Category: About
Unexpected lessons from conducting research with older adults
Julia Nolte: "Becoming a gerontologist has taught me many unexpected things about the way the “stages of life” translate into lifespan research. Given these surprising lessons, my advice to other budding researchers is this: know that being an expert in...
My experience as a Kurdish Undergraduate Scientist in Iraq
Soma Sardar Barawi: "As a Kurdish nationalist first, and a future forensic biologist second, I desperately want to serve my homeland through the use of modern forensic technology."
Humans of HBI: Isle Bastille
Isle Bastille: "The largest challenge I’ve had to overcome is allowing myself to dream big. Early in life, I was limited by my environment. My mother is an immigrant and knew very little about the process of attending college in...
Humans of HBI: Caroline Palavicino-Maggio
Caroline Palavicino-Maggio: "During my childhood, I watched violent crimes transform my neighborhood. Now as a postdoc, I aim to understand the origin of aggressive behavior that underpins violent crimes. Though my work is rooted in neurobiology, I hope it will...
Humans of HBI: Stephanie Haro
Stephanie Haro: "I am a proud first- generation, Mexican-American, low-income college student from the community of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, CA. Given my roots and the opportunities that have been provided to me by past and current institutions, I...
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...
How Studying the Brain Transformed my Brain
Lori Saxena: "I began to understand that I didn’t love neuroscience because of the medals and acclaim it gave me, but because of its universality. Because it can be studied and tested and corrected—an ever-expanding, ever-improving existential philosophy."
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...
How Much Poop Does a Worm Make When They Only Eat Zuccchhiinnniii?
Vivekanand Pandey Vimal
Finding Clarity in Chaos
Hazal Uzunkaya: "If you asked me what I wanted to be at the age of five, I would say a Veterinarian, which later turned into an Astronaut Veterinarian, and then became Prime Minister Astronaut Veterinarian. I dreamed big, however scattered...
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."
The Role of Cystic Fibrosis in my Life
Ella Balasa: "It’s always challenging, daunting, but the reward of feeling being understood through words is liberating, fulfilling, and worth it at the end. That’s why I do it."
Bringing the Bench to Life
Steven J. Del Signore: "As a basic cell biologist who uses fruit flies as a model organism to investigate the causes of neurological disease, the gap between my science and its potential impact on human health at times feels very...
Take A Chance
Inna Nechipurenko: "I switched model organisms and shifted the focus of my research to cilia – microscopic signaling “beacons” of our cells. Specifically, I wanted to understand how they form and function in specialized sensory neurons."
Finding My Way into the Sandbox
Bulbul Chakraborty: "Looking back, I think I was always attracted to what challenged me. It could be a mathematical puzzle, a song I was told wasn’t easy to sing, a book I was told I shouldn’t attempt to read because...
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."
An Unexpected Path: Discovering my Passion for Science Outreach and Administration
Heather McKellar: I have been lucky to follow in the footsteps of strong mentors and lean a supportive network of peers. They have all taught me to step outside of my comfort zone and take advantage of the opportunities to...
The Journey Never Ends
Heather Metallides: I felt a great sense of pride that although I was told I couldn’t “do science,” I did it. Not only did I do it, but I did it well.
Finding a Direction in Science
Staci Amburgey: "I might have liked animals from a young age, but I tried a lot of different ways to study animals before I got to where I am now."
Wandering Across Fields in Science
Irv Epstein: "Reluctant to accept the result of an undergraduate’s accident over the published wisdom of senior investigators, I told him to redo the experiment under controlled conditions. He did so, and returned to tell me that he had obtained...
Paying it Forward Matters
Dr. Avital Rodal: "There are many reasons to pour your heart into helping and supporting others, including the knowledge that you are doing the right thing, and the appreciation and gratitude that it brings back to you. I discovered that...
Discovering Zoology Through My Passion for Birdwatching II: Is There a Final Word in Research?
Abdul Jamil Urfi: "I still have some years left before I retire. But the clock has started ticking and I can hear it loud and clear."
From Volleyball to Neuroscience
Nicolas Tritsch: "I might have not sought a postdoc if it weren’t for my thesis advisor, Dwight Bergles, who (kindly) pushed me out of the lab after 6 years."
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...
Finding My Own Way in Science
Milka Kostic: "I was making discoveries. I was publishing my research results. I was enjoying research. But somewhere along the way, I lost my passion for doing science, and I found myself facing a real conundrum."
Discovering Zoology Through My Passion for Birdwatching: Part 1
Abdul Jamil Urfi: "...popularly known as the birdman of India, had once said in an interview ‘Birdwatching is like measles. You have got to catch the disease’. I had caught that disease long ago and when I began to tire...
If You Give An Artist A Data Sheet…
Maya Sokolow: "What I began to understand that day on St. John was that science needs to be experienced, lived, and felt. For those who do not have the opportunity to have feet on the field or in the classroom,...
When Trauma Changes Your Life and Research
Prof. Dan J. Mallinson: "It can be difficult to change a research trajectory. We, especially in pursuit of promotion and tenure, are expected to present ourselves as a nice neat package. “This is who I am and what I do.”