FOR EARLY CAREER ENGAGED LEARNING
SCIENTISTS CATALYZING POLICY Organized by Leyte Winfield, Spelman
CHANGE College, Atlanta, GA
Organized by Holly Mayton, National Science
Policy Network, Virginia Beach, VA LEVERAGING OUR PRIVILEGE TO
ADDRESS SYSTEMIC BIASES
PUT THE BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT Organized by Maria-Denise Dearing,
TO IMPACT POLICY & IMPROVE YOUR University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
COMMUNICATION
Organized by Jessica Soule, American MOVEMENT-BUILDING IN STEM IN
Association for the Advancement of Science, THE MIDST OF THE BLACK LIVES
Washington, DC MATTER MOVEMENT.
Organized by Jessica Esquivel,
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AS A TOOL Fermilab, Batavia, IL
FOR TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION
OF INFLUENCERS NAVIGATING THE TRAINEE-MENTOR
Organized by Adriana Bankston, Journal RELATIONSHIP AS A STEM TRAINEE
of Science Policy and Governance, WITH A DISABILITY
Washington, DC Organized by Mahadeo Sukhai, Canadian
National Institute for the Blind, Kingston,
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION ON-LINE Canada
PROGRAMME (SCOPE)
Organized by Michelle Paulsen, Northwestern SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
University, Evanston, IL AND ENGAGEMENT WITH
RELIGIOUS PUBLICS
SCIENTISTS AS CITIZENS: PATHWAYS Organized by Robert O’ Malley, American
FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT Association for the Advancement of Science
ENGAGEMENT
Organized by Rebecca Mandt, Engineers and SCIENCE-DANCE FOR INCLUSIVE
Scientists Acting Locally, Cambridge, MA COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT,
EDUCATION & SOCIAL CHANGE
SUCCEEDING AS A SCIENCE LEADER Organized by Lewis Hou, Science Ceilidh,
WORKING OUTSIDE ACADEMIA Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Organized by Aaron Mertz, The Aspen
Institute, New York, NY SOUNDING THE ALARM: ADDRESSING
RACISM, COVID-19, AND MENTAL
HEALTH IN SCIENCE
Organized by Kerrie Wilkins-Yel, University
of Massachusetts Boston, MA

10 AMER I CAN ASSOC I AT I ON FOR T H E A DVA NC EMEN T O F SC IENC E | a a a s.org/m eet in gs

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FACULTY POSITION IN CANCER EPIGENETICS at FOX Tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor online @sciencecareers.org
CHASE CANCER CENTER of Genetics or Genomics

The Fox Chase Cancer Center invites applicants for tenure-track faculty In anticipation of substantial growth over the next five years,
positions at the level of assistant professor and associate professor in the Cancer the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah
Epigenetics Institute and Cancer Signaling and Epigenetics Program. While School of Medicine (www.genetics.utah.edu) seeks outstanding
outstanding candidates working in all areas of epigenetics are invited to apply, applicants for one or more tenure-track positions at the level of
we are particularly soliciting applications from candidates that are interested Assistant or Associate Professor. We seek highly creative sci-
in the following areas: 1. the relationship between higher order genome orga- entists who use genetics to investigate fundamental biological
nization and cancer development, progression and/or resistance; 2. the role problems. We encourage applicants whose research focuses on
chromatin has in genome stability; 3. the relationship between cellular signal- evolutionary and functional genetics and genomics; human and
ing, chromatin modulation and cancer; 4. the relationship between metabolic medical genetics; computational genomics; and research pro-
pathways and epigenetic control; 5. the role of modified nucleic acids (DNA, grams using established model or unconventional organisms.
RNA) and associated regulation in cancer; 6. the relationship between immune As part of a vibrant community of faculty with a strong track
oncology and epigenetics. record of collaborative mentorship, research, and funding, the
Successful applicants will join a highly interactive institution that is committed Department of Human Genetics lies at the interface between
to bridging basic discovery to clinical application through collaboration. Fox basic and clinical sciences. This creates ample opportunities
Chase was among the nation’s first institutions to receive Comprehensive Cancer for interdisciplinary research (e.g., our Center for Genetic Dis-
Center designation from the NCI in 1974. There are 119 research faculty that covery, Transformative Excellence Program in Evolutionary
generate $63.2 million in funding. The research faculty are surrounded by Genetics and Genomics, and Center for Genomic Medicine). As
clinical colleagues that provide care for over 105,000 individuals and support a department, we value diversity and equity, and believe that the
>170 clinical trials, of which >60 are investigator-initiated. Two particular best science is done when researchers of diverse backgrounds
highlights of the center are the superb clinical pipeline that facilitates rapid are integrated and supported in an inclusive manner. We seek
translation of basic science discoveries into the clinic and the world-class core faculty who share these values. Our institution is set in a unique
facilities that are easily accessed. geographical landscape that attracts a heterogeneous and pro-
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and/or M.D. degree with an outstanding record of research productivity. The a generous startup package and enjoy a stimulating research
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higher education for historically underrepresented students.

