January 14 Interview

Jane Boone, Microbiology Research Technician

Conducted by Alison Sipe, Graduate Student,
University of Delaware College of Marine Studies

Age:  45
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Favorite musical groups: Arturo Sandoval; Latin Jazz
Favorite movie: Gone With the Wind
Hobbies:  Rafting, hiking, golf, quilting, painting with water colors

General job description:  Laboratory work includes cultivating (growing),
isolating, and characterizing hyperthermophilic bacteria.  Jane also
extracts DNA from the bacteria and sequences the genes.

How did you choose your current occupation?  Jane has had about 18
different jobs during her life.  She worked in veterinary hematology, then
as a medical technician at a hospital, and went on to teach a microbiology
laboratory course in Canada.  She went into research when she had a child
because the work hours were best for juggling motherhood and a career.  At
one point, Jane also owned her own business in food microbiology. She
returned to research and currently is working in a microbiology lab at
Portland State University.

Best aspect of job: The ever-changing problems encountered add variety.
There are a million things to do, so she never is bored.  Asking questions
and trying to learn more about science is exciting.

Worst aspect of job: The job of characterizing hyperthermophilic bacteria
is time consuming and requires long hours, including working late through
midnight and sometimes on weekends.

How many days/year do you spend at sea? This is her first time at sea on
a research cruise,10 days at sea so far this year.  She hopes to do more
research cruises in the future.

What’s next?  More travel!