Soapbox Science 2022

Soapbox: Did you choose a scientific career or did the scientific career choose you?

Sophie Gutenthaler: My wish to study chemistry emerged when I first had chemistry lectures back in school. I had a great teacher and I completely fell in love with the subject! So, I guess it kind of chose me?

Soapbox: What was the key moment that brought you to the place where you are today?

SG: That’s a hard question. I don’t think there is a key moment which is responsible for where I am today. I guess it is a result of many different decisions I made and the different people I met inside and outside of science. I tend to do things step-by-step and also think step-by-step – and listening to my gut also helps. 

Soapbox: What is your scientific superhero power? Or what superhero would you be?

SG: Captain Equipment – If there is a new device, you don’t have to buzz me twice! Equipment in need, call me indeed! 

Soapbox: What is the most exciting aspect of your research?

SG: Rare earth elements just rock! It is super fascinating to figure out small puzzle parts of how mother nature uses these elements and how we can use nature’s toolbox to our advantage to solve emerging problems of our society (e.g. recycling of rare earth elements).

Soapbox: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what scientific equipment would you bring with you?

SG: The reply that would make my lab mates angry would be: I can’t decide – I don’t want any devices to become jealous! So, I really hope I never have to take this decision and can just take all of them! 

Soapbox: What challenges do you encounter in science?

SG: Not having enough hands and not enough hours in a day to do everything you want to do in the lab and of course the general things like dealing with the frustration when experiments don’t work or equipment does funny things in the worst possible moment and you have to spend hours to get it back to working properly which again leads to the not having enough hands problem in the first place.

Soapbox: What motivates you to give a talk in Soapbox Science?

SG: Natural science and especially chemistry seem to have such a bad reputation in our society. Whenever I tell people that I studied chemistry I get something like What really? That was the subject I hated most in school, I never understood it– it must be very hard! And every time I smile and start to explain why chemistry is fun and how cool it is to work in a lab. I think giving a talk at Soapbox Science is a great opportunity to spread my love and enthusiasm for science and to help people to see the fascinating world of chemistry without fear of nasty exams or having no clue. 

Soapbox: Do you have a few words to inspire other female or young scientists?

SG: Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not clever enough or that ‘girls are just bad in maths’ – different views and approaches are important to get further in science! You don’t have to be the smartest person: Be curious, persistent and never stop asking questions! 

Soapbox: In these pandemic days, what funny/interesting experiments, books, talks or podcasts can you recommend to our audience?

SG: I can highly recommend to become a do-it-yourself microbiologist by starting your own winogradsky column which is a simple method to grow microorganisms at home. All you need is a jar, mud, water, paper, egg yolk and some time. You can vary the ingredients and the source of the microbes and see what you get. There are various instructions on the internet (e.g. https://joyfulmicrobe.com/winogradsky-column/) which can help you to mix your individual column and to analyse which microbes you got in the end. I especially enjoy that there are so many different ways how you can mix your column and what amazing colors it can develop. Nature is just super fascinating! 

A selection of podcasts I would recommend are The lonely Pipette: helping scientists do better science, Joyful microbe and for the German listeners: Wissen Weekly. For bookworms who are already chemistry fans or want to become one, The Disappearing Spoon (German Title: Treffen sich zwei Elemente) from Sam Kean is an absolute must.