Introduction to "Clash: A Reflection on Science and Religion Courses at Loras College"

Below is the introduction to my Portfolio project.  As a preface to my reaction to Prompt 3, I need to admit that I was hesitant to write about my religious beliefs or lack thereof.  There are multiple influential people in my life who still believe I am a devote Catholic, and sadly, their opinion of me would likely somewhat diminish if they knew my actual position on the matter.  I am slowly becoming more comfortable with sharing my stance on the issue, but I do not think I will reach the point where I willingly proclaim my atheism.  This is partly because of my restrained nature when it comes to controversial issues.  Another reason is that I quickly become tired and peeved with people who try to delve into the reasons I am an atheist or convert me.  I honestly believe these instances will occur less and less as we proceed further into the 21st century.  While some may counter that religion has overcome periods of non-belief before, I believe religion is losing its significance and hold on my generation.

Resume for Senior Year

I've pasted in the resume that I wrote for Portfolio class.  Interestingly, this was my first experience writing a resume, and it may very well be my last because my field of interest does not typically use traditional resumes.

Cover Letter for Resume

Below is a copy letter of my cover letter for Portfolio.  I wrote it as if it was required for admittance into medical school.  However, in reality, U.S. allopathic medical schools have a centralized web-based application.  Then there are usually supplemental applications for each specific medical school that one applies to.  Still, this exercise was worthwhile because it introduced me to the "dreaded" cover letter that my friends often speak of.

Review on "Naturally Obsessed" from LabLit

I found this to be a great review on the documentary "Naturally Obsessed."  Let me know what you think of the author's opinions!

Link: Tell it true: Naturally Obsessed

Reflection on "Naturally Obsessed"

             I discovered the unique and sometimes altogether crazy band titled The Flaming Lips during my senior year of high school.  One particular thing that attracted me to this great band is that they caught their big break during an episode of Beavis and Butthead.  When Dr. Cooper told me that the documentary we were watching contained a song by them, I thought that at least the film had one positive going for it.  Surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed the flow of the "Naturally Obsessed:  The Making of a Scientist" and the honest message about graduate school that it portrayed.  While I find research to be interesting, I have some serious doubts about if I would be happy doing it for a career.

            One aspect that made this documentary personally enjoyable is that I am currently conducting biochemical.  Even though my research is more laid back and primitive than the work being performed by Dr. Shapiro’s team, I had a basic understanding of their goals and problems they were encountering along the way.  Also, my own personal failures in the lab made it easy to relate with the emotions that the characters encountered throughout the filming.  It would be interesting to hear what a person with no science background thought about the film.  While this may be a strong statement, I believe one must have spent time performing independent research that sought to answer something unknown to understand the characters on a deeper level.  For someone like Dr. Cooper who has performed biomedical research, this movie must have struck a major chord and brought back many memories about life in a lab.

            Even though Robert Townley was probably the most interesting graduate student to follow due to his quirky mannerisms, I felt a strong emotional attraction to the student named Kil.  The way he carried himself and invested a great deal of time and effort into his research reminded me of myself.  Also similar to me, the research failures appeared to stay with him for quite some time after they occurred.  One saying of his that I enjoyed was “We don’t learn anything from success.  Rather, we learn from failures.”  He did not say this statement as if to lecture others, but instead, it appeared he mentioned it to try and convince himself of its truth.  While I also hold this motto to be valid, it is difficult for me to come to terms with the reality of the statement.  Watching Kil struggle throughout the filming of the documentary caused me to have second thoughts about being able to succeed in an M.D./Ph.D. program.

            These concerns about my happiness in an M.D./Ph.D. program are not related to being bored with the research.  This is because I find the premise of delving into the unknown to be fascinating.  My downfall in research would likely be caused by investing too much time into my work and making my failures personal. It has always been my intention to start a family and raise my children to the best of my abilities at a relatively young age.  While others may be able to balance a family and graduate school remarkably well, I do not have the skill set to accomplish both tasks at once.  This is the most prevalent reason for having doubts about entering a dual degree program.  I also seriously wonder if my psyche could withstand the constant failures that are inevitable in research.  To circumvent this problem, I would need the proper advisor to encourage me along the way.  Still, something is leading me to toss around the possibility of pursuing both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees.

