#pre med research opportunities

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[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

hello!! I hope you are doing well

this is more of an ask than a request but given their occupations in the modern au it seems unlikely that the M6 would meet each other, but how do you think the M6 would meet??

whether it was during childhood or as adults

this just seems like a fun little drabble/hc, ofc if you're not up to writing it that's perfectly ok/g 🥳🥳

Phew, this ran away with me, but here's a modern pre-prologue setup for you anon friend!

Julian and Portia are siblings, of course, who lost touch when he went off to college and med school for that student debt life (and stayed out of touch because Portia resented him getting the opportunity when she's still struggling to pursue her education). They've since gotten back in touch and Julian is being allowed to help with the application process.

Nadia and Lucio met in the back of one of his nightclubs because she was the highest paying VIP member and he recognized her family name and figured he'd do some networking. It quickly devolved into drunken complaints about parental pressures and expectations and led to the infamous Vegas drive-thru wedding we've all heard about. Nadia stuck it out because she wanted to stick it to her family and needed space to build her own legacy as the city's mayor (backed by Lucio's network), and while it wasn't ideal it worked because she lived at her office and he let off steam with one of his business partners (Valerius).

Their marriage ended on paper when Lucio faked his own death in an arson case because his tax evasion was catching up with him.

Asra and Muriel grew up in the foster system together, Asra's parents having gone missing when they were a child and Muriel being an orphan. They attended the same highschool as MC, whose aunt would often open the back room of her shop to them when they needed to study together (or just a safe space). When they aged out, Asra was able to access his inheritance and used it to buy a piece of land with a crumbling old house on it that Muriel found for the two of them to work with.

They started out working evening/night shifts at clubs together, Muriel as a bouncer and Asra at tables, while Muriel put himself through community college on a scholarship for biochemistry and environmental science. Asra eventually achieved underground success as a DJ, and after getting his degree, Muriel moved to working full-time on their property to transform it into sustainable living research.

Asra started doing magic shows at kid's parties as a favor for a friend, and found that the pay was better than expected and the event was plenty of fun. Now they DJ and magic on their own schedule and rent a studio apartment in the city to save themself the commute.

The property Muriel works from is still owned by both of them, and between the royalties from Asra's mixes, the rapidly accumulated value of the compound Muriel's built, and Muriel's ongoing research, the two of them live comfortably at their own paces. They both keep in touch with MC, though Muriel much less frequently so because he's so hard to reach. Asra's highschool crush on them never disappeared and he often uses his unusual schedule to avoid them for a month or two, because he's in denial about it being more than a crush and he's terrified of losing half of the closest thing he has to family.

Asra and Julian knew of each other from kid's parties they both attended (Asra as the magic show, and Julian as the pediatrician who the kid considers a dear friend), but officially met when Nadia hired both of them after Lucio's arson and fake death stunt. She needed to investigate the circumstances of Lucio's death, which needed Asra as an inside informant on general behaviors in the club and Julian's opinion as an expert in crime-related injuries from his previous stint in forensic medicine. Julian developed a habit of stopping by for drinks after a long shift and the two had a brief friends-with-benefits situationship while the investigation was ongoing. They ghosted each other to focus on their personal lives when it wrapped up, and Nadia (who had become a dear mutual friend) was too busy juggling being mayor and managing Lucio's business to keep in touch.

During the last week of the investigation, an abandoned warehouse right next to the arson scene blew up when a forgotten pile of explosives triggered several weeks late due to Lucio's sloppy planning. Asra, Nadia, and Julian were right next to it when it happened, and would later find out that MC, Muriel, and Lucio were all nearby for their own reasons as well. While several of them sustained severe concussive injuries which messed with their memories, MC took the worst of the blast and ended up in the hospital in a comatose state.

Asra blamed themself for it because they'd been going through a period of trying to (and failing) to forget about them (again) and found out that MC had texted them their location after they thought they spotted Lucio and decided to follow him. He had a bit of a wake-up call watching them in a near-death state in the hospital and realizing that he was the only listed next of kin. They took on the role of MC's caretaker for the long recovery process, moving them into their flat, and eventually helping them take over their aunt's old shop for a steady source of income and independence.

Portia and Nadia met when Portia quit her Home Depot job to work in the mayor's office. A visiting constituent was so impressed with her efficiency and people skills that they suggested she apply to a recently-opened secretarial position. Portia took it for the pay increase and did her job so competently she rapidly rose to her current position as Nadia's personal assistant. Nadia has slowly become aware of Portia's interest in veterinary work and, without Portia's knowledge, is planning to add a new benefit to her position that lets her work part-time and go to school fully funded.

