MENTOR PROFILE

 

Teri Aldrich
Senior Scientist
Amgen

When did you first realize you wanted to go into science? Were you a child, adolescent, young adult?

I’ve wanted to be a scientist since I was a child because science was much more interesting than anything else. I fell in love with microorganisms. They can do so many things--make bread, beer, cheese and chocolate (what more does one need?), degrade toxic chemicals, and even cause horrible diseases--the list is endless! My dad built a shelf in the basement where I could keep my jars containing moldy bread.

 

What was the MOST effective attribute/characteristic of your FAVORITE career mentor, and how did that help you?

My undergraduate advisor loved microbiology but she also had a personal life. She demonstrated that it was possible to have both a career and family.

 

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Denver, CO. When I was 18 months old, we moved to Spokane, WA. I lived in the same house until I left for college.

 

Where did you receive your formal educational training?

I received a B.S. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Washington at Seattle and worked in a lab that studied anaerobic bacteria isolated from patients with periodontal diseases. For my Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology, I studied the degradation of phenols by Pseudomonas putida at the University of Illinois at Chicago. After graduate school, I returned to Seattle for a postdoctoral fellowship to investigate polymerase III transcription in yeast at the University of Washington.

 

Who do you most admire, and why? (It can be a living or deceased person – someone famous or whom you know personally and does not have to be a scientist)

My maternal grandmother. She was born in 1904 in Southern Idaho and lived there her entire life. She stood up for herself and didn’t take nonsense from anyone. The neighborhood bully learned this the hard way when he was tarred and feathered by Grandma and her sister. After graduating from high school, she earned a teaching certificate from Idaho State College and began a teaching career. In those days, a woman wasn’t allowed to teach if she was married. She married my grandfather, but they kept this secret from almost everyone, including their families, so she could continue teaching. She resigned her position when she decided to start a family. A few years later, she was widowed with two young children. In order to support her family, she returned to teaching. She also worked as the school janitor and continued her education. Grandma received her Master of Education Degree at the same time my mom received her B.A. She became the first female school principal in Idaho. Her expectation for me was that I would attend college and have a career. Each month of my freshman year, she sent a check for $100, twice as much as she gave my male cousins. She said that “girls need more”. It was her way of showing the value of women and trying to compensate for the discrepancy in pay she knew I would encounter later on.

 

Once you retire professionally, what would be the ONE thing you want people to most remember about you?

It was great to have her on a process team!