Joan Lyn Slonczewski is an American microbiologist at

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...

and a

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

writer who explores biology and space travel. Their books have twice earned the

John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel, or Campbell Memorial Award, is an annual award presented by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best science fiction no ...

: ''

A Door into Ocean ''A Door into Ocean'' is a 1986 feminist science fiction novel by Joan Slonczewski. The novel's themes include ecofeminism and nonviolent revolution, as well as Slonczewski's own knowledge in the field of biology. Premise The novel is set in the ...

'' (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 Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Fran ...

and raised in

Katonah, New York Katonah is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Bedford, Westchester County, in the U.S. state of New York. The Katonah CDP had a population of 1,679 at the 2010 census. History Katonah is named for Chief Katonah, an ...

. 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 Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United ...

in 1977. They completed a PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1982 and post-doctoral work at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

studying calcium flux in leukocyte chemotaxis. Since 1984 they have taught at

, taking sabbatical leaves at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and the

University of Maryland, Baltimore The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1807, it comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work and nursing in the United States ...

. 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 ''Escher ...

'' and ''

Bacillus subtilis ''Bacillus subtilis'', known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants, humans and marine sponges. As a member of the genus ''Bacillus ...

'' 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 hereditary i ...

and science fiction courses. From 1996 through 2008, they have been awarded Howard Hughes Medical Institute 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 Boskone is an annual science fiction convention ("con") run by the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. In the words of the convention organizers, "Boskone is a regional Science Fiction ...

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 ''

'' shows their command of genetics and ecological science, as well as their commitment to

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

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 syste ...

of a planet covered entirely by water, inhabited by an exclusively female race of genetic engineers. ''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 immune ...

or as

symbiont Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasi ...

s such as our digestive bacteria, which help keep humans healthy. ''Brain Plague'' tells of a future in which genetic engineering, combined with nanotechnology, 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 The technological singularity—or simply the singularity—is a hypothetical future point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilization. According to the m ...

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 * ''

'' (1986) * '' The Wall Around Eden'' (1989) * ''

Daughter of Elysium A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...

'' (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,

, 2001. * Silver Medalist, National Professor of the Year program, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Washington DC, 1989. *

, ''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 ''Clarkesworld Magazine'' (ISSN 1937-7843) is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It released its first issue October 1, 2006 and has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Elizabe ...

, 10/2011
Joan Slonczewski: Field of Discovery
Interview at

Locus magazine ''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...

, 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