All's well, until the city's mayor comes knocking on a neighborhood shop's door after hours because Lucio's been spotted meeting up with Valerius, an ongoing business partner, and MC was a forgotten key witness ...

[superiorsturgeon]

hey I just saw your big post on why you like sturgeon and was wondering if you could touch a bit more on the ways you got started in your career/studies involving these fish, specifically if you have any tips and/or advice for someone hoping to pursue a career in the study of these cool guys (funky gar for your time)

Your offering pleases me.

First of all, I put a lot of thought into writing this to help anyone interested in working in my field, so it took me a while to respond to this ask. Sorry it took so long, but I hope it’s helpful!

I got into fish/biology because it was one of two things I really enjoyed learning about in school, and it seemed to be the more solid choice as far as a career (the other being music). Now, I was raised in the US, so most of my advice will be in dealing with grease-slathered American education and workplace experiences. I’m EXTREMELY bitter about certain facets of the system that I discovered the hard way, but I’ll try to stay focused here and I don’t want to discourage anyone!

Getting started…

Assuming you’re interested in actually studying fish like sturgeon, you’re probably going to want a degree of some kind. Now, most colleges these days are happy to take anyone who will pay tuition, but you definitely don’t want just any college! Some universities don’t have big biology programs, and some that do are focused more on pre-med tracks than on studying nature (my undergrad program had me in the basement a lot of the time). What you want is a program that will actually give you skills you’ll need for a job, such as electroshocking, designing/implementing experiments, counting fin ray/otolith rings, and other practical skills. You’re going to be paying a lot of money for this paper no matter where you get it, so you’ll want to do some research to get the maximum value!

The best way to go about choosing a program is to research the professors studying what you are interested in. Find a school, look up something like “fisheries” or “fish biology,” and you should be able to find info on the people actually involved, along with their CVs (curriculum vitae, basically an academic resume). This will tell you what their research focus is, as well as their professional specialties.

When something catches your eye, email them! If they’re any good at their job, they will be happy to tell you about the program, their own lab, and what skills you can learn at that university. Once you’re actually enrolled, you’ll be assigned an Academic Advisor, a professor whose job is to answer these questions. It’s very important to get in the habit of reaching out to professors at college, both in person and by email to ask questions like these. Tell them what your goals are and ask what courses you need, if there are any opportunities to volunteer in labs outside of classes, what workshops are available, etc, because these will help set you apart from the slobbering masses who just fulfilled the minimum requirements to graduate.

Paying for college…

You’ve probably heard that the cost of college in the US is outrageous these days, and studying fish definitely does NOT pay a lot, but there are a few ways to reduce the cost! Once you’ve found a university with a program that meets your needs, see how many basic courses/credits you can get out of the way at small community colleges, if possible while still living at home (on-site housing and food courts are marked up a lot, and many four-year colleges insist on living there at least two years). Remember how I recommended that you reach out to professors to choose a program? Do it again at community colleges near you or your chosen school and ask which credits can be transferred. It’s a common practice so they almost certainly have some procedures in place.

Second, never pass up a chance to apply for grants, scholarships, etc, any money that you don’t have to pay back, even if you BARELY qualify. Many of these cost nothing to apply besides your time, and it’s surprisingly easy to get approved! There are apps available that will give you a list of scholarships applicable to your degree, and your professors should also be able to help you find more possibilities. Seriously, apply to every grant/scholarship you can, because the worst that can happen is that you don’t get it. I myself received a grant from Trout Unlimited that caught me completely off-guard because I wasn’t even studying trout, but I wrote an essay and applied anyway! If your school has a writing lab, take your applications to them for proofreading! (Side note, being able to write grant applications is actually a valuable job skill for professionals doing science, so take the opportunity to learn!)

Developing marketable skills…

I touched on useful skills above, but I’m going to go into more depth. In theory, colleges are supposed to teach you what you need in the expensive courses they offer, but I can tell you that some colleges are happy to just get “butts in seats” and award diplomas for the bare minimum. It’s scummy, but it happens, so I recommend that you take some steps to make sure you get real-world skills, because basic biology lectures won’t impress recruiters after you’ve graduated.

The exact skills you want depend on whether you’re looking to be outside or in the lab, but my advice is to get as many as you can. Competition for jobs like mine can be fierce, so it never hurts to add more to your resume! Employers will look for things like the ability to drive/back up trailers, welding, using statistics software like R, determining fish age, operating boats, pipetting, basic electrical repair, plumbing, and electroshocking, to name a few. I had a master’s degree when I applied to a previous job, but my boss told me what really caught his eye was that I had experience fixing my own car and a little bit of construction. Some things like measuring/weighing fish accurately are easy to learn on the job, but just like anywhere else employers want to get new hires up to speed as fast as possible, so they’ll be pleased to see that you volunteered to collect data for someone’s graduate research or attended a weekend workshop learning to sample fish in a nearby river. If you find a good school program you’ll learn things like this, but it’s a good idea to ask your professors if there are any extra opportunities to pick up skills!

