Joan Lyn Slonczewski is an American

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

at Kenyon College and a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

writer who explores biology and space travel. Their books have twice earned the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel: '' A Door into Ocean'' (1987) and ''The Highest Frontier'' (2011). With John W. Foster and Erik Zinser, they coauthor the textbook, ''Microbiology: An Evolving Science'' (W. W. Norton) now in its fifth edition. They explore ideas of biology, politics, and artificial intelligence at their blo
Ultraphyte

Biography

Slonczewski was born in 1956 at Hyde Park, New York and raised in Katonah, New York. They earned an A.B. in biology,

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

, from Bryn Mawr College in 1977. They completed a PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University in 1982 and post-doctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania studying calcium flux in leukocyte chemotaxis. Since 1984 they have taught at Kenyon College, taking sabbatical leaves at Princeton University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Slonczewski's research focuses on the pH (environmental) stress response in ''

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' (),Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. also known as ''E. coli'' (), is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Esc ...

'' and '' Bacillus subtilis'' using genetic techniques. Slonczewski teaches both

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

and science fiction courses. From 1996 through 2008, they have been awarded

Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is an American non-profit medical research organization based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It was founded in 1953 by Howard Hughes, an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, fil ...

funding for undergraduate biological sciences education, which they use to improve science instruction and to foster summer science fellowships for minority and first-generation students. They were the Hal Clement Science Speaker in February 2011 at the Boskone 48 convention. Slonczewski is also a member of the

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

and Quakerism is featured in many of their novels.

Fiction

Their 1986 Campbell Award-winning novel '' A Door into Ocean'' shows their command of genetics and ecological science, as well as their commitment to pacifism and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. It depicts the

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

of a planet covered entirely by water, inhabited by an exclusively female race of

genetic engineers Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including ...

. ''Daughters of Elysium'' (1993), ''The Children Star'' (1998), and ''Brain Plague'' (2000) are loose sequels. A serialization of their ''The Children Star'' (1998) appeared in '' Analog Science Fiction and Fact'', a magazine known for hard science fiction. ''Brain Plague'' (2000) depicts a world where intelligent

microbe A microorganism, or microbe,, ''mikros'', "small") and ''organism'' from the el, ὀργανισμός, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes hyphenated (''micro-organism''), especially in olde ...

s inhabit human brains. The microbial aliens have potential for great good as well as great evil. They evolve in the same way as pathogens such as

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

or as symbionts such as our digestive bacteria, which help keep humans healthy. ''Brain Plague'' tells of a future in which genetic engineering, combined with

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

, can do everything from shaping our bodies to growing enormous buildings for us. "One time in class, my students were discussing my book ''Brain Plague''. I asked the class, 'Is this book liberal or conservative?' A student said, 'It's conservative, because all the characters are married.' Another student jumped up, 'It is not conservative!' Half the book's marriages are gay – with a few robots included."—the author.Joan Slonczewski: Field of Discovery
Interview at ''Locus'', March 2014 ''The Highest Frontier'' (2011) is a coming of age story about the first year in college of Jennifer Ramos Kennedy, a member of the ongoing Kennedy political dynasty. The year is 2108 and Jenny is attending Frontera College, which is located in a space habitation. The earth is being destroyed by human-made ecological catastrophes blamed on the "ultraphytes," UV-photosynthetic plant-animals from outer space. Some political factions are promoting space habitats as a solution, but the spacehabs can only accommodate a tiny percentage of the human population. The political system is grid locked. ''The Highest Frontier'' addresses political, social, and environmental issues.

Mitochondrial Singularity

Slonczewski invented the concept of th
Mitochondrial Singularity
the idea that the technological singularity is happening gradually; that humans are gradually becoming the "mitochondria of our own machines." They explore these concepts in their novels Brain Plague and The Highest Frontier.

Bibliography

Novels

* '' Still Forms on Foxfield'' (1980) 1988 reprint * '' A Door into Ocean'' (1986) * '' The Wall Around Eden'' (1989) * '' Daughter of Elysium'' (1993) * '' The Children Star'' (1998) * '' Brain Plague'' (2000) * '' The Highest Frontier'' (2011)

Science publications

* J. L. Slonczewski, John W. Foster and Erik Zinser, 2020, ''Microbiology: An Evolving Science'' 5E, a core microbiology textbook for undergraduate science majors, W. W. Norton & Co., New York.

Awards

* Robert Tomsich Award, for outstanding achievement in research in science, Kenyon College, 2001. * Silver Medalist, National Professor of the Year program, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Washington DC, 1989. * John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, ''A Door into Ocean'', 1987. * John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, ''The Highest Frontier'', 2012.

References

External links

Joan Slonczewski siteUltraphyte
author blog
Joan Slonczewski paper on BacteriologyJoan Slonczewski selected as Keynote Speaker for Science and Science Fiction Conference
*
Making Strange Stuff Familiar: A Conversation with Joan Slonczewski
(interview) at Clarkesworld Magazine, 10/2011
Joan Slonczewski: Field of Discovery
Interview at Locus magazine, March 2014 {{DEFAULTSORT:Slonczewski, Joan 1956 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American science fiction writers American women novelists Women science fiction and fantasy writers American pacifists American Quakers American feminist writers Bryn Mawr College alumni Kenyon College faculty Living people American microbiologists University of Pennsylvania alumni American women biologists Women microbiologists Yale University alumni People from Hyde Park, New York People from Katonah, New York People from Gambier, Ohio 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Activists from Ohio Activists from New York (state) Novelists from Ohio Scientists from New York (state) Quaker feminists American women academics