Category: About
Protected: How Imprisonment Inspired My Freedom
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Iridescence in a World of Noir
Parin Shaik: "I sacrificed my hobbies and interests for the sole purpose of becoming the epitome of perfection. I became afraid that if I couldn't live up to their expectations, I would be nothing but a failure."
Getting Started in Academia
Cristina Savin: "In retrospect, I had very little idea what I was doing. After the first few rejections, I started doubting that I belonged in academia at all."
Undeterred: My Journey Continues
Lauren Neal: "Representation in science is of the utmost importance to me at this point in my life. I hope to contribute to changing the idea of what a scientist is supposed to look like or where they are supposed...
Learning to Know Myself
Carol Shoshkes Reiss: "A few years ago, when three sequential grant applications went down in flames, and funds were exhausted, I made the decision to close my lab. I do not regret the decision."
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.
My Stolen Identity: I Was Told That Science Was Not Meant For Me
Pei Qin (Sabrina) Ng - My persistence in science enraged my biology teacher. Every lesson, she publicly shamed me in front of the class, proclaiming how bad I am at science, especially biology. She warned my classmates that they were...
Studying and Experiencing Mental Illness
I feel very grateful to have found this path. But it hasn’t been easy. Academia is incredibly stressful, and I am an anxiety-prone perfectionist who tends to over-work. - Mariam Aly
My life in butterflies: How a childhood hobby shaped my career
Citizen scientists — as biologist Caren Cooper writes in her book, Citizen Science — can be anyone, often not trained as a scientist, who collaborates with trained researchers in “collective scientific endeavors.” It can be a way for people to develop hobbies, learn new...
The Journey Continues: Finding My Questions in Science
If it had not been for my friends and the little voice inside telling me to focus on why I had started research in the first place and to keep going, I would have almost certainly given up. - Yasmine...
Lima Beans: An Epiphany
Dr. Mages: I look down at the seedlings in my hands. Then I say, “These seedlings are a bit like the children you’ll teach. Each will develop a little differently and each at a different pace.”
My Passion for Microbes
Dr. Chika Ejikeugwu is a Lecturer at Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki in Nigeria where he teaches microbiology to undergraduate students. He is also an ‘associate’ Development Knowledge Facilitator (DKF) for the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) headquarters, Abuja, Nigeria. He...
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,...
Robert Froemke: The Official and Unofficial Stories
Dr. Froemke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at the NYU School of Medicine. His lab researches how biological systems adapt and learn to improve behavior. The story below was originally published on Growing up...
Science – A Poem
Jim is the CEO of NeuroLex which is focused on making voice computing accessible to everyone. Below is a poem he wrote for Stories in Science.
Finding Myself Between Cacti in Mexico
"Being a research professor is not a 9-5 job. The work is never finished and there is always the next question. That is the fun of doing science."
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.
Cave Critters are Cool! – Faces of Fieldwork
I find that subterranean systems are useful models in addressing foundational questions in ecology and evolutionary biology, and that the organisms that inhabit such systems are wonderfully unique. Being able to study these animals and provide a platform for their...
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,...
An Immunologist’s Perspective
Dr. Viki Male started her scientific career as a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, where she worked on the development of NK cells in the human uterus before moving to Imperial College London to find out how NK...
Keep Pushing Forward
Hello! My name is Barakat Oyiza Abubakar. I am a 14 year old girl from a family of 6. I live with my mum and 5 siblings in Abuja, Nigeria. I would tell other girls that no matter the situation...
Ibn Al Haytham: The Father of Modern Optics
Though he wasn’t always successful and did not even start as a scientist by profession, his scientific legacy stands. Ibn al Haytham is one of many non-western scientists whose work has significantly contributed to building science as we know it...
A Day in the Life of One Scientist
Caroline received her B.S. from Brown University in 2006. She began studying the molecular and cellular basis of behavior in the context of the developing frog brain while pursuing her M.S. at the University of Michigan. She earned her Ph.D....
#PhDart – How Does Evolution Give Rise to New Behaviors?
Caroline received her B.S. from Brown University in 2006. She began studying the molecular and cellular basis of behavior in the context of the developing frog brain while pursuing her M.S. at the University of Michigan. She earned her Ph.D....
#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....
But You Are A Girl!
Sophie Farr: "In a society where most famous celebrity women are known for makeup and fashion, most girls think they can’t get anywhere as a woman unless they want to do fashion or art. I want that to change."
Alice Augusta Ball: Chemical Drug Pioneer
Historians of African-Americans in science tend to focus on figures like Benjamin Banneker and George Washington Carver. But there are so many more.
Unsung: William Claytor
The third African-American to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics struggled his entire career against the barriers of institutional racism.