In addition to what you learn through the school, you can also pick up a few things on your own! The internet has become swamped with targeted ads and bullshit, but you can still find videos demonstrating things like basic engine maintenance, plumbing, electronics, etc (of course, make sure you’re being safe when researching that last one). If you have a relative with a trailer, see if they’ll teach you how to back it up safely in a parking lot! If your school has a statistics professor, find out when they have office hours and ask them for advice learning to use R!

Continuing your education…

After I got my bachelor’s degree, I decided to go back for a master’s degree, which a lot of research types decide to do. One thing I wasn’t told about until it was almost too late was how to actually get into grad school; the person who explained it to me called a simple application the “kiss of death,” unless you had a one-in-a-million rockstar GPA. You’ll have to seek out and take something called a GRE test (basically ACT/SAT for grad school), and then reach out to professors whose research/interests are close to your own and ask if they’ll take you on as a grad student. They’ll often want to interview you like you’re applying for a job (which is basically what grad school is), and they’ll often want you to apply for funding or a teaching assistantship to pay your tuition and living expenses. A teaching assistant usually does basic teaching at a university like Biology 101 labs or other grunt work, but in exchange, you get teaching experience, paid tuition, and usually a small stipend (I taught 3 labs and got about $1000/month, so it’s not exactly lucrative).

Grad school itself can be fun if you’re a real academic who loves learning. You’ll be taking a few very high-level courses, and also running a research project of your own. Remember that professor who interviewed you earlier? You’re going to be working as a researcher under their supervision, from designing a project to collecting data to writing a peer-reviewed thesis. It’s a lot of work, but it’s good training for doing science professionally! (This is why it’s good to get some practice doing/helping with projects as an undergrad).

Here’s a few tips for grad school. First, NEVER miss a chance to apply for funding! Your project will probably require some $ for materials, and I’ve seen everything from Trout Unlimited grants to a roommate who set up a successful crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe to study wolves. Grad school is also much more like a job than school; it’ll be your responsibility to plan the stages of your project around your other obligations, coordinating with your advising committee, writing and rewriting a scientific paper, and possibly organizing a crew of volunteers to help with your project. Your advisor is there to help you, so don’t be shy about asking questions and scheduling meetings.

A few helpful tips for your graduate thesis: first, you’re going to be reading a lot of scientific literature so buckle in and get used to it, because it’ll both give you the information you need to draw conclusions and show you how publications are supposed to be written. You’ll be making use of Google Scholar to look up published research papers, but you’re not going to be able to access all of them beyond the author and the abstract (a quick summary of the article), which can be limiting. Either make use of a website that allows you to get around paywalls (eg Sci Hub), or use the information in the abstract to seek out and email the author of a paper directly (the authors of those publications don’t see any of the money from journal subscriptions, so they’re usually happy to give you a copy)! I’ve done this many times and never been turned down. In addition, you’re going to have PAGES of cited sources (I had a relatively short thesis and I had three pages)! Rather than suffer through the ordeal of doing it by hand, look up and download one of these two programs: Zotero or Mendeley. These programs will pull information from a scholarly paper you want to cite, catalog it for quick reference, and come with a plug-in function for Microsoft Word that will insert the citation and compile a Works Cited/Bibliography section in whatever format you choose. Be warned, sometimes the program gets confused and you’ll have to manually fix what it spits out, so make sure you proofread carefully!

After graduating…

Now, everything up to this point has had to do with getting an education before applying for a job. I was offered a PhD spot after presenting my research, but turned it down at the time to enter the workforce because my primary focus was on fisheries management. Certain areas of study expect you to continue in academia, while in other fields a PhD can actually limit you. Ask your advisor what’s right for you. Remember all those job skills I recommended earlier? Here’s where you’re going to want them.

Unfortunately for everyone, there’s a lot of competition for the decent jobs in fish research. It’s kind of like teaching, in that the people who stick with it tend to be passionate about their work, and that sometimes leads to being exploited. A LOT of government jobs expect people to spend time doing temporary work or seasonal work before they’re eligible for a full-time job that pays the bills. “But Supersiorsturgeon!” you may say, “What’s the point of getting an expensive degree if I have to spend years working part-time to get a job that pays enough to live on?”

