Nathaniel T: So I'm here with.

Andrea Radtke: Andrea Radtke. 

Nathaniel T: And what is your current profession?

Andrea Radtke: Yeah, so I am what's called a principal scientist in spatial biology at Leica Microsystems, which is an advanced microscopy company.

Nathaniel T: So what does your job look like day to day? 

Andrea Radtke: Well, it's hard to say, because it's very variable. So as a principal scientist, the name implies I'm really still rooted in the science and the scientific community. And spatial biology is a field where it allows us, it's a broad, encompassing field that includes technologies, that empowers us to map different cells, and also analysts, which could be protein or RNA or even DNA in tissues. So you get greater insights into normal and diseased tissues. And so it's really far ranging. And a typical day, I work remotely in Bethesda, so I work in this company, this new role. I work in the business unit. So we decide on scientific strategy, where we need to go, what innovations we need to lead the field in. And then I work with the R and D department, which is focused on building those innovations and they're located in Germany. So a lot of remote work, virtually. Then I also work with the marketing team, which is okay so we decide where the science is going. We build it with the R and D team, and then we need to work with the marketing and commercial teams to launch the product. And, you know, generate buzz about the product. So, where the new innovation [should be]. A fancy microscope where it would be needed, a comfortable microscope, where it'd be needed, what application areas, and so it's all far ranging, so it's multiple different teams remote. But then what's most exciting is that I also get to go into the field and talk to scientists in labs and learn about their pain points. So that would be where we'd have a new product innovation, but also their science. So seeing how their science like, we're empowering with the technologies that we build, how we're empowering their science to, you know, just to discern, determine, okay, this risk pattern, this spatial pattern, is involved in this disease, right? We can be able to stratify patients and hopefully lead to better treatments. So it's far ranging. In other words, yeah.

Nathaniel T: So about the far ranging, I mean, assuming it's so wide, how many like or what stem like, discipline or discipline? Do you think?

Andrea Radtke: Excellent. So I so I have my PhD from Johns Hopkins University, and immunology and molecular microbiology. So as I'm a trained immunologist, so I would say one area in the biomedical research is immunology. I work with optical physicists that are designing these really amazing instruments. So you know about the physical properties of light and how to build a microscope to get the most out of a sample. So there's physics components, but I particularly use immunology, translational immunology, so looking at cancer biology, that's how it'd be the intersection of immunology and cancer to understand how the immune response, how our immune system responds to cancer, but I work with physicists, engineers, biologists, like the whole range, you know, so it's mostly and then, of course, we have computational, so I worked very closely with both computational and the analysis of these images. So people who have bioinformatics and statistics, but also worked with folks that have backgrounds in artificial intelligence and machine learning and also just software engineering. So I feel like we touch every aspect. So yeah, engineering, but [my] focus, my aspect, my domain expertise is biomedical research, but we work with engineers, bioinformaticians, computer scientists, physicists, and that's what I love. I love working with a multidisciplinary you know, scientists. 

Nathaniel T: It seems to be like a very enjoyable profession? 

Andrea Radtke: It is, yeah.

Nathaniel T: What do you think you enjoy most? What like specific thing?

Andrea Radtke: So empowering other people to do the science, teaching a method and sharing that around the world. And now being at like Leica Microsystems and being part of a larger company called Danaher is empowering other people to see, you know, in discovery and just to, you know, just to heal; because science can lead to healing diseases, to understand; it can lead to discovery that you literally can find a new pathway, a new cell type. It's just it's so exciting, and also it's creative. I love creating. Thinking now it's, okay, we have a product concept. We bring something out of, you know, yeah, creative, and we're most like a creator. I would say that.

Nathaniel T: So after college and high school, what did your career path look like to get to where you are today?

Andrea Radtke: Yeah, so, I mean, I think it's important that you learn that it's not linear. I mean, you set out, I think so I did, I knew that I always loved science, and I excelled in science, and I was always a create, you know, just curious, right? Having a lot of curiosity and figuring out how things work, that's always really driven me. And so when I did my undergraduate at UW Madison, in that time, I was able to do undergraduate research, so that was really important to be in a lab as an undergraduate and then through mentorship. So it's important that you have mentors and sponsors along the track. My mentor, Dr Susan Paskewitz, connected me to folks at Johns Hopkins University, and that's where I pursued a PhD. So I knew that I wanted a PhD. I thought that I wanted to be an academic researcher, and then I realized I was fortunate, because science is a big international community, that the people that I worked with at Johns Hopkins were affiliated with the NIH, and I was able to do, I did my PhD at Johns Hopkins, then what’s called, after your PhD, you do five years of intensive research called your postdoctoral research. Then I was a staff scientist and then appointed to an associate scientist. So it's, it's a linear path, but lots of training. So I guess, did I answer your question is, like, how did I start? 