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SCIENCECAREERS.ORG

WORKING LIFE

By Naomi A. Rankin, Matthias I. Gröschel, and Maha R. Farhat

Mentorship at a distance

T he year is 2022. It is a warm summer day in Boston, and Naomi, an incoming graduate student,
sits in a cafe waiting for two colleagues who have greatly influenced her career—although they’ve
never met in person. It was back in 2020 when Naomi, then an undergraduate at Howard Uni-
versity, spent a summer working virtually with Matthias, a postdoc, and Maha, the lab principal
investigator, through a Harvard University internship program. Now that the world has managed
COVID-19, they are excited to finally meet face-to-face and reflect on that summer experience.

NAOMI: I remember that day in March importance of making my concerns

2020 when everything seemed to un- heard. And when we began to speak

ravel. I was told to evacuate my cam- more often, I got to see another side

pus and that classes would be virtual of your lives. I never expected to have

for the indefinite future. While many video calls with Matthias while he

of my peers’ summer research oppor- was at the playground with his kids!

tunities were canceled, I was lucky

that the Harvard summer internship MATTHIAS: Me neither! Do you re-

was scheduled to continue virtually. member when my daughter poured

But I wondered how I would learn a water on my laptop? It delayed me

completely new topic and research terribly in sending over a key figure

style from 3000 kilometers and two for your final presentation. I was bal-

time zones away. How would I form ancing so much at the time and yet

a relationship with my mentors? desperately wanted to be there when

you needed me.

MATTHIAS: Both Maha and I had “With a little work, NAOMI: Yes, that wasn’t the smooth-
doubts about the virtual internship we formed a lasting bond.” est moment—but ultimately it only
format. I had never mentored a strengthened our relationship. See-
student completely remotely, and I

knew you had never done this type ing your struggles with working from

of research before. I counted on Maha’s experience men- home helped me realize that we are all human, navigating

toring students and her optimism that we would make through a difficult time together.

it work.

MATTHIAS: I enjoyed connecting with you informally; it felt

NAOMI: The biggest challenge for me was not knowing very genuine. It also offered an opportunity to reflect on

whether I was on track. If we had been working together what kind of mentor I want to be in the “real” world. I hope

in person, it would have been easy to casually touch base to carry that forward with me.

and get gentle nudges in the right direction when I needed

them. But I was too nervous to ask basic questions over MAHA: Losing the connection with mentees was among

video calls and chat, so I relied on trial and error and online the hardest aspects of the quarantine for me profession-

tutorials. Then, when I presented my work to you, I was ally. Shifting to a more relaxed communication style really

disappointed to learn that the model I had worked on for helped. It also reinforced my belief that science and scien-

2 weeks was completely wrong. tists should be less aloof and more welcoming, especially to

aspiring scientists early in their careers.

MAHA: I remember that moment well. It became clear then

that we needed to reset our expectations and how we com- NAOMI: The virtual environment made it hard to connect at

municated. I urged you to use chat liberally and reach out times—but with a little work, we formed a lasting bond. j ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER

for more frequent short check-ins. As the days rolled on,

you seemed to become more at ease asking for help. Naomi Rankin is an undergrad at Howard University. Matthias Gröschel

is a postdoc and Maha Farhat an assistant professor at Harvard Medical

NAOMI: It certainly helped that you were present and re- School. Farhat is also an attending pulmonologist at Massachusetts

sponsive via telephone calls and chat. I also learned the General Hospital. Send your career story to [email protected].

494 23 OCTOBER 2020 • VOL 370 ISSUE 6515 sciencemag.org SCIENCE

Published by AAAS