Dr. Ahna Skop Shows STEM Fellows How Art, Discovery and Persistence Shape a Scientific Career
A structure once dismissed as cellular garbage could hold clues to detecting cancer. For Dr. Ahna Skop, investigating that overlooked remnant of cell division illustrates the power of looking closely – and questioning what others take for granted. Speaking with the Sandra Lee Heyman STEM Fellows on September 16th, the University of Wisconsin–Madison genetics professor, artist, and biotechnology entrepreneur shared how curiosity, creativity and supportive mentors have shaped her career.
Skop introduced the Fellows to the mid-body remnant, a tiny packet released when a cell finishes dividing into two daughter cells. Her laboratory studies the RNA carried inside that packet, which can provide information about the cell that produced it.
As CEO and chief scientific officer of a biotechnology company spun out of her research, she is exploring how these findings could support cancer diagnostics. In response to students’ questions, she described collaborations with breast cancer researchers and physicians to identify potential uses, including monitoring for recurrence. She also emphasized that her laboratory is still investigating whether and how these remnants contribute to cancer’s spread.
Raised in a family of artists, Skop found that her creative background drew her toward the visual world of cell biology. Looking through a microscope, she told the Fellows, is like visiting “a little cellular museum.” She now brings science and art together through projects ranging from large displays of microscope images to a genetics coloring book, science-inspired cakes and a cookbook featuring scientists’ family recipes. These projects, often developed with undergraduates, make scientific ideas approachable while revealing the people and diverse backgrounds behind the research.
Making science accessible is a central theme of Skop’s work. She described collaborating with artists, educators and blind and low-vision students to create tactile models of cell division, using knitting, sewing and felting. A puzzle incorporates three-dimensional pieces and Braille. Feedback from the students helped shape the designs, demonstrating how collaboration can open new ways to teach and learn. She emphasized that across research, public outreach and conversations with investors, communicating science requires attention to an audience’s knowledge and needs.
Skop’s own path began with a federal work-study job washing laboratory dishes and helping graduate students at Syracuse University. That experience introduced her to research as a career and helped lead her to doctoral study.
Her progress was not without setbacks: after failing written preliminary examinations twice, she faced possible dismissal from graduate school. A mentor who understood her dyslexia advocated for an oral examination, which she passed; six months later, she had her first scientific publication. “Failure is a big part of success,” she told the Fellows, stressing the importance of mentors who recognize students’ strengths and support them through difficulties.
Responding to questions about her experiences being criticized and also living with chronic illness, Skop offered an equally candid message about pursuing an individual path. She discussed the difficulty but also the importance of managing her health issues while balancing research, teaching, entrepreneurship and art, emphasizing healthcare, rest, mental health support and relationships with people who understand her goals.
She encouraged students to value their distinctive interests and seek the support they need to pursue them. “I can only be my authentic self,” she said – a principle reflected in a career that brings artistic imagination to scientific discovery.
The Sandra Lee Heyman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in memory of Sandra Lee Heyman, a long-time mathematics teacher at the elementary, middle school, high school, and community college levels. The 18-month long Fellowship is aimed at promising high school students who have the opportunity to meet with STEM leaders to support career exploration. There are multiple ways to support the Fellowship program, and donations to the Foundation are tax deductible.