Nathaniel T: Yes, like a career path, yeah. 

Andrea Radtke: So a PhD, lots of training, and then now, now move to industry. So I've been in academia, government and industry,

Nathaniel T: So like, based on, like, that linear path, obviously, there's some things that, like, we're not very linear. There's obviously, like, some parallel aspects, yeah, but what type of, like, connections, internships, or like work experience, got [you] to where you are today.

Andrea Radtke: Yeah. Excellent. So I said one defining moment was undergraduate research, getting involved in a lab. And so I found that lab through a seminar, and it was, there was a introductory I mean, again, it's your network, everything is about my network. So with the undergraduate research, I was fortunate enough to be contacted with someone who had a role in their lab that I could join Dr Susan Paskewitz’s lab. So having an undergraduate research experience, and she was an excellent mentor, and she encouraged me to apply for this very prestigious scholarship called the Hilldale Award, which is an undergraduate research scholarship. And if I wouldn't have known about that, again, through her excellent mentorship, I would not have been able to apply. Then with Johns Hopkins, yeah, so you apply, there's fellowship opportunities, and again, through your network, just you rotate through labs, and then, you know the ultimate lab that I decided that just led it all and then even in my current it was, it was, it was a kind of a long story, but I was in a really difficult place with my PhD thesis, like everything was failing. And at that point, there was someone that was coming up, Katrin Costin Muller, who was a fellow at the NIH. She was coming up and training, and we were collaborating, their lab at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, was collaborating with my lab at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. And through that, I come to find out, “Oh, you should train. You know, who could really help you with your problem with this multiplex tissue imaging is the germane lab. The germane lab, they're experts in this, and my husband, Wolfgang, works there.” So again, it's a network, so we're trying to communicate with the network. And, long story short, I came there, Wolfgang trained me. It felt like a divine appointment, because Wolfie and Wolfgang, we had the same nickname and the same birthday, and he was so gracious to me, you know, he had trained me up on how to prepare this, this tissue, and he connected me with the person that I would work with for over 12 years and do really exciting stuff with Ron Germain. And he was a distinguished investigator, the top 1% of investigators at the NIH, and really trained me to do that. And it was an incredible experience that I would not have had that experience without that network. And then finally, I would say the position that I have now, again, the president of the company would come visit our lab, and I was able to say, hey, here's my CV and cover letter, and then the position was made. So I, just your network right. And then it's important to have mentors and people who will teach you along the way, but also then people that, maybe not in your direct path, but sponsors that can advocate you and say, Nathaniel, I think it's really important that you talk to this person and given your interest in subject X, you know, just the people that encourage and empower you and give you opportunities, but you also have to be hungry too. And one other thing with that is I didn't include I had struggled with that in the lab, that when I was doing my PhD, before I met Wolfgang and [his] wife, and then it was Wolfgang and Katrin, who really just made everything so clear for me. But I struggled for eight months. I think it's, and [I] tried many different things and troubleshoot, you know. And I guess it's just being persistent., Also so being persistent and [doing] what you need to do, and then meeting people along the way to help and get you through those, those obstacles.

Nathaniel T: Yeah, so you said that you obviously love to do science, and that's something you're really interested in. So in high school, were you interested in any, like, other type of stem, or were you interested in just science at that point.

Andrea Radtke: Yeah, yeah. So I knew I was in the science fair when I was in middle school, and I had, I had won the science fair, so I was like, I appreciated that. You know, my mom was a great influence there, so I knew I always really liked science. But you know, when I was in UW, sorry, it wasn’t [UW], when I was in Wisconsin and I went to a public school that was a great school that had a strong foundation in science. I had done the AP Biology and some of the AP, other AP science classes, so I'm glad that we had that program available to us.  But I didn't, I had never met a scientist. It wasn't like here in Bethesda, where you have the NIH or the FDA. I didn't know that you could grow up to be a scientist, although I would say as a scientist you don't really grow up. You just continue to tinker and be you know. But when I was in high school, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, and then I shadowed a veterinary clinic and realized that, nope, not for me. So I guess it's like, what I would say is sit at the banquet of life and see what you like, what you don't like, and you're all of your, you know, Nathaniel, you're very fortunate to be in this area that you have so much of STEM and so many federal agencies and so many labs and so many cool things to explore here. So I think it would just be curious.

