Dr. Wenxia Song’s path to becoming a distinguished professor at the University of Maryland is a testament to resilience and the transformative power of education. Her story, unfolding from the heart of Beijing through the tumultuous years of the Cultural Revolution to the forefront of biochemical research, is a powerful narrative of determination and academic pursuit. For those seeking inspiration, Doctor Give Me The News Song, and perhaps this story is the kind of news that resonates deeply – a melody of perseverance against adversity.
Born and raised in Beijing, a city renowned for its educational institutions, Dr. Song’s early education was profoundly shaped by the Cultural Revolution. This period of immense social and political upheaval in China saw widespread disruption, with intellectuals and educators facing persecution and educational systems thrown into disarray. “My K-12 education fell into a unique period in Chinese history, the Cultural Revolution,” Dr. Song recounts. Educated individuals were unjustly targeted, books were destroyed, and schools descended into chaos. At a young age, Dr. Song was sent with her father to a labor camp, tasked with the responsibilities of cooking and caring for him under harsh conditions. Yet, amidst this adversity, her parents instilled in her an unyielding commitment to learning. They encouraged her to study whatever materials she could find, fostering her imagination and observational skills. “I found refuge from the chaos in my ‘learning world’,” she reflects, highlighting the sanctuary she discovered in the pursuit of knowledge. As middle schools gradually resumed regular teaching, albeit with ongoing interruptions from political movements, Dr. Song eagerly absorbed every piece of knowledge offered, devouring books, including her mother’s old medical textbook.
Despite her exceptional academic achievements in high school, opportunities for higher education seemed unattainable. College admissions were heavily influenced by political background, favoring children from elite families. Instead of university, Dr. Song, along with many others, was sent to rural farming villages, destined to become a peasant. Her assigned village, Southern Jade River, was marked by poverty and isolation. The villagers, despite their limited resources, welcomed her with kindness, teaching her traditional farming techniques using cows and manual tools to cultivate essential crops. In return for their generosity, Dr. Song sought to improve agricultural yields and address basic health issues, utilizing acupuncture skills learned from her mother. However, her limited knowledge became a source of frustration, particularly when faced with complex agricultural and medical challenges. Witnessing a villager’s death during a difficult journey to the hospital ignited a renewed yearning for advanced education, although the path to college remained seemingly blocked.
A turning point arrived in her third year in the village with the end of the Cultural Revolution. Universities reopened to the public, and Dr. Song was granted the chance to take the entrance exam. Despite facing the challenges of an interrupted education and years away from formal schooling, she dedicated herself to intensive preparation. Studying by flashlight after long days of farm work, she persevered for five months. To her surprise, after months of uncertainty, she received acceptance to Jilin University, a prestigious institution in northern China, majoring in biochemistry. Her choice of biochemistry was serendipitous; lacking information about university programs in her isolated village, she had entrusted her sister to complete her application, indicating her interest in medicine and chemistry. Dr. Song expresses deep gratitude to her sister for setting her on the trajectory that shaped her successful career.
Dr. Song embraced her university opportunity with unwavering dedication, valuing the education she had fought so hard to attain. She benefited from passionate professors who were returning to their teaching roles after the disruptions of the Cultural Revolution. These educators utilized textbooks from the US and UK, translating them chapter by chapter to provide students with up-to-date knowledge. Despite the initial challenges of adjusting to a new city, Dr. Song thrived in the academic environment, particularly drawn to laboratory work. Her undergraduate research thesis focused on developing a novel protocol to isolate the iron-molybdenum cofactor of nitrogenase from nitrogen fixation bacteria, leading to her first publication and solidifying her passion for a research career. It was also at university where she met her husband, with whom she shares a 40-year partnership and a similar journey of overcoming obstacles to pursue higher education.
Following graduation, Dr. Song entered the Master’s program at the Biophysical Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Science, focusing on mitochondrial respiration. Simultaneously, her husband pursued his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Maintaining their connection through weekly letters, they supported each other’s academic endeavors. Graduate school immersed Dr. Song in the world of research, fueling her decision to pursue a Ph.D. abroad. Information on US Ph.D. programs was scarce and required a bus journey to the city library to consult the sole copy of Peterson’s data book. While several US programs accepted her, the biochemistry program at the University of Maryland, College Park, offered crucial graduate assistant fellowship funding. Dr. Song acknowledges the fortunate absence of Zoom interviews during that era, as her limited English skills might have hindered her admission. In August 1986, with minimal funds and a single suitcase, she arrived at Dulles International Airport, embarking on a new chapter in the United States. Although she transferred universities after a semester, Dr. Song remains grateful to UMD for providing her initial opportunity.
Dr. Song transferred to Kansas State University to join her husband, who had begun his postdoctoral training there. She joined Dr. David Rintoul’s lab, investigating the role of glycolipids in signal transduction. She valued the independence in her research and the opportunities to present at conferences. Within five years, she earned her Ph.D., with three first-author publications and a young son. At both UMD and K-State, she interacted with individuals from diverse backgrounds, enriching her understanding of various cultures and perspectives.
For her postdoctoral work, Dr. Song joined Dr. Keith Mostov’s lab at UCSF, shifting her research focus from biochemistry to cell biology, studying epithelial cell antibody transport. She thrived in UCSF’s dynamic research environment and culturally rich setting. After two and a half years, a move to Chicago for her husband’s position led her to Dr. Susan Pierce’s lab at Northwestern University, where she explored antigen processing in B cells, delving into immunology. The complexity of the immune system captivated her, and Dr. Pierce encouraged her to apply her biochemistry and cell biology expertise to immunology, shaping her independent research direction.
When Dr. Song sought faculty positions, the University of Maryland offered her an assistant professorship. In August 1996, exactly ten years after her US arrival, she returned to UMD as faculty. Having spent nearly three decades in Maryland, she considers it home. She expresses a deep connection to the UMD campus, enjoying daily strolls and observing the campus’s vibrant evolution. Dr. Song feels privileged to work in a supportive environment, mentoring students from diverse backgrounds and contributing to a global community.
From the September 2024 CBMG Newsletter
