Growing Up in Science: Gyorgy Buzsaki

György Buzsáki: "To be part of such a conversation, all I had to do was to learn Morse code, memorize the Q language, learn a bit about electronics, pass exams, get a license, build a transmitter and receiver, and set...

/ June 14, 2020

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...

/ June 14, 2020

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."

/ June 8, 2020

The Spirit of the Inca

Aiza Kabeer: "When we are not aware of the achievements of civilizations such as the Inca, we are unable to see the breadth of cultures that made outstanding scientific progress."

/ May 25, 2020

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...

/ April 4, 2020

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."

/ March 26, 2020

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...

/ March 15, 2020

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...

/ March 10, 2020

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...

/ March 10, 2020

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...

/ March 5, 2020

Humans of HBI: DJ Bambah-Mukku

DJ Bambah-Mukku: "The hardest part of experimental science in general is learning to cope with failure. Perseverance and grit are probably the most important traits that one learns in experimental biology. Having a supportive mentor and fun colleagues can make...

/ March 3, 2020

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."

/ February 17, 2020

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...

/ December 27, 2019

Becoming a parent in academia – when science fails you

B. Muehlroth: "Although I managed to continue devoting a major part of my life to my PhD, my life with infertility made me aware of my own boundaries and forced me to overstep them many times. I was never sure...

/ November 29, 2019

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...

/ October 30, 2019

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."

/ October 27, 2019

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."

/ October 27, 2019

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...

/ October 20, 2019

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."

/ October 19, 2019

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...

/ October 16, 2019

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."

/ October 15, 2019

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...

/ October 8, 2019

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.  

/ October 8, 2019

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."

/ September 29, 2019

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...

/ September 12, 2019

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...

/ September 7, 2019

Finally Found My Lowest-Hanging Fruit

Liz Specht: "I didn’t want to discover something fundamentally brand new if it meant that my work wouldn’t create tangible change in the world for another fifty years. The greatest thrill, for me, is to make something that works, and...

/ September 7, 2019