Author: James Perez

Lizbet Rodriguez If I had been asked to categorize myself before this summer, I would have responded, “student” or potentially “intern”. I wouldn’t have dared to define myself as a scientist. During my summer internship with the Montclare Lab, my mentor often referred to my lab partner and me as scientists. I was uncomfortably aware… Continue reading Using Science as a Foundation

  My Journey Into Science Jakub Legocki Editor Eliza Neidhart   “Hey!  What are you doing in there?!?!”         my mom yelled, muffled outside the bathroom door “One second Mom, I’ll be right out!”          I belted in my six-year-old soprano I was racing to mix every possible soap, cleaner, cream, perfume, you name… Continue reading My Journey Into Science

By Yifei Wang   A few years ago, my best friend was diagnosed with medullary sponge kidney, a condition which currently has no effective treatment. Medullary sponge kidney is a rare disease causing frequent kidney stones and urinary tract infections. In rare cases, like my friend’s, the patient gradually loses kidney function, ultimately resulting in… Continue reading Finding Meaning in Science

By Michael Meleties   When I was first applying to graduate school, I initially wanted to remain at the institution where I completed my undergraduate degree. It was a good school, close to home, and I was comfortable there. When my professor suggested that it would be difficult to do that, I was stunned. It… Continue reading Getting Comfortable

By Joe Thomas Academia or industry? This is a question that every grad student is asked at some point regarding their career plans.  As tenured academic positions become incredibly difficult for the bulk of life science graduates to obtain, industry is an attractive alternative that provides a wealth of different opportunities. These jobs are an… Continue reading My Scientific Summer with the Navy

Xiaole Willy Wang When I was pursuing my undergraduate degree, my professor at the time told me that one type of polypeptide of naked oats has a hypoglycemic effect. There is even an existing patent advocating the same conclusion. I was then challenged by my professor to conduct the same experiment. “Check the results,” he… Continue reading A Shift in Perspective

By Matthew Moulton I am a senior chemical engineering student at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Outside of research and school, one sport that I love to play is handball. I was inspired to start playing at the end of my freshman year in high school after I watched a… Continue reading The Thing I do Outside of Research

By Ashwitha Lakshmi Here I am, sipping my coffee and staring out of my only real window to the outside world. It all does seem a bit too cinematic. And as a clockwork, I start to ponder on the endless rhetorical questions that we often ask ourselves.   Isn’t it amusing how we are so… Continue reading A tryst with science