The tl;dr of the whole situation is that colleges will take your money whether it’s worth it or not, and there are more passionate fish people than there are jobs, so employers can afford to make us jump through hoops. Unless you’re very lucky, the best advice I can offer is to minimize the amount of bullcrap you need to tolerate by getting as much experience/skill as you can while you’re still in school and MAKE it worth your money. In addition, a lot of those seasonal gigs in hatcheries, lamprey control, etc can be scheduled in summer around classes, so with some care, you can do your time while still in school! Talk to your advisor about building your resume, and try to develop connections whenever you get a chance.

Searching for jobs…

When it comes to finding jobs after you graduate, you’ll probably have to look online unless you’re lucky enough to already know staff at a research facility or hatchery. While these jobs do occasionally pop up on Ziprecruiter, Indeed, or Craigslist, you’ll find much better options on state websites for state/province Natural Resources departments (usually accessed through the state government website), the federal Fish and Wildlife Service job board, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) job board, and the Texas A&M job board. At time of writing, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest states seem to have the most work available for Americans, but by no means are they the only places hiring!

Be prepared to send out a lot, and I mean a LOT, of applications before you get an interview. I wasn’t kidding before when I said that competition can be tough, and the application process can be longer and more frustrating than some of these jobs deserve (No joke, I’ve applied to entry-level and seasonal jobs that demanded long-answer writing assignments or proctored standardized tests, in addition to resumes, transcripts, and cover letters. Government jobs are especially prone to this.). I’ve missed out on interviews for positions for which I was definitely overqualified because one or two minuscule details in my essay didn’t perfectly match my undergraduate transcript from eight years before. I’ve applied to jobs in other locations, only to find out later that the hiring agency had a secret policy of hiring only residents of that state. It can be extremely frustrating and discouraging, and unless you managed to develop some contacts with the department beforehand, you’ll have to apply to a lot of jobs, often in various locations across the country. To make the process easier, request electronic pdf copies of your transcripts and save them along with a base resume in your computer. Read the job descriptions carefully and tweak your resume/cover letter to what they’re looking for. Make careful note of the closing time/date for applications, and keep in mind that they may be for a specific time zone (I missed out on one dream job because I was in Pacific time and didn’t notice the deadline was for Eastern). When you DO get an interview, try to fill up the time allotted with your qualifications while still answering every question they ask (I know of several states who consider it a dealbreaker if you can’t do this). When you are allowed to ask questions of your own, don’t hold back. Ask what a typical day at work looks like, what the hours are, is there paid training, is there a union, etc! It shows that you’re seriously interested in that job and that you’ll take the job seriously if you’re hired. And if you’re applying for government jobs, expect them to take a while to respond.

On the job…

And finally, there are a handful of things you should be prepared for once you’re actually working in the field!

The first thing is that you will be counting. Like, a LOT. When you’re dealing with eggs, baby fish, etc the most efficient way to track their size and inventory is to take a handful of fish, measure their volume or weight, then count how many fish per gram/milliliter, etc to get an average size. Once you’ve got the average weight/volume, you can use that number to estimate total numbers without having to count out 10,000 tiny fish one at a time (better brush up on your algebra too!). Now, counting sounds straightforward, but when you’re taking a bunch of counts in a row your mind will eventually wander, and you’ll eventually find yourself thinking “wait, was that 49 or 59?” For my own peace of mind, I went online and bought something called a lap counter, which simply counts every time you press a button. You might miss one or two fish, but you’ll never completely lose your place!

Second, sooner or later you’ll have to deal with dead fish, or possibly euthanize them yourself. Especially in big hatcheries or aquaculture farms, you may have to deal with literal tons of dead fish. My old boss claimed that “you’re not a real fish tech until you’ve killed a tank of fish,” as a way of philosophizing the inevitability of making mistakes, but no matter how well you handle it someone will have to remove them from the tank or possibly finish them off. It’s never fun, but if you want to work with fish as a career, you have to accept the fact that you can’t save all of them, no matter how hard you try. Some people simply can’t handle that, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Conversely, some people get way too into killing fish, and I recommend they find a career path that doesn’t involve dealing with animals and talk to a therapist.

Thirdly, fish are animals and they don’t know or care what our schedule might be. Most jobs dealing with animals require work outside of the traditional capitalist 40-hour workweek, such as on weekends, late at night, and on holidays. Good organizations have rotating schedules to cover weekends and spread on-call time around fairly to make sure the fish are cared for, but sometimes things like nighttime spawning, larval drifts, or facility emergencies are all-hands-on deck events. Be prepared for these, but at the same time make sure you don’t burn yourself out by volunteering for constant overtime.

