It is hard to believe a 71-year-old lady could sit before me with shining eyes and smiles and talk with great energy and wisdom after traveling and working for over 20 hours. However, it is her, the world believes. Professor Ada Yonath, born in 1939, won the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry for solving the structure of ribosome. She is the fourth woman to win the Nobel chemistry prize and the first since 1964.
Q: Did you get any funding from companies in starting your ribosome structure research? Had you thought to transfer your research result into products?
A: In the beginning no company believed what I said would actually happens, so no company supported me. But I got funding from America and Germany. After we had antibiotics, then the companies showed interest. But we were not ready to raise a product yet, we needed to develop. And they expected that we could develop it faster. After 25 years of research, I found it was a luxury for me to work on something that the companies did not understand and not only for products. And I found I could do this not because the companies were there but the interest we had in our group for intellectual projects and not only for application. But companies did not like it, they only like application. I would jump for happiness if we got such support (from the companies). But what happened was I could afford what I was interested in and with curiosity. But it does not say the company is not good. For my research history was really crazy and not normal. I think the cooperation depends on the company, the researcher, but most important, the projects. Companies do research themselves, sometimes very high quality research. Sometimes they like to find cooperation in institutions and universities. If (both sides) have the same interest, they can work together. But the research (is not to be done) only with companies. In science, there has no recipe, it is not like making a cake.
Q: When your research rose to certain level, companies started to be interested and went to find you for cooperation?
A: In my case, when they started to be interested, I was already in next stage. If they came years earlier, it could be different.
Q: Your antibiotics projects that won you Nobel Prize were connected to medical industry, is there any company interested in that?
A: It has not less than a year since I got the prize. Antibiotics products of this kind might come out in 15 years. If we met in 15 years, I will tell you. It is nothing about the Nobel, it is about the research. When we started the research, we thought of the products and our interest, and we wanted to do both. We decided to do with this company because we thought we could do this. And sometimes the company has good questions, and it s a kind of exchange.
Q: Does your visit to Guangzhou only to share your research experience or to bring back cooperation projects?
A: I do not have projects here, but other people bring many projects. I am only one person and can not do that much. But I will find out whether cooperation could happen, I think the medical school (of Sun Yat-sen University) has proper environment for cooperation.
Q: Your opinion on why few women could win Nobel Prize in science?
A: I do think there is difference (between men and women s research ability). But there were few women did research 20 or 30 years ago, because the society was against it. If you find out how many women were doing research and won Nobel Prize, you may find that it was the same percentage with the man. There are many more men in science, so many more men get the prize.
Q: What was the biggest problem you have met?
A: Problems are problems. Every challenge was big when they came. I think science is solving challenges. My biggest, biggest problem might be to convince the world that we were progressing at the beginning of the research. (It took) 15 years (to convince the people).
Q: Do you like to be titled Madame Curie II ?
A: No. First, Madame Curie II is Madame Curie s daughter, who was also a scientist. Second, I am me. Madame may be like me, may be not. But for me, she is a giant, and I am just normal.
Q: Do you think there is only one winner in each science field?
A: Nobel Prize is not everything, it is only a prize. The foundation could not give prize to everybody. It is prize when you do your discovery in the labs. When I found the structure of ribosome in labs, that was my biggest prize.
About Family
Professor Yonath not only won the Nobel Prize, but also "Gramma of the Year" from her granddaughter for years. She is a model for doing good jobs in both career and family.
Q: Please score yourself as a researcher and a mother?
A: Ten in everything. I just do whatever I can do. I do not compare. I ask myself and am doing my best. If somebody can do better than me, very good.
Q: Do you encourage your children to do science? What is your daughter's occupation?
A: No, (I encouraged them) to do what they like and are best in. My daughter is a doctor in hospital.
Q: Does she use your research product?
A: I have no product but only information. She does use antibiotics but they are other people's products. (However,) I am getting much information from her.
(By Wing)