            Overall, I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone who has even a basic background in the sciences.  It gives a detailed look into the lives of the people who make the discoveries that we read about in the popular media daily.  As far as people considering entering graduate school, it is essential to be exposed to this film.  This is because it gives a look into some of the trying times that will be ahead.  Personally, it caused me to seriously wonder if I possess the skills required to succeed in research.

Documentary watched:
Rifkind, R. & Rifkind, C. (Directors).  (2009).  Naturally Obsessed:  The Making of a Scientist.  Public Broadcasting Service.

Reaction to Opinion Articles

            Memories of my first afternoon in Dr. Cooper’s lab are imprinted firmly in my mind.  We had just finished discussing some of the details in my project, and she asked me if I would like to get started. I hesitantly responded “yes” even though I was already overwhelmed with trying to digest the basic concept behind my project.  With Dr. Cooper by my side, we proceeded to set up digests using restriction endonucleases on a plasmid vector.  However, at the time, I was basically just putting small amounts of liquid into tubes without any idea of what was going on.  I left the lab that afternoon with a sick feeling in my stomach because of how little I understood.  I kept thinking about how painful my research experience was going to be if I remained in this state of ignorance.  Martin Schwartz admits in his article “The Importance of Stupidity in Scientific Research” that “feeling stupid” in the lab is not for everyone, but for those who can cope with it, it is a driving source towards making scientific discoveries.  After some humbling experiences, I have become more comfortable with continually saying “I don’t know” in the lab, and I would like to continue conducting scientific research in the future.

            As Schwartz mentions in his article about many young students, I too was attracted to science because of the ease with which it came to me.  Up until my junior year, I thought I had they key to being successful in the sciences because I could memorize a great deal of information.  This approach may be fine in the classroom, but it quickly fails a person in the lab.  One must use critical thinking skills against obstacles that seem insurmountable at times.  The humbling moments far outweigh the times when everything seems to come together.

            This state of ignorance is inevitable when conducting worthwhile scientific research.  Gone are the days of following “cookbook” lab protocols in class to find an expected outcome.  One spends time performing research to answer the unknown questions in life.   For a long period of time, I did not believe I could handle the feeling of continually being in the dark with my own research project.  However, even managing small breakthroughs provided me with a euphoric feeling and ignited a desire to proceed further into the unknown.

            Conducting research at whatever medical school I attend will be vastly different than my experiences at a small institution like Loras College.  Loras is a sort of comfort zone for me where I know every face that I encounter and do not hesitate to ask questions.  Just the thought of working in a new lab with intense students is enough to make me perspire.  For this reason, I am thankful for encountering Jonathan W. Yewdell’s two-part article titled “How to Succeed in Science.”  I found the first portion of the article to relate most to my current situation because it discusses what to expect when first beginning research at a new institution.  His helpful hints have given me an idea of what type of research experience will be most compatible with my personality and goals.

            The most helpful section dealt with how to choose a mentor.  This is because not every mentor will be as nurturing and understanding as Dr. Cooper.  I am not concerned about an advisor who expects a great amount of time commitment on my part because I will give my best effort.  Most importantly, I desire someone whose research goals match mine and is approachable.  My ultimate goal is to be a better practicing physician as a result of my lab work, and I will be looking for someone who is supportive of this objective.

            My critical thinking skills have grown exponentially since I began working in Dr. Cooper’s lab.  This safe environment has given me a taste of what research in graduate school will entail.  While I know there will be many difficult times where I feel absolutely lost, I look forward to trying to answer some of the unknown questions in the health sciences.

Literature Cited:

Schwartz, M. A.  (2008).  The importance of stupidity in scientific research.  Journal of Cell Science.  121. 1771.

Yewdell, J. W.  (2008).  How to succeed in science:  a concise guide for young biomedical scientists.  Part I:  taking the plunge.  Molecular Cell Biology.  9.  413-416.

This Week's Music

I've decided to share some songs/artists that I'm really into this week in lab.  If only Pandora didn't have a forty hour limit per month...

Smashing Pumpkins- Cherub Rock, Today, and Tonight, Tonight
The Band (This one's for you, Casey and Brennan)
The Format (So unknown, so great)
Death Cab for Cutie  (Except for that crappy song from the Twilight movie.  Boo to selling out!)
Marshall Tucker Band
Radiohead (First time I've actually listened to The Bends and Ok Computer completely through, and it was amazing)
Bon Iver (Anyone who produces an album in a cabin in Wisconsin is cool with me)