Finally, you’re going to get wet. And hot. And cold. If you’re working for any kind of decent organization, they’ll have rain gear or waders available, but you can’t always count on high quality or perfect fit for every possible body shape. Furthermore, anyone who does a lot of fishing will tell you that it’s not a matter of IF you’ll fall in the water/pop a leak, but WHEN. I had a supervisor who went through at least six cell phones in two years because he was constantly getting wet in the tanks. Working with big, powerful fish or moving water? Be prepared to get soaked by a big tail sweep or lose your footing on an uneven bottom! Not even planning to stand in the tank with the fish? You’ve gotta get them out somehow, and that means sticking your hands in the water or handling wet nets.

My advice? Accept that it will happen and take precautions! If you can, leave your phone and wallet somewhere safe, but if you can’t, then buy certified waterproof bags and don’t trust the pockets in waders or rain jackets to stay leak-proof! If you’re working in the cold, pack some synthetic or wool base layers, mid layers, and wool socks to stay warm if you get wet. Avoid cotton in the cold, it’ll hold moisture and suck the heat right out of your body. For hot weather, make sure you have plenty of water, sunblock, and possibly a sun hat to avoid heat stroke! And don’t forget bug spray, because fish live in water, and in a lot of places water means mosquitoes! Finally, don’t leave your waders or jacket outside overnight, because sooner or later you’ll find them full of rainwater.

One further tip regarding waders: when your waders inevitably spring a leak, you can often patch them! Plenty of waders are sold with patch kits included, but to increase your odds of success you should try filling your waders with water to locate any pinholes and dry/clean the area inside and out with alcohol. If you don’t have a repair kit, I’ve had great success a product called Shoe Goo, which is often available at hardware stores or Walmart.

If you have to/want to get clothing of your own, here are my favorites:

For footwear, I like Red Wing shoes and Xtratuf boots. Red Wing seems to be one of the few companies that still makes products that last, and they can often replace boot soles as they wear out, meaning a set of footwear can often last for years. Xtratuf boots are my choice for rubber footwear with a 1-year warranty, and even though people will tell you that they used to be higher quality before their manufacturing was sent overseas, they’re still very popular in Alaskan fish hatcheries. I’ve heard that the insulated boots are extremely well-insulated, to the point that people I’ve met from Alaska prefer to wear uninsulated boots with thick wool socks.

When it comes to wet weather, I’ve had my best luck with Grundens and Helly Hansen jackets and bib overalls. Their jackets come in both pull-over and full-zip with neoprene or elastic cuffs to keep out rain. They’re both great quality, and I once knew a guy who used his HH jacket for ten years, long after everyone else’s gear wore out. In cold/wet conditions I liked to pair a good jacket with either neoprene diving gloves (for sticking my hands underwater) or Showa 282 insulated gloves (for when I want to stay dry).

Like everyone else who works outdoors, a lot of fish people like Carhartt work wear. I personally think that some of their products have declined in quality over the years (I was gifted a Rain Defender vest that was both NOT waterproof and had pockets separating at the seams after a couple months), but I still have/use the first Carhartt jacket I ever purchased, so it seems that the garments made with thick cotton duck material hold up well.

Summary…

Find a good college program

Email your professors/advisors with questions about developing good job skills

Try to get as much college as possible at cheaper community colleges

Apply to every grant/scholarship you can

Seek out job skills like plumbing, stats, lab skills, driving trailers, etc both in and outside of the classroom (ask your advisors or look at job postings for the skills you want)

Get experience doing research as an undergraduate if you can (ask your advisor!)

Consider grad school if you want to get deeper into research

Learn to read scientific literature on Google Scholar

Use Zotero or Mendeley to make citations in your writing

Look for seasonal jobs in the field while still in school and cultivate relationships with potential employers

Search for jobs on Texas A&M, AFS, Fish And Wildlife Service, and state/provincial government agency websites

Apply to a lot of jobs

Get a lap counter and practice algebra for calculating averages

Be prepared to deal with dead/dying fish

Be prepared for late night, weekend, and holiday work

Be prepared for inclement weather conditions and especially getting wet

I hope this all helps. I’m by no means an expert in navigating finances, politics, etc, but I tried to lay out as much as possible here to help you avoid the many pitfalls I plowed into headfirst. Fish research is rewarding, but not particularly lucrative, so it calls for people who are truly passionate about fish. If you’ve got questions about anything I wrote above, I’ll try my best to answer them!

Best of luck out there!

[blorbologist]

Hello! I don't know if this is strange to ask but I feel safe asking you, (if this is invasive don't worry about answering at all)

How did you get into biology? was it always your dream? was the courses and school worth it? did you do very well biology and math wise in highschool? how often do you use math in your field?

