Where to put the white cane in the lab? Hana Lísalová, a blind scientist, presented her work at IOCB Prague
In her lecture, Dr. Hana Lísalová presented her work to her colleagues from IOCB Prague, discussing for example a portable case for testing harmful substances in food. Her device is now used, for example, by the Protective Service of the Police of the Czech Republic. During the afternoon seminar, she did not shy away from discussing the obstacles she faces during her academic career. Whether it was because she had to cope with the loss of her sight or because she faces prejudice because she is a woman.
Despite her disability, Hana Lísalová leads her research group at the Institute of Physics of the CAS and was invited to the IOCB by the Women in Science initiative. She devoted the morning lecture to her research and talked mainly about a portable device that can detect pathogens in food thanks to built-in biochips. Hana Lísalová and her team have capitalized on this principle in their testing for coronavirus, which they targeted during the recent Covid 19 pandemic. Thanks to the fact that it is a de facto briefcase, it is possible to test anywhere in the field for the presence of different pathogens.
In the afternoon, Women in Science organized a seminar at IOCB Prague, where Hana Lísalová shared the story of her scientific career. Her story is a very humbling one because she leads a scientific group whilst also being a mother to three children. However, she has, for some time, been severely limited by a disease, which manifests itself in the gradual loss of vision. She revealed to the audience, including mostly women but also some men, tips on what makes her able to overcome such great obstacles.
"Share your feelings with your team, don't stop learning, respect the individual needs of the people you work with, and surround yourself with inspiring people," says Hana, and she also suggests advice on what to do to make the academic environment friendlier to women than it has been in the past. "Stand up loudly against inappropriate and stereotypical remarks and value your achievements and what you have managed to do."
The lecture and seminar series at the IOCB is named after medicinal chemist Dana Hocková, who passed away almost three years ago. She was the one who initiated the continuation of the informal meetings of women in science after the covid pandemic.
