LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
Better known as STEM.
All industries where men have traditionally dominated but are starting to see more female competition.
That’s evident in Dr. Lance Johnson’s lab at the University of Kentucky, where Dr. Cassi Friday just finished her PhD. She graduated in December and pursued research in the Alzheimer’s research field because it is something she has a lot of personal experience with
“I have a long family history of Alzheimer’s Disease. My grandmother, her two sisters, and three of her nieces have also passed from Alzheimer’s Disease,” Friday said.
“This has been a space that I’ve always been very interested in and I really love the techniques that happen in this laboratory and the mentorship and support of this department really meant a lot to me and that’s why I chose to finish my degree here.”
Friday is a part of a tight knit group of researchers studying environmental and genetic factors that may cause Alzheimer’s which can hopefully get them closer to finding a cure or treatment for the disease.
One of those researchers is Lesley Golden, a UK graduate student currently up for candidacy for the doctorate program.
She describes her journey into lab work as “not straight and narrow,” convinced she wanted to pursue a career in the arts just a few years ago.
“All through high school l wanted to be an English teacher then my last semester of high school I took a zoology class. I started college as a wildlife biology major and the shoe just didn’t fit. That’s when I found more of the molecular sciences,” Golden said.
"Overall it's a really great environment. It's supportive, encouraging. It does push you but not past your breaking point. It's challenging, exciting and fun."
According to Friday, 70-80% of the risk for Alzheimer’s comes from your genetics rather than your age.
Golden has been studying the brains of mice, comparing them to human brains by analyzing certain genes and proteins in brain cells that are common factors or risks for Alzheimer’s.
“We can actually stain for different cell types. For instance, we’re looking at the risk factor protein E which is the genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease,” Golden said.
Both Golden and Friday are proud to not only work with their team toward a cure for a devastating disease, but also to represent women in the world of science.
“It’s really awesome to be a woman in this space. It’s really important to me as a mom, I have three kids. Luckily we work for a department and a lab that is really understand and accommodating,” Friday said.
“I think that there’s a lot of awareness being raised to the fact that we are underrepresented. Do we have a long way to go, yes but we’re closing that gap day by day,” Golden said.
