Career Day
For 10th grade career day, I wanted to shadow a scientist at the Salk Institute or Scripps Research Institute. Unfortunately, all research is confidential and there is a lot of paperwork to fill out in order to have liability. With the short notice we were given I was unable to shadow someone on career day. I went on a tour of Bio, Tech and Beyond because I wanted the experience of seeing a work space. But, I was able to have a phone interview with Dr. Eiman Azim at the Salk Institute. These are his responses.
What is a typical work day for you?
What is a typical work day for you?
- Tough: science is always changing is diverse, follow work wherever you want it to take you, on day experiments, another day writing grant or meetings, or conferences
- Graduate student, post doc, now roll : scientists hands on abs and with scientists, not only specifics but how to interpret results, science part - when professor, run lab and rolls like business never trained for, grants to fund science - learning as you go
- Not very surprising, but immense complexity of brain - as you answer one question 10 more occur - reality is a lot of science is trying to figure out what the next questions are - was surprising
- Og: stanford fascinated by philosophy of mind: free will? - frustrated to ask questions but not answer all , not all experiments support ideas and questions - neuroscience - FMRI looks at oxygenated blood flow of brain, activated brain - joined lab doing that - more and more into resolutions, animal models
- #1: you have to love it - science is very self-motivated, long hours, love questions, be curious
- Always take time to step back and think about the problem (pause, reflect, think about where you are)
- No. Loves it and is passionate.
- If bored, you don’t love it
- Questions always take you down new path
- Of course days can be repetitive, but you have to prove it is real
- Stay at Sal, started 1 year ago
- Amazing insitute with
- Skill movements, using limbs is very important
- 1: fascinated by brain - most complex thing in universe - brain makes us who we are, discover how it works is helpful
- Movement deficits: need help NOW - NS discovery
- 1: science is very hard, neuro is very hard, questions are hard
- Questions seem easy and smooth
- Uneven burdens of success burdened by failure
- Can be hard but failures make the most progress
- Failures teach us right path
- General life lesson
- Incredibly competitive: phd in life sciences - eventually want to run a lab
- So many people competing for the same goal
- Especially difficult in science because everyone is getting post doc and applying - success rates lower
- Students know it is good goal, but other career paths are helpful - biotech, startups, consulting, law,
- 1: follow passions
- Don’t do because of other people
- Bed at night; thinking
- Morning: excited to go
- Great stage to explore: neuro is incredibly diverse: everything to discover and species to work on
- EXPLORE!!!!
- Salk Institute internship next year