Category: Life Sciences
Debts and Lessons (in Science)
Colm P. Kelleher is a postdoc at Harvard University specializing in biophysics and soft matter physics. As well as research, Colm is interested in science communication and education. In this article, he writes about about the importance of mentors and...
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...
Science and the Crooked Path
Emily Schoerning is a benchtop researcher turned education specialist. Raised in a working-class family on a diet of Isaac Asimov, she decided she would become a scientist when she was nine years old. She stuck to her plan, defending her...
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...
Taking a Multidisciplinary Approach to Learning
Johnathan Yeo: I was amazed at the depths that biology could go. There was so much more to learn, discover and connect. Again, I learned by forming links between areas such biology and chemistry.
Eureka! My Path to Studying the Epigenome
Bo Xia is a Ph.D. candidate at NYU School of Medicine. He is co-mentored by Dr. Itai Yanai and Dr. Jef Boeke. Bo is fascinated by the nature of the genome. He uses novel single-cell and spatial-resolved transcriptomics to study...
Positivity in the Face of Setbacks: My Developing Journey in Science
Saumya Menon - Motherhood is a full time job. My family is my priority but I continue to yearn for the day when I will get the opportunity to continue my journey pursuing a career in research. I am confident...
A Science Outreach Story
Claudia Gisela Willmes - I enjoyed helping students understand the importance of animal research and to challenge their assumptions about the kind of experiments that scientists conduct.
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.
The Humbug Scientist
Camille McIntyre: No research, animal care, education, or science anything occupation seemed to want me. Internships didn’t want me, not even for free. Retail stores didn’t seem to want me either. My period of unemployment made me question everything about...
A PhD in a Pageant Gown: On Fear, Growth & Defining Success
Dr. Vania Cao is the Commercial Programs Lead at Inscopix Inc. She is a neuroscientist, writer, business consultant and Founder of Free the PhD, a career transition platform supporting fellow PhDs to land a job and life they'll love outside...
Building My Research Lab in India
Dr. Dileep Vasudevan: What I have learned from my experience is that one needs to have immense amount of patience and perseverance to survive in academic research. The little moments of happiness that come in between times of failures should be...
Tell the Negative Committee to Shut Up
Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up
A New Beginning: From Bench to Boardroom
When I began my PhD, I was quite certain that I would pursue a research career. But unlike most of my classmates, I was set on going into industry rather than academia.
What Keeps Me Ticking
Besides a few of my teachers, I didn’t know any scientists; I didn’t even know what a PhD was. To be honest, I had no clue what I was getting into. However, the same stubbornness that had made me throw...
Can You Ever Escape Your Personal and Scientific Bubbles?
I’ve wanted desperately from early on to have a straightforward path. I imagined that everyone knew what they were supposed to be doing professionally, and that they were surely great at it. Everyone but me. I always thought that I...
Moments: My Daughter’s Journey in Science as a Father
People always ask me how my daughter Amoy got into science. My first thought typically: "Is there an actual event that I can pinpoint?" Was there one particular thing I could isolate and say, "this was the moment." There were definitely several defining moments I can think back to. Moments like...
Understanding by Doing
Tyler J. Ford: Now that I’ve got my PhD, and I’ve been working in a science communication position for a few years, I’m often asked how I “ended up” in SciComm. The first thing to point out is that I...
My Journey Coming Out of the Deep Dark Ditch of “publish or perish”
This is my story – the story of going through a tremulous phase of my life during which I lost faith in science and myself, but eventually regained it.
The Day I Met Her
I carefully approached her with the intention to learn more. I took the first step to introduce myself with a “hi, my name is Ivan." It didn’t quite work as she seemed hesitant to respond. Nevertheless, I had to strike...
Perseverance to Passion
In my life, perseverance is growing up in the inner city of Flint, Michigan. Gangs, violence, and drugs were part of everyday life. I’ve seen someone being run down by a car, shot in the head, and been shot at...
Best of Both Worlds: A Two-Timer’s Story
To this very day, I will often get comments on being a fool leaving a well-paid full-time job for a career in research that may not guarantee me an academic position. However, I am still full of gusto entering the...
Hispaniola Born Earthbound Explorer
I thought my biggest role in life was to become a wife and mother. As such, I ended up in a very toxic marriage right out of high school. I left the marriage and I ultimately became homeless. I actually...
Breaking Through My Glass Ceiling…Twice
I was not born a scientist nor was I born with the knowledge that I would one day be a L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureate in France. However, I attained these achievements through maintaining curiosity, making difficult choices, sustaining...
From Pond Scum To A Pinnacle of Paleoanthropology
John S. Mead – Master Science Teacher – As a Life Science teacher, I have a deep and passionate love for microscopic life (protists in particular), and was able to rig up a primitive camera to my microscope in the...
Discovering the Scientist Within Me
– Stefanie Morgan – – Doctoral Student in Cancer Biology at Stanford University – The first time I met a scientist was in college. Prior to then, science seemed just an abstract concept that was reserved for the unusually intelligent....
My Unconventional yet Common Science Career Path
Science is an experience! Once you have tasted it, it is tough to let go!