Meet Monika: From ERBB/HER2 to Knitting Needles

Lets meet Monika! This episode was created for the purpose of the Haapaniemi lab website (https://haapaniemilab.org/). Kick back, relax, and let the waves of wisdom wash over you in this podcast episode – where learning meets laughter, and knowledge is served with a side of chill vibes.

Tune in and uncover the personal side of a researcher's life, where the delicate balance between administrative tasks, supervisory roles, and the thrill of hands-on experimentation paints a vivid picture of the modern scientific milieu. Monika's narrative is one of dedication and personal growth, peppered with the simple joys of knitting and the heartfelt wish to share her workspace with her canine companion. This episode isn't just about the strides made in the lab; it's a testament to the human spirit behind the lab coat, pursuing both professional excellence and personal fulfillment.

All music clips were used from the song "Jukka Tukka" after agreement with amazing band and friends 2+1 Jam band.
This podcast episode was created under the technical and official support of University of Oslo, Norway.

Transcript

Monika: 0:25

My name is Monika Szymańska. I come from Poland. I am here in Norway since 2011. I did my PhD in postdoc at the University of Oslo before I started working in the Emma`s Group in 2019. For my PhD, I was working in a group that was working on ERBB receptors, or HER2 receptors, that are expressed in many cancers, specifically in breast cancers. We were looking at mechanisms for downregulation of those proteins from the cell membrane. We were testing different monoclonal antibodies that are used in therapy of breast cancer patients, but also new antibodies that were not approved yet to be used in the therapy.

Monika: 1:23

I currently work as a lab manager, which means I do a little bit of administration work as well as lab work and student supervision. This is very interesting because there are some aspects of admin work that I actually enjoy doing, but there are also some that I don't like so much. It's similar with lab work, so certain experiments or certain techniques I like to do I enjoy doing, but there are also some other tasks that are maybe less pleasant. I think for me personally, the mixture of admin and lab work is actually a perfect combination. When I started back in 2019, there were not that many people. We were very, very new lab. We had two PhD students, a few interns. The dynamic was definitely different, more intimate, I would say. Over the years obviously we have grown and more people joined and also a lot of people came and finished and there was a big rotation. The dynamic has changed quite a bit. I think it is a little bit more challenging because obviously there are more people around to help and make sure that they have everything that they need to perform their experiments. The time starts to dilute more and more, but I also like it very much, this dynamic. There is no one day that is the same. It's quite a fast pace of working. There is never a dull moment. But at the same time I think the people we have in the lab, we are all similar, like our characters. I think we work very well together.

Monika: 3:32

I hope in the future we could perhaps stay as it is now, maybe not expand more, because I think that then it will be maybe too much, I hope to go into more clinical trials. I find this will be a big challenge, something new for everyone. I think there is a lot of opportunity to grow and learn new things and I actually am looking forward to that. I think you might find it a little boring, but I really, really enjoy knitting. I also discovered this hobby actually in Norway a few years ago as a way of kind of how to say it calming down after the busy and stressful day in the lab. Since then, I think I have really really learned a lot with different techniques.

Monika: 4:36

I have made many sweaters. I don't even have that much space now in my closet to keep all of them. I still keep buying more wool. There are many, many projects that I still want to do, but it's only so much time I have in the evenings. I would be very happy if I could bring my dog to work, because I fee leavin hi a guilty leaving him alone at home. It's usually for like 8-9 hours before I see him. So if that was allowed, yes, definitely. Thank you.