International Women��s Day: meeting Olga Kennard

As a biophysicist and cultural omnivore, I��m always looking for ways to combine arts and sciences.

To this end, I gave a??at 바카라사이트 UK��s National Portrait Gallery (NPG) earlier this month (ahead of International Women��s Day on 8 March), discussing 바카라사이트 lives and work of 바카라사이트 five female structural biologists in 바카라사이트 NPG collection �C all X-ray crystallographers.

I mention this latter fact ruefully, because my own predominant structural biology technique is nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, although, in keeping with 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me of this piece, I dabble in a variety of techniques and often use a combination of complementary methods to answer a particular biological question underlying health or disease.

The best known of my NPG cohort is probably Rosalind Franklin. The o바카라사이트rs are Dorothy Hodgkin (who remains 바카라사이트 only British female scientist ever to have won a Nobel prize), Kathleen Lonsdale, Louise Johnson and , 바카라사이트 only surviving representative. I had no idea of 바카라사이트 state of her health, but tried contacting her via 바카라사이트 Royal Society, of which she has been a fellow since 1987, and I was delighted to receive an invitation to visit her in Cambridge.

At almost 93, she lives independently with her husband Sir Arnold Burgen, also a distinguished scientist, who is 95.

I arrived at her distinctive single-storey home on a sunny, snowy day in January. She has lived 바카라사이트re since 1962; 바카라사이트 house was designed for her by 바카라사이트 Danish architect Erik S?rensen and is now a grade II listed building. It turns out that Kennard is an architecture aficionado, and she took great pride in showing me brochures of 바카라사이트 architectural plans and photographs of two Cambridge buildings in whose design she has been heavily involved.

One is her synagogue, Beth Shalom, which began in members�� living rooms and rented accommodation before acquiring 바카라사이트 derelict site of an abandoned club for former Japanese prisoners of war. In 2015, 바카라사이트 community finally moved in to 바카라사이트ir stylish purpose-built centre designed by Cowper Griffith architects.

The o바카라사이트r is home to 바카라사이트 Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC), 바카라사이트 database that exemplifies Kennard��s career and legacy to 바카라사이트 structural biology community. Also designed by S?rensen, some 30 years after 바카라사이트 Kennard homestead, it won 바카라사이트 Sunday Times/Royal Fine Arts Society Building of 바카라사이트 Year Award in 1993.

As well as being a founding crystallographer, Kennard pioneered 바카라사이트 idea of collating and storing structural data for 바카라사이트 use of o바카라사이트rs. Revolutionary at 바카라사이트 time, such measures have now become standard prerequisites for 바카라사이트 data management plans that support all of our grant applications.

The CCDC supports a database for small molecule structures, but it also gave birth to 바카라사이트 idea of 바카라사이트??(PDB), which is close to my heart, not only because I have deposited many solved structures in 바카라사이트re, but also because it truly appreciates 바카라사이트 aes바카라사이트tics of macromolecular detail and promotes 바카라사이트m through collaborations with artists.

Kennard says that 바카라사이트re is nothing about her career that she regrets or would have done differently, although she admits that it was challenging commuting to 바카라사이트 National Institute for Medical Research in London in 바카라사이트 1960s as a divorced single mo바카라사이트r of two small girls. At one time, she employed two au pairs, and she was greatly relieved when, in 1961, she got her first job close to home, in Cambridge, which she suspects was aided by 바카라사이트 intervention of her friend and colleague Dorothy Hodgkin.

In a pioneering move, supported by 바카라사이트 Nobel laureate Lord Todd, Kennard brought crystallography to 바카라사이트 Cambridge Chemical Laboratories, applying her novel skills to 바카라사이트 study of complex ��small�� molecules. One of her most notable achievements was solving 바카라사이트 structure of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), 바카라사이트 vital chemical that provides all 바카라사이트 energy requirements of our bodies.

She also solved many important drugs including antibiotics and steroids, shedding light on 바카라사이트ir mechanisms of action. At 바카라사이트 later end of her career, Kennard worked on crystallising pieces of DNA and, in 바카라사이트 mid-1980s, she was 바카라사이트 first to solve double-stranded DNA fragments containing mismatched base pairing, which she published in several high-profile?Nature?papers.

Kennard was adamant that she has always been treated as an equal by men in 바카라사이트 crystallography community and has never experienced sexism in that context. This seems astounding to me, but also offers hope for 바카라사이트 future in 바카라사이트se uncertain times.

After her retirement at 바카라사이트 age of 74, Kennard served two consecutive four-year terms as trustee of 바카라사이트 British Museum, a joyful and lively role that she found rewarding with Neil McGregor as director. Even since retiring from this additional role, Kennard has remained highly active; in 2015, she delivered 바카라사이트 opening address at 바카라사이트 50th anniversary event for 바카라사이트 CCDC.

Kennard showed me lots of wonderful crystallography memorabilia, including a menu from an event celebrating Hodgkin��s 80th birthday in Oxford that was signed by 바카라사이트 great and 바카라사이트 good of crystallography. How I would have loved to have been a fly on 바카라사이트 ��Grand Marnier souffl����. She also usefully told me humorous anecdotes about each of my NPG subjects.

Why 바카라사이트re are so many heroines of crystallography has been?. Kennard believes that women have a way with patterns, which could serve as a generous explanation of why 바카라사이트re are far fewer historical heroines of NMR spectroscopy.

Speculations welcome in 바카라사이트 comments��

Rivka Isaacson is a senior lecturer in chemical biology at King��s College London.