- Someone considering the biologist field

Hi there anon!

I'm so sorry this is so late - I've had a busy month both due to my personal life, fandom and academics. I'll try my best to answer, and I'm really flattered you asked me ;;

Now, full disclaimer: I'm working on my Master's thesis. I currently intend on pursuing a PhD and remaining in academia, but who knows what will happen. Maybe I get the offer of a lifetime and work as the behaviorist for a zoo! Or maybe I find happiness in a workplace only tangentially associated with biology. So there are a lot of unknowns I can't answer. But I can answer what you've got so far!

Getting into biology was not too different, at least initially, from most STEM: it meant a lot of chemistry, and physics, and high-level math. Come CEGEP and then Uni (French-Canadian education system, eh?), I continued to be funneled down the STEM pipeline, at least initially, which meant competition was very intense with pre-med, neuroscience and the likes. By my second year of uni (third for most), though, I was able to start taking the really BIO-oriented classes, and from there started scouting out profs whose class and research focuses I enjoyed for a potential research project. Doing a research project in your last year (or sooner! I was just set back by COVID) is an incredible foot in the door; it showed me what science is like in the day-to-day, introduced me to many seminars to Zoom in on and which publications to watch, and of course was a massive networking boon by getting to be in touch with the head of my lab + grad students directly. It's also a good test run as to if this is for you. From there, it's reaching out to potential labs (before grant deadlines! Start looking NOW if you're graduating this academic year!). Look at the PI's recent publications, their lab's website, what direction they are taking their research into, where you're willing to go / how far you're willing to deviate from your goal research. Have a project or two in mind. In my case I talked to two labs - one initially did not have space and referred me to others in their field I might like, and one of their suggestions I talked to had too many students to take me on. Lo and behold, my OG first pick ended up having a spot - an interview later, plus some meetings with the current grads so I could ask what the lab was like, and I'm writing this instead of making sure my data is tidy before sending it to my PI :P

TBH, it was a lifelong interest with the critters around me. I grew up in rural Quebec and so had a lot of opportunities to go outside and Find Things. My brother and I would trudge out to the pond to catch frogs and minnows and - if we were super lucky! - garter snakes or snapping turtles. But it was also the weird emerald green bugs that'd bite us, or watching wasps build a nest, and seeing how waterstriders dance. Our parents fostered a lot of that interest; my dad always encouraged us to always put animals back where we found them, to not hurt plants, to be mindful of the living space. And I do appreciate my mom swallowing her disgust at the nth Animal Planet documentary with animals dying graphically pft. Steve Irwin was an idol to kid me, though now I'd quibble with how he would interact with wild animals and stress them out, I cannot understate how many people my age he got to really get fascinated by so many creatures. I'd credit my interest in dinosaurs for a lot of this too, because wow, the world has selected for some mighty cool animals over time! How did they interact? What could select for traits that extreme? Or, inversely, what makes them stick around?

Sidebar, but a moment that sticks out to me is when my brother and I stumbled on a host of the local garter snakes leaving a brumation hide (and probably a mating ball). We caught twelve of them, including regulars we recognized. It's what got me thinking about snake behavior, about their social lives, about if they remember who they spent a good third of the year with in a tiny cramped crevice by the stream.

See, the courses initially sucked: either because I was taking chem and physics prerequisites instead of getting to do dissections and look under a microscope, or because I was in a high-stress environment decided to try and weed out potential doctors and neuroscientists and pharmacists while I just wanted to study animal behavior (and neurobiology). So those first years were really hard - but finding joy to appreciate what I was learning here and there definitely helped a lot, and I appreciate the work ethic I developed as well. Once I got into the more specialized courses things really relaxed - still a lot of learning and refining my skills, but there was less of a selection pressure on students and the professors had smaller, more interested classes, so it all went far better. I remember those ones fondly <3

I did very well in math - I didn't get any biology classes in secondary school (again, STEM prerequisites), but I can tell you that chemistry kicked my ass and physics would sometimes throw me curveballs. And the only class I've ever failed was Calculus 2 in CEGEP :p

I work specifically with animal behavior research - so it's less about math and more understanding the biology and behavior of my animals and making sure I remain consistent with experiments, accounting for as many potential factors as possible. However, math does come up. Sometimes you're TAing for a course and need to dose rats with caffeine; sometimes you're making snake oil at a specific concentration; sometimes you're preparing solutions for a perfusion. However, at least in my area, it's mostly low-level math - and in the lab I did my undergrad research in, I can confirm it took myself and two grad students to figure out some pretty simple equations together, but we got through it XD Outside of the lab context, you will be using a lot of stats to back up your findings - so brush up on those, and be ready to ask for help if needed. OFC more technically finite research than 'put snake in arena see what it do' will require more math than me, but being a bit weaker at it isn't a career-ender. Just be ready to ask labmates for help and be ready to learn.

