Hands On Experience

Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology, 1968

Marshall Nirenberg is the Chief of the Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his translation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis.

Dr. Marshall Nirenberg was a natural explorer when he was a boy. He would go just about anywhere to investigate something that he found interesting.

"In 1941, when I was eleven, l developed rheumatic fever and to protect my health we moved from New York to Orlando, Florida, then a small town. To me, Florida was a natural paradise in those days. And I was the kind of kid who was happy exploring swamps and caves, and collecting spiders. I once waded in water up to my waist for a half mile in order to view a rookery where thousands of pelicans were nesting on low mangrove bushes. An unbelievable sight!"

Other experiences that allowed the young Dr. Nirenberg to explore nature and the envirswapEmnt around him accelerated his love for science.

"World War II was then occurring. At a nearby air base, some tropical biologists were teaching a jungle survival course. One of them came to my high school to give a lecture. Later these scientists took my friends and me on camping trips to what is now Cape Canaveral. It was a wonderful place. We saw the dusky seaside sparrow, which became extinct a few years later. Experiences like these persuaded me that I ought to become a scientist."

Dr. Nirenberg recommends that young people who enjoy science and want to learn more should get to know other people who like it too, and who can offer students opportunities to do scientific work.

"Science is constantly changing. It's never dull. To me, it's all absorbing, like a wonderful hobby that allows you to do what you really like to do."

"The important thing is to have some direct contact with people actually doing science. Find out if there are places where you can volunteer your services. If possible, get a summer job in a lab. And 'hands on' experience in the classroom, dissecting an earthworm or chick embryo, is vital. Also, you should know that there are lots of interesting jobs in science which don't require a Ph.D. Many technicians are needed, and the competent ones are hard to find."

Adapted from Curiosity is the Key to Discovery: The Story of How Nobel Laureates Entered the World of Science, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 1992

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