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Our guest today is David Schwartz, who is a genomic scientist and emeritus professor of chemistry and genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dave received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1985 and he invented an important method for separating large DNA molecules called pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Dave was a professor at NYU in the chemistry department until 1999 when he moved to UW-Madison, where he founded and directed the Genomic Sciences Training Program.
In this full-length interview, Dave talks about his life growing up and interest in science, his early research developing pulsed field gel electrophoresis, then his move into imaging single DNA molecules through the optical mapping system, and where genomics has come and where it’s going. He also gives advice to students interested in science — spoiler alert — run toward those hard problems!
Highlights of the episode:
*Susan introduces the Science Fare podcast and opens with a quote from our guest who says scientists are the intellectual fire fighters - they run toward the hard problems [0:01];
*Susan introduces guest David Schwartz, a genomic scientist and emeritus professor of chemistry and genetics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and he was also Susan’s Ph.D. advisor [1:07];
*Dave tells us about his life growing up and how Mr. Wizard and his older brother sparked his interest in science [3:42];
*His experience going to Bronx Science in NYC — “the most competitive academic environment” [6:36];
*The beginning of the idea of pulsed field gel electrophoresis during his senior year of college — he was at Hampshire College but spent senior year at college [7:40];
*Dave went to UCSD to pursue this idea more [11:28];
*Dave moved back east, transfers to Columbia University to continue his Ph.D. program and refined pulsed field gel electrophoresis there [13:02];
*Dave became very interested in the genetics and biology — what were the new problems that physical science could solve? [14:30];
*Susan makes the point that Dave’s new genomic approach was hitting this middle scale — in between the sequence of DNA fragments and cytogenetic approaches [17:28];
*Dave talks about why certain parts of the genome were originally called junk, and the importance of running toward hard problems and doing “dangerous science” [18:50];
*Dave moved on to a research position at the Carnegie Institution of Washington (now Carnegie Science) and began using microscopy to image DNA molecules [20:20];
*The beginnings of optical mapping and Dave’s move to NYU [24:00];
*Why working with large DNA molecules was so hard [29:29];
*The link between single molecules and what happens in meiosis, something students learn about in high school science [31:37];
*When will the “perfect genome” be cheap and easy? [35:40];
*Dave’s advice for high school students interested in science [40:40]