Biophysical Society Newsletter
3
february
2014
Johns Hopkins University. “At the time, I thought
that the combined molecular biological and quan-
titative thermodynamic approaches available in
the two laboratories would be ideal for determin-
ing the molecular details of coupled equilibria in
bacteriophage lambda developmental switch,” she
says. This geographically complex arrangement
did present its challenges, but worked out well for
Beckett in the end. She learned what she calls, “an
amazing amount of stuff” and was afforded an
opportunity to meet and interact with inspiring
scientists like
Jim Bowie,
Jim Hu
,
Madeline Shea
,
and
Mike Brenowitz
.
Though Beckett has dedicated her career to
studying science, she does not come from a family
of scientists. Her father worked as a tool designer
for United Technologies, while her mother was
quite busy caring for fifteen children. Of all the
siblings, only Beckett and her twin sister, Joanne,
pursued science as a field of study. Joanne now
uses her knowledge of chemistry to create pottery
in London.
For Beckett, working as a biophysicist has had its
challenges over the years; the biggest at this time
being the scarcity of available research funding,
“Given the current slump, I suspect that this is true
for many scientists,” Beckett says. Another major
challenge was finding a geographical area where
both Beckett and her husband,
Neal Fedarko
,
would be gainfully employed. After sending many
applications, both were able to find jobs: Fedarko
is on the faculty in the Department of Medicine,
Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology,
at Johns Hopkins, and Beckett is a professor in
the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at
the University of Maryland. She describes herself
as “a molecular biophysicist with a specific interest
in biomolecular regulation. I have a keen interest
in coupled equilibria and allostery, both how they
work at the molecular level and their biological
significance.” Currently, Beckett is working on de-
termining crystal structures of proteins in the hopes
that they will provide clues about how signals are
communicated through a protein matrix.
Learning new biology and new techniques is one of
the most exciting aspects of Beckett’s work today.
She says, “I love the surprises that result from
research, because they force me to think in ways
that I could not have contemplated.” In addition
to the rewards of exciting science, Beckett finds ful-
fillment in teaching students, and watching them
develop into mature scientists. Being a prominent
member of the Biophysical Society has given Beck-
ett even more opportunities to assist and encourage
young scientists in their careers. Certainly, she has
many qualities of a good mentor; as a colleague,
Royer says, “[She is] enthusiastic, with very high
scientific standards. Fun as well.” Another friend
since grad school,
Suzanne Scarlata
, has also been
impressed with Beckett’s spiritedness, saying, “If I
have to describe Dorothy, I would have to point
out her keen sense of justice and the passion she
has for everything she is involved with.”
When she is not working, Beckett spends much
of her time devoted to a second passion: marathon
running. “As an Assistant Professor,” she says, “I
started running for stress relief. Once I ran my first
road race, I was hooked.” Since that first race, she
estimates that she has run twenty-five marathons
and hundreds of races of shorter distances. In fact,
running is the only career outside of biophysics
that she could see herself pursuing—that is, “If
I were twenty-five years younger and much faster
than I am,” she says. She also enjoys spending her
leisure time observing national and world politics,
watching her children, Anne and Michael, negoti-
ate early adulthood, gardening, and cooking.
Beckett applies her characteristic passion to science
policy, as well, and to consideration of the future of
the field. “Many of the tools that biophysicists have
developed, including computation, single molecule
and imaging techniques, and structural analysis are
maturing,” Beckett says. “In the future, interdisci-
plinary approaches involving application of a range
of these technologies will be applied to understand-
ing increasingly complex systems.” In this new and
complex landscape, she says, “I hope that biophysi-
cists do not abandon their quests to understand the
seemingly simple phenomena, such as the role of
water in biomolecular interactions and folding.”
For the young scientists who will be shaping the
future of biophysics, Beckett has one simple
piece of advice: “Keep the fire in your belly,
and your head on straight.”
Dorothy Beckett finishes the 2013
Richmond Marathon where she
was first in her age group.
