Why are so many researchers at the University of Oregon excited about a zippy, inch-long tropical fish common to many home aquariums? Because by studying the development of the zebrafish, biologists are clarifying how a one-celled egg can become a billion-celled organism­and learning about developmental problems such as those that lead to human birth defects. One of the nation's leading scientists in this area is Judith Eisen, an associate professor of biology and a member of the UO Institute of Neuroscience.
Eisen has studied zebrafish embryos since 1983. The embryos, which develop outside the mother and have transparent "eggshells," are ideal subjects because they allow researchers to observe development without disturbing it.
"I'm particularly interested in the cells of the embryonic nervous system and their genetic control," says Eisen, a recipient of the prestigious National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award. "That's where we find the greatest diversity and complexity. To me, that's where the action is."
Her dogged pursuit of this knowledge has received notice from science watchers and granting agencies across the nation. Eisen came to Oregon as a fellow of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Since then she has been named a Searle Scholar and won a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health (funding her position for five years).
Eisen and the members of her laboratory bring the force of modern technology to bear on the pinpoint-sized eggs. The bustling laboratory is a jumble of computers, microscopes, incubators, time-lapse imaging cameras, and micromanipulators. Over the years, the lab has also acquired an impressive collection of fish-theme posters, drawings, postcards, wall hangings, and cartoons ranging from the humorous to the beautiful. It is in these upbeat surroundings that she pursues her serious work.
"Lots of things can go wrong during development," she explains. "For example, things that lead to neurological disorders, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, and ALS [Lou Gehrig's disease]. If we understand normal development we can learn about abnormal development. This knowledge will lead to better methods of prevention, detection, and treatment."
Nearby, four other laboratories are abuzz with activity, all scrutinizing the same subject. Together, these labs make the UO the worldwide leader in this rapidly expanding study of zebrafish­a position held since the late 1970s and early 1980s, when pioneering UO biologists first cloned the tiny striped fish.
A number of influences led Eisen to developmental biology. As far back as she can remember, she recognized the scientific approach to be the way she naturally interprets the world. The gutsy achievements of Olympian Wilma Rudolph and aviator Amelia Earhart impressed Eisen in her youth. Throughout her graduate and postgraduate science education, the decision to "always study what seems most interesting" served as a guiding star.
Though she maintains that many barriers remain for women in science, she is quick to point out that a series of supportive teachers and professors encouraged her throughout her schooling.
And now, as a university teacher and researcher herself she is in a position to encourage the next generation of scientists.
"I tell my students that the big lesson of basic research is that you never know what important bit of information you might discover. You could find the answer to a big question in a very small place."
It is this kind of pioneering drive that characterizes the pursuit of science at the University of Oregon.

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