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Sheril, 29, is an associate at Duke University and holds master's degrees in marine biology and marine policy from the University of Maine. She recently spoke with Under the Microscope about reconciling the public with science in times when technological breakthroughs occur with increasing frequency.

Under the Microscope: You have a fascinating career, and you have many interests. Can you begin by telling us how you came to study marine science?

Sheril Kirshenbaum: I was always interested in science. I was always in the backyard exploring when I was a kid, but when it came to science professionally it found me by accident. ... I had a really great professor who turned me on to ecology when I was an undergrad at Tufts University. Then I applied for one of the REUs [research experiences for undergrads] and I got one that happened to be in marine science. And I know at that point I was interested in conservation. 

The newest book from the Women Writing Science project at the Feminist Press is "The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science." In it, historian Julie Des Jardins explores the lives of Jane Goodall, Rosalind Franklin, Rosalyn Yalow, Barbara McClintock, Rachel Carson and the women of the Manhattan Project.

There are lots of places to get sneak peaks of "The Madame Curie Complex" online. The week of February 22, you will be able to read selections from the book on Thus Spake Zuska. Right now, the Introduction to "The Madame Curie Complex" is available for free on the Feminist Press website (where you can also purchase the book). In it, Des Jardins explains the title:

1. Mrs. Simpson demonstrates the exothermic (heat producing) reaction of calcium oxide and water by frying an egg with the generated heat. This is a decidedly amateur production but the experiment is cool and I do love a fried egg. She does her job as a teacher by wearing proper safety equipment and giving the chemical equation at the end. Other science teachers will find this a good walkthrough of a demonstration they might be interested in, and all will enjoy a very tangible demonstration of the energy involved in forming chemical bonds. Her "Evil Bunny" video is very good as well.

Henrietta Lacks, an African-American farmer from Virginia, died of cervical cancer in 1951 at age 31. A sample of cancer cells taken from Henrietta during treatment -- without her knowledge -- grew in culture and produced the first immortal cell line, known as HeLa (for Henrietta’s initials). HeLa cells are ubiquitous in the biological sciences due to their so-called immortal properties, such as being able to grow or divide indefinitely and withstand freezing. The cells were used in creating the polio vaccine and have also been involved in controversial experiments that gave rise to bioethics legislation.