Nathaniel T: Yeah, so you're talking about having been a veterinarian. Like, your career aspirations, how do you think they've changed throughout, like, since high school, like, what you wanted to do?

Andrea Radtke: Oh they’ve changed a lot. Yeah, incredibly so. And if you also use you as a person, you change a lot. So I think that that's why, again, I was thought I wanted to be a veterinarian because I thought, Okay, I want to be healing animals. I think it would be cool, you know. And it's not that it's not cool, but I just realized that my shape, you know, which is your strengths, your heart, your abilities, your personality and your experience, that's your shape. I realized that I get nauseous around blood. So that wasn't gonna work as a veterinarian. So then, when I went to university, I thought, okay, I was through the exposure, right? It's like you grow through exposure. You don't even know what you like until you can see. And so when I was an undergrad, wow, I really love research. When I was at Hopkins, okay, I thought I wanted to be an entomologist, studying bugs, but then it actually turned out that I really loved immunology, right? So I'm glad that I went to a program and rotated, you know, it's like you again, you have experiences that shift you so you have and then when I was at the NIH, I mean, that really fit, again, with the shape, and that was very with the discovery, the creativity, and then also the community build. And then at my present job, I guess it's again, you just get, you try, you get mentors that say, I see in you the potential, okay, I think you could really be good like what I'm kind of currently being groomed for. I think that you could be really good on the business side, with learning about companies, mergers and acquisition or strategic partnerships. We want you to, and this is where you want to be, in a place that puts a premium on this. We want to connect you to people, mentors, that are in that role, and that's where it's so important to do informational interviews. If you find someone who's doing something cool in an area that you might like, ask them, like what you're doing now with these interviews, and then see if you can explore and try it on, right, before you go down the path. So I would say, and to summarize, a long start of it is like is through experiences, but knowing again, knowing your shape, and you really only know your shape, your strengths, heart abilities, personality and experiences, until you know as you mature. And so just being open and being proactive about seeking mentors and getting informational interviews and experiences through internships. Like internships I think are great to try things on, to try a field on, yeah.

Nathaniel T: Yeah. So about like, those internships that you're talking about. Like in high school, what types of internships or classes or extracurriculars do you think helped just to be involved in STEM?,

Andrea Radtke: Yeah. So I would say. And as I said, the classes were the AP classes, [those] really helped. We didn't have, you know, after-hours science programs, but I'm sure there are those in NIH, or, sorry, in Bethesda. I'm sure there are, like, robotics clubs and STEM courses. I think, you know, it's also important to be well-rounded. I would say that. So I was in band, in music. So I was in band, and the pep band and marching band, pep and marching band [were] the same. I'm trying to think, this is [like if] I could go back into the like after ancient history, right? But I was also in athletics. And I think that, you know, this is going to be a little bit tangential, but being where you're forced to work as a team, so athletics, or where you have to serve with diverse people, is really helpful, because everything in life, success in everything, I mean, it's very rare that you get the lone ranger scientist coming up with something brilliant. You work in teams, and I think it's really important to develop discipline to be able to know, endurance. So with research, there's a lot of no's. I mean, you've heard that probably the Edison with the 10,000 ways it doesn't work and the one that does, so you have to be very persistent and determined. But I think it's also, so, I guess what I'm saying is, you can be involved in STEM, and I think that would be helpful [with] hobbies and extracurriculars. But I also think it's important to be well rounded, to have the if there's a physical, you know, sports team, or other avenues where you can work in teams. And then, of course, I would say now having a foundation, so all those extracurriculars that are teams develop your character, that you're a person of integrity, you're a person of humility, and you're a person of generosity, that will excel you in any field, you know. 

Nathaniel T: So back in high school, do you think you would have done anything differently to try and help yourself get to where you are, just career path wise?

Andrea Radtke: It's hard because I had a dead end, like I didn't tell you. So I went undergrad, and then I was two years in Riverside, California, and that was a really difficult time. That was one of the most depressing and disturbing times of my life. But looking back, I mean life can only be lived forward, but understood backwards. So while I wouldn't have chosen that desert, that dead end, or whatever that was, I wouldn't also be the person that I am today. And I would say that looking back at that, I won’t go into all the details. But it shaped me that when I was at Hopkins, I said, okay, no, I don't want that. So I know that I want this. So I think sometimes it may seem like you're wandering, or you're me. You know that the path is not linear, but that's where everything that in your past is experience. And I think also too, when you draw on multidisciplinary you might learn how to do something very effectively in that experience that will propel you in the next. So in short answer, like no regrets.

