Advice for the Road: a Memoir and Practical Advice Drawn from a Career of Six Decades

doi:10.1128/jmbe.v11i2.201

Jean J. Huang
F. W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA, E-mail:
jean.huang@olin.edu .

A Scientist’s Survival Guide by Gerhard J. Haas (2010) . Royal Fireworks Press, Unionville, NY. 140 pages.

In this compact book, Gerhard Haas looks back on a career in biochemistry and microbiology that spans over six decades and generously shares his experiences and advice. Haas’ book is a blend of autobiography and academic guide in which he offers practical advice drawn from his career path in industry, government and academe. The lessons and experience he shares are valuable for students and practicing scientists who are currently navigating their own career paths.

Haas grew up in a medical family in Germany and early on he developed a love of nature and science. To pursue his interests, he attended the University of Cambridge where he earned a bachelor’s degree specializing in chemistry. He encountered hardships from the very beginning of his professional career. At the outbreak of World War II, he was interned as a German citizen in England, later transported to Canada, and then to Cuba. In Cuba, he was able to resume his scientific endeavors working in a chemistry research laboratory. After WWII, he received a visa to travel to the US and worked for the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-LaRoche in New Jersey. Several years later, he entered graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and pursued biochemistry and microbiology, studying the mechanisms of resistance of Gram-negative bacteria against the antibiotic polymyxin B. After receiving his doctorate, Haas worked in several companies, with the majority of time spent as a microbiologist for General Foods. In the later portion of his career, he worked with the New York Botanical Gardens and is currently at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. Haas has had a productive career that includes being awarded 28 patents. He has shown remarkable perseverance and dedication to science and an interest in the people that he has met along the way.

Haas’ book provides useful practical tips for students. Some of Haas’ advice for students includes: how to design experiments, laboratory notebook-keeping, “things that one should try to achieve during a college career,” “talents and tools for science,” communicating science, the ins and outs of obtaining patents, “how to leave a company or job,” and even tips for getting along with co-workers. Learning about the difficulties that Haas encountered and overcame during his career has great instructional value, as well. He speaks of his missteps and accomplishments, giving the reasoning behind his decisions, and he offers frank and pithy commentary when recounting his experiences working in industry. From Haas’ experience, students can learn that a successful career path is not always smooth and often depends on individual capability and effort, along with productive relationships with peers. The difficult realities of business are also apparent when Haas recounts instances where factors other than skill and work ethic affected his professional development and advancement. Haas also discusses a potpourri of scientific topics and aspects of applied microbiology, such as the study of yeast and bacteria in brewing beer and the chemistry of preserving food. These vignettes are engaging and can provide students with insights into the types of questions researchers ask and study in industry. I teach biology and microbiology for undergraduate engineers and I would use this book as part of a microbiology seminar and as a reference available on my shelf for advising students.

In A Scientist’s Survival Guide , Gerhard Haas condenses a lifetime of wisdom and advice drawn from his distinguished career. Haas has the reader in mind, and in this book keeps his own footsteps along the career path fresh for the benefit of all of us. Students embarking on new careers and curious about what may be ahead down the road, as well as those of us who have already set out, can appreciate and benefit from Haas’ down-to-earth experience and advice.

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JMBE
ISSN: 1935-7885

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Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

Advice for the Road: a Memoir and Practical Advice Drawn from a Career of Six Decades