HOWEVER, I will note that one thing that really helped me get my foot in the door was coding. Take a coding class or two - the field is leaning heavily towards automating what it can and/or using automated learning algorithms to back up findings ('look, even a machine can detect these differences and classify X Y Z based on them with high accuracy!'). At least a basic grasp of a couple coding languages is essential going forward, and from what I can tell most labs are really expecting this from their grad students.

Hopefully you see this, and hopefully it's of some help in deciding what path you want to take! Or maybe it'll help someone else - regardless, wishing you the best! <3

[whentherewerebicycles]

good morning (photo is actually sunset yesterday though). I am very bloated and slightly cranky about having to spend all day on campus on a friday, but what can you do.

7:50-9 shower/get ready

9ish leave for campus (pack lunch thank god I cooked last night thanks past jes)

9:30-10 prep for workshop

10-12 workshop

12-12:30 advising appt

12:30-4 no meetings but since I’m at the office I have to be mostly upright even though all I wanna do is be unconscious in bed. gotta spend this time rapidly finishing the premed panel slides eek I have left this to the very very very last minute

4-6 panel

drive home zzzzz

ok what do I need for the premed slides…

intro & services we provide

basic definition of research

types of medical research (lol I am bullshitting what do I know but prob good for them to know clinical, experimental/lab-based/bench research, translational, community-based, uhh, can cut if we don’t have time)

when to start/best time to do research

skills gained through research (maybe I can make this a wordcloud or something) + value of research for med school

types of opportunities available to them… summer, academic year, course-based, etc. (emphasize that all but course-based are paid)

highlight examples of faculty-mentored… maybe CBPR public health project, wound care, downtown labs)

highlight a couple summer programs (REUs, pre-health professional skills, pain research, injury prevention)

overview of databases slide (add links)

tips for contacting faculty (template)

link to advising + reminder of services (and expand a little more here on how we can help them navigate the application process)

[tc-global]

Thinking of Studying in Australia After 12th? Here’s What You Need to Know!

Australia is an ideal destination for Indian students after 12th grade, known for its high-quality education, advanced infrastructure, and multicultural society. With globally recognized programs, excellent facilities, and a strong focus on research and innovation, studying in Australia offers a foundation for a bright career.

Here’s what you need to know about top courses, eligibility requirements, and more for studying in Australia after 12th.

Why Study in Australia After the 12th?

Studying in Australia gives students access to prestigious universities, diverse courses, and globally valued degrees. Australia’s welcoming environment and numerous scholarships for international students make it an attractive choice. With various post-study work opportunities, students have a chance to build international careers after their studies.

Top Courses in Australia After 12th

Students from diverse backgrounds will find a wide range of undergraduate programs to suit their interests and career goals. Popular fields include:

Business & Management: Includes courses in finance, international business, and entrepreneurship.

Engineering & Technology: Offers mechanical, civil, software, and biomedical engineering options.

Medicine & Health Sciences: Includes nursing, public health, and pre-med programs.

Information Technology (IT): Covers data science, AI, and cybersecurity.

Environmental Science: Ideal for students interested in sustainability and ecology.

These programs provide practical training, helping students gain industry-relevant skills and enhancing their employability.

Eligibility Requirements

To study in Australia after 12th, students generally need:

Academic Qualifications: Minimum of 60-70% in the 12th standard (specific requirements vary by university).

English Proficiency: IELTS (6.0-6.5 overall), TOEFL, or PTE scores are commonly accepted.

Documents: Include a valid passport, academic transcripts, Statement of Purpose (SOP), Letters of Recommendation (LOR), and proof of finances.

Costs and Scholarships

Tuition fees for undergraduate programs vary, typically ranging from AUD 20,000 to AUD 45,000 annually. Living expenses can range from AUD 10,000 to 20,000 per year. However, many universities offer scholarships to help reduce costs. Indian students can apply for scholarships such as the Australia Awards, University-specific scholarships, and Endeavour Scholarships.

Your Pathway with TC Global - The Chopras

Join us for expert guidance through every step of your application journey to study in Australia after 12th grade. TC Global—The Chopras provide personalized support for university selection, application processes, visa requirements, and scholarships, making your dream of studying in Australia a reality!

