Ironwood Daily Globe, MI
06-30-06
Woman has unique career
From the snow-covered fields of Upper Michigan to the cornfields of Iowa comes
big ambitions and determination for one Luther L. Wright High School graduate.
Pamela Carlson, formerly of Ironwood, is featured on the Iowa State University
College of Agriculture Web site for her unique career choice.
Carlson is the daughter of Mary Kay and Dale Carlson. Her maternal
grandmother is Mary Juno, Ironwood; her paternal grandfather is Arvid Carlson,
Ironwood.
A senior in genetics, Carlson is training to be a genetic counselor in Ames.
A genetic counselor is a therapist who meets with those who have been
diagnosed with a genetic disease or identified as a carrier, she told Brandon
Scott, an agricultural communications intern at the university. Scott is writing a
series he is doing on undergraduate students doing research.
"It's half geneticist, half psychologist," Carlson said. "It can be difficult to explain
things to someone in a potentially life-threatening position, and genetic
counselors need to be able to walk them through their options."
She's getting experience this summer, researching under the supervision of Max
Rothschild, the Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture in
animal science.
"I'm researching what genes causes a certain coat color-pattern in dogs,"
Carlson said.
This has value beyond natural curiosity.
"Genes for coat patterns and spotting are often related or linked to problems in
dogs, such as deafness," she said. "If geneticists can find the gene that causes
the defect, we can breed to remove it."
Rothschild said Carlson is well-suited for this kind of work.
"She's bright, pleasant, hard-working and a good team member in the lab," he
said.
Few schools offer the program. Those who get into the competitive program, find
it's just as tough to find a job. There are just two genetic counselors employed in
Iowa.
"I have always been interested in human biology," Carlson said. "But it was a
biology teacher that convinced me genetics was the most interesting and
advancing field."