Allen was immediately attracted to Dr. Goodwin, who made no secret of her love for science and was obviously enthused about the work in her lab. Goodwin told Allen, “Mary, we're on the verge of something revolutionary. As you know, genetic dogma says that DNA makes RNA, RNA makes protein, and protein does all the work. However, we believe there is a new strand of RNA that actually does some construction work in the cell. And we're going to find it!”

Goodwin sometimes accompanied her students to the Union for a beer where they would discuss science and other topics at a table next to Lake Mendota. On one occasion, Betsy invited her lab to her house for a Christmas party; another time they all went horseback riding together. It seemed Allen was part of a healthy scholarly community.

Goodwin's lab makes an excellent starting point for us. A mentor who seemed to know how to motivate students by welcoming them into the group's work, Goodwin apparently helped her students find rewarding work and included them in the personal interactions of the group.

We intend to help you find, join, and sustain a similarly supportive scholarly community. Perhaps your community will not involve a large lab. Nonetheless, it will be a community of at least you and one faculty member working alongside each other, coming to trust each other as together you pursue difficult, important projects.