Category: Graduate School
Finding a Passion for Physics and Virtual Reality Headsets
Haxhi Pantina: "To this day, I still like reading about stars and the universe, but quantum mechanics, quantum optics, and quantum information contain the largest part of my daily routine."
My Career Path Following Water from the Mountain to the Sea and Across an Ocean
Jeeban Panthi: "My professional and personal journey to understand water continues to unfold, and I was a part of a multi-year collaborative research project on climate and water in Nepal."
Sleeping Astrocytes: Failures and Successes on the Journey to Publication
Laura Bojarskaite: "I want to be honest and tell you the story of how science actually happened for me and not how science should have happened according to all the rules, supposed-to’s, and textbooks."
Limits to Perfection: Searching For Order in Chaos
Kumaresh Krishnan: "Understanding when the details of a model are satisfactory for the research questions being asked is one of the most critical steps in my work."
Crisis After Crisis During Pandemic Field Day Experiments
Catalina Mejia: "Whether to a friend, a colleague, or another graduate student, make the small efforts to reach out and ask for support if you are in need of it."
Flickering Lights in the Darkness: How Microscopy Shaped My Scientific Path
Natalie Nannas: "Watching those flickering green dots shuttling around the cell convinced me that my future was in research."
From Picking Grapes to Treating Cavities
Ramneek K. Batth: "I came to recognize the importance of research and it’s need to advance almost every, if not all, aspects of life."
The Little Boat of “Why?”
Catherine Lockley: "As soon as this voyage is over, it will inform another and yet another. I signed up for the endless seas, but I stand at my bow and salute my fellow voyagers as they sail by on their...
Ice, heat, science, and acting
Morgan Dundon: "I think we should be more accepting of our many dimensions, both academics and actors alike. In my world of materials science, there are solid materials that can exist in more than one form or structure."
Crossing the finish line
Divya Shiroor: "By trying to make a mad dash to the finish line we run a very solid risk of not making it at all. In the long run, taking a moment to stop and smell the roses might go...
Be your own Cartographer
Divya Shiroor: "I think of the IDP as a roadmap to the destination of your choice, with the difference being that you build your own road as you go along. It is a tool that helps assess which career you...
Academia: My forbidden love?
Divya Shiroor: "As happens with all relationships, my honeymoon period ended soon after commencing graduate school. Seven months into my first year, I now realize that my once perfect boyfriend can be complicated, demanding and potentially unstable."
Humans of HBI: Rockwell Anyoha
Rockwell Anyoha: "I just love animals. I grew up surrounded by nature and spent a lot of time interacting with both wild and domestic animals. We are always taught how “special” humans are, but in my childhood experiences of being...
Growing Up in Science: David M. Schneider
David Schneider: "When I finished my masters, I applied to 11 PhD programs and was rejected by all of them. The next obvious step (to me) was to cold-call the director of graduate studies at Columbia (where I had just...
Building Self-Confidence Through Science
Lauren Tereshko: "I realized I had stopped putting positive energy into myself, and grew angry and restless. Ashamed of my stagnation, in a moment of catharsis, I made the decision to apply for grad school."
From Poverty to Science: Becoming a Scientist Amidst Financial Adversity
Gabriel Reyes: "Part of me wants to be angry and frustrated that no matter how hard I work or how enthusiastic I am, the socioeconomic class I was born into will be a hidden barrier."
The Uncertainties of Life
Jaqueline A. Picache: "One of my few regrets is not standing up for myself back then. Instead, I found other people to stand up for – specifically, the rare disease community through my research. I advocated for the underdog because...
Open Heart Surgery: Let Me Tell Y’all A Quick Story
Dr. Jenn Jackson - I grew up in Oakland, CA with my single mom. My dad was in and out of my life. Mostly out. We struggled a lot. My family struggled and continues to struggle.
Marisa Carrasco: Official and Unofficial Stories
Dr. Carrasco is a Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at NYU. She grew up in Mexico City and earned her Licentiate in psychology, specializing in experimental psychology, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). She writes: "Juggling research,...
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Around half of all Ph.D. students across fields don’t complete their program. I never thought I would be one of them.
I am a Neuroscientist in Training: Explore My Developing Neural Story
"My parents never finished college, so I know how privileged I am to study at a renowned institution like Harvard. Although I never saw becoming a scientist as a possibility, I now understand I have always had the curiosity, creativity,...
#PhDart — Flower Development Matters
Being a plant lover since I was little, I have always been fascinated by the enormous diversity of floral architectures. Now in the Kramer lab at Harvard University, I began to explore this diversity by asking how Aquilegia species build their flowers....
Using the ‘fear of missing out’ to my advantage in science
Priscila is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University (OSU). She was born and raised in a rural town in Puerto Rico. She is interested in science communication, biomedical and plant research. She...
PhD or Family? Does it have to be one or the other?
Aditi Deshpande is a scientist at Allena Pharmaceuticals in Newton, MA. She is a biochemist and a chemical engineer by training. Dr. Deshpande is motivated to transform emerging science into products suitable for commercial development and also bring first-in class...
From Juvenile Detention to Neuroscience
Raul Ramos shared his inspiring personal journey into science with high school students from Waltham High School as part of the series, The Brandeis MRSEC and WHS present: Science Pizza Talks. AAAS provided additional support for this event.
The PhD Delusion
My parents were still on cloud nine about their daughter having finished a PhD at a highly-ranked university, doing ground-breaking research on cystic fibrosis. They were talking about it as if I had been on a wonderful, noble mission which...
How My PhD Training is Empowering Me
Teresa Ambrosio: "I wasn’t aware I was suffering from depression for so long and I blamed chemistry for missing out on all the other aspects of life. I suddenly realized that my whole world was my 1x2 square meter desk...
My Kaleidoscopic Journey in Science
If you observe carefully, you’ll find a similar pattern in science and life. Both teach you the same lessons. The lessons that you learn from science help you solve problems in life as well.