At least three La Jolla Institute of Immunology (LJI) scientists have made their love of science very enduring. Some of their science-related tattoos celebrate research achievements, while others highlight eye-catching motifs found in nature.
Here they share the meaning behind Science Inc.
keep it simple
Eduardo Lucero Meza is a lab manager and research technician in LJI’s Benedict Lab. His research provides scientists with clues about the body’s response to pathogens such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus. Lucero Meza has a large tattoo in the shape of a DNA double helix surrounding his upper left arm. The tattoo’s simplicity emphasizes its meaning to Lucero Meza.
“Tattoos are a reminder of where you come from,” Lucero Meza says. “I was amazed at how such a relatively simple molecule could have the ‘instructions’ to make living things. I loved the fact that we all share almost the same set of genes. But it’s the small differences in gene expression that make us all special.”
![Photo collage showing black ink DNA pattern tattoo from three angles](https://www.lji.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2.png)
LJI Lab manager Eduardo Lucero Meza has a tattoo of a simplified DNA motif.
hidden meaning
![small eel tattoo](https://www.lji.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Suzie-eel.jpg)
NGS Core Director Susie Alarcon has an eel tattoo on her upper left arm.
Suzie Alarcón is the director of the LJI Next Generation Sequencing Core. Her team is essential to understanding how genetics plays a role in infectious disease responses, autoimmune diseases, allergic reactions, and more. Alarcón has two science-related tattoos.
The first is a small tattoo of an eel on his upper right arm. Alarcón is fascinated by the ecology of eels (an eel’s life begins as a translucent larva!), and he even got a tattoo to symbolize this. Her tattoo matches that of her friends, who use “eel” as an abbreviation for “emotion.”
Alarcón’s second tattoo reflects her contributions in research, specifically sequencing. The tattoo covers Alarcon’s left arm and shows a detailed DNA double helix surrounded by intricate geometric patterns. The design switches to botanical motifs as it moves up, reflecting Alarcón’s work with hops and other ingredients when she collaborated with taste and olfaction researchers at the Monel Center. doing.
The piece is being worked on by Alarcón, with sections gradually being added by local tattoo artist Emily Paul. Alarcón said she was especially excited to sit in Paul’s place after learning that she had studied molecular biology before getting the tattoo. “So she was really excited to work on this piece,” Alarcón says.
![Photo collage showing DNA tattoo with geometric patterns and hops design](https://www.lji.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1.png)
Alarcón’s DNA and hops tattoo is currently in progress.
celebrate milestones
![Baby boxer tattoo with metal mechanical parts on head](https://www.lji.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Myers-tattoo-baby.png)
Tattoo for all mass spec fans
For LJI Assistant Professor Dr. Samuel Myers, tattoos are an opportunity to mark a milestone. Myers leads the LJI Immunochemical Circuits Institute, where his team uses techniques such as mass spectrometry to understand how cells respond to their environment and change gene expression. . [Learn more in the article “How to build a lab”]
Of his many tattoos, three highlight his career in science. His first tattoo shows an important part of a mass-spec machine called the Orbitrap on a variant of Kid Slug from Cartoon Baby, aka Kewpie.he got a tattoo to celebrate his own birthday beginningfirst author dissertation in graduate school.
He also has a tattoo of three dice with the number “415” on his left arm. “That’s the area code where I got my PhD. That and the number of the building where I did my postdoctoral training,” Myers says.
Myers has one last science-related tattoo. It has a classic heart and dagger motif on the forearm. However, he chose a pipette (a laboratory instrument) instead of a dagger. What is the meaning behind this? Myers happily admits it’s “just to look cool.”
![Photo collage with dice tattoo on the left and pipette tattoo on the right](https://www.lji.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Untitled-design-10.png)
Dr. Sam Myers shares his dice tattoo and pipette and rose tattoo (among other non-science related tattoos)