Nathaniel T: So like, again, with the science you said you always loved it. What were your like inspirations to be a scientist or just be involved in something like that?

Andrea Radtke: I mean, it's just again, curiosity about the natural world. I think, really, probably, I remember growing up in Wisconsin and just being so much out in the outdoors and wanting to know how things worked. And, you know, we just making sense of the world around us. Science makes allows us to make sense of the world around us, but also realize it gives us a path for figuring out what we don't know, right? So the people before us have described, you know, okay, what this bird is called, and developed a system for how you name the phylogenies, like how you name species and makes an order to the world, but then you realize there's so much more that we don't know, and that's what propels, I think, just being naturally curious and that it's an expression of your creativity. And then, of course, I think, like you said, having an aptitude, like, I'm not an engineer, but I can understand. So I think, in short, natural curiosity, always wanting to know how the world worked, the ability to just love the subject matter and read and learn. Excellent teachers, I should definitely say that it's all about the teachers that you had, the education that you received, opportunities, mentor sponsorships, so all those things, yeah, that makes sense. 

Nathaniel T: So in college, or specifically undergrad, what did you study and why did you choose it?

Andrea Radtke: Yeah, so I took bacteriology, and again, it was just like, whoa. Why would you take bacteriology? It was a really strong department, and this teaching was excellent and it was so diverse enough that it's like, okay, it's in the biological sciences that I could use bacteriology, you know, we've studied genetics, we studied culturing, we studied just a whole- we studied disease- you know, and it was a really strong so I, I was attracted to that because of caliber of teaching at my university. And then I was able to be in an entomology lab again, study the insects because of that opportunity, just being at the right place and having a mentor there. But, yeah, so it was just opportunities. But then, as I said, it wasn't linear. Now I'm an immunologist, right? So I think just be open, you know. 

Nathaniel T: So what do you think could be one thing a high school student could do right now to try and get themselves into like a profession like yours, or just any stuff?

Andrea Radtke: Yeah well, I really think again, coming [to] these informational interviews that you're doing, talking to people that are in fields that are of interest to you. I think again, in Bethesda, you have so much available to you, and I'm happy to connect you with others, if you want to talk to surgeons or physician scientists, but you have you have the NIH, you have the FDA, you have NIST. I mean, there's so many federal agencies, so be curious. I think also seeing if there's clubs that are involved. That wasn't something that we had at my high school, but I'm sure that there are here, extracurriculars. Maker, if I was in high school now, I would definitely be part of the maker movement and tinkering in 3D printing. I think there are, I know that there are high school internships because there was a HiSTEP program, and we also had interns at the NIH. And so I would also recommend, as an undergraduate, if you're interested in biomedical research, the post baccalaureate program, that's available to you as a post[graduate] after you complete your undergraduate. But yeah, I think again, these interviews, seeing scholarships, talking to your career counselor, I'm sure there are those at your high school also connecting with [students] probably a few years above you, right, like the next class, the mentoring, so University of Maryland could also be [an option]. But just staying curious and open minded and proactive as you are.

Nathaniel T: And for the last one, what do you think are some pieces of advice for somebody that, just not for specifically in high school, but maybe in college or undergrad, when they're starting to get into more like specific stuff.

Andrea Radtke: Yeah, I would say, have a strong foundation in programming and computer science. That's not something that I-- some knowledge, even if that's not your discipline, but have some knowledge and be up with, you know, AI, machine learning, where that's going, that just having a broad [foundation]. I think, also, as I said, you know, try things. I think it's really important to try things that there are, especially internships, rotations. And then another advice that I would give, and this is my own experience, is regression of the mean. I guess that's kind of like the past performance dictates future success. Is that when you're interviewing, you know you're being interviewed for a role, but you're also interviewing them. So if you're going to say an undergraduate or high school internship, I'd be really curious about, have you had interns before? What happened? Where did they go after that? You know, how do you mentor others? And be asking just as they're asking you questions that you would interview them, because you can be in situations, and I've seen it where, exploited is a strong word, but maybe they're not in a position to pour into you as much as you would like. So I just would say, that's why being attuned to the previous track record, that they really have a heart for mentorship and that they're really engaged to get you to the next level. And then I would also say, show up to work, which I'm sure that you will, but there's nothing that succeeds like hard work so, and being open to that, no role too small or nothing too beneath me, you know, just become quickly, just about service, you know, yeah.

Nathaniel T: That’s all I have, thanks for your time. 

Andrea Radtke: No. Thank you.

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