[sudheervanguri]

Johnson & Johnson Summer Internship Program 2025 Are you ready to jumpstart your career in the pharmaceutical industry? The Johnson & Johnson Summer Internship Program 2025 offers a 12-week immersive experience for aspiring researchers and scientists passionate about drug discovery and development. Set in Johnson & Johnson’s innovative oncology and immunology divisions, this program takes place from mid-May to mid-August in various locations, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts. Both undergraduate and graduate students in relevant science programs are encouraged to apply. About the Johnson & Johnson Summer Internship Program The 2025 Johnson & Johnson Summer Internship offers a valuable opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in clinical research, drug development, and translational medicine. This program is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, with specialized focus areas such as oncology and immunology. This paid internship will involve a blend of on-site and hybrid work settings, allowing students to collaborate with industry professionals on projects that contribute directly to advancements in health sciences. Key Activities and Responsibilities Participants in the Johnson & Johnson Summer Internship Program 2025 will engage in a variety of activities that foster both personal and professional growth, including: 12-Week Full-Time Internship (40 hours per week) with real-world projects in clinical research, discovery, and global medical safety. Bench to Bedside Lecture Series, providing insights into the drug development process from laboratory research to patient care. Project Presentations at an intern-led research symposium, where students can showcase their contributions and findings. One-on-One Mentorship and Senior Leadership Engagement, offering direct guidance from experienced professionals in the field. Networking and Team-Building Opportunities through coffee chats and collaborative events. [caption id="attachment_108690" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Johnson & Johnson Summer Internship Program 2025[/caption] Eligibility and Qualifications To be considered for this internship, candidates must meet the following criteria: Current Enrollment: Must be enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program. Undergraduate Students: Completion of at least four semesters. Graduate Students: Pursuing a Master’s, PharmD, or PhD in relevant fields. Fields of Study: Majors in biology, cell/molecular biology, chemistry, pre-med, nursing, public health, biochemistry, oncology, immunology, or similar fields. GPA Requirement: Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 across all coursework. Work Authorization: Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without needing sponsorship. Skills and Attributes: Enthusiastic, collaborative, excellent communication and presentation skills, and a genuine interest in clinical research and pharmaceutical development. How to Apply for the Johnson & Johnson Summer Internship Program 2025 Interested candidates can apply directly by visiting the Johnson & Johnson internship portal. The application process requires submitting your resume, academic transcripts, and a brief personal statement. For inquiries or further information, contact the internship team at oncoimmunointernshipprogram@its.jnj.com. Apply Here

[madr-production-582]

Blog #7

Hello and welcome back to my production blog for MED 582. Today's post will be focusing on question regarding investing( in yourself, in you film, in stocks, etc.) and investors (the people who give you money).

Part 1

What are three different ways you can de-risk your project for investors? Briefly explain each.

Tax Incentives/Rebates

By showing that you have explored and accepted any and all tax incentives/rebates your film is eligible for, you show investors that you have done all the research needed to save the production as much money as possible. It shows that you are committed to productions finances and, in turn, the investors finances.

The power of genre. Low budget films need to be genre specific.

By having a simple/defined genre for your low-budget film, you are able to show investors how well this genre does and equate that success to the success your film will have. Also by having a specific genre you are able to more clearly define who will be interested in your film (your audience) and how you will market the film to them. This can also applies to when you will market your film to talent, crew, and studios.

The power of talent. 

By securing noteworthy/powerful talent for you film you are able to show investor what other successful films this actor has been in, what viewers this actor will draw in, and what marketing can be done with this actor. By having big name actors you show investors that your talent “already works”, meaning they don't have to worry about the risk of up-start actors not being good/not drawing in as much attention as a pre-established actor.

Part 2

What is a top sheet?

A top sheet is the first page of a detailed budget. It provides a snapshot of the overall production budget broken down into sections such as above-the-line, below-the-line, transportation, insurance, etc. It just provides the basic, rounded expenses for each section, with more detailed individual-expenditures located beyond the top-sheet in the actual budget.

Part 3

Explain why ‘every time you let an investor on set or near the production office, it’s going to cost you heaps of time.’

When you let an investor on set or near the production office, you can expect them to ask lots of questions, to ask to see lots of things (actors, sets, paperwork, etc.), to ask to be apart of the production, etc. - and all of that takes time away from the actual production of film. Also investors might ask for things on the set to change things one set/in the office and (regardless if the change is good or bad) changes add time to the production.

Part 4

What is the difference between an internship and an externship?

An internship is a learning experience that offers a student practical work in a specific field or career. Internships give a students the opportunity to to learn new skills in a real-world setting and develop their careers before they graduate. They can last anywhere from one week to several months.

An externship on the other hand is more like job shadowing, where students have brief learning experiences ( a day to a week) following a specific career of role. Externships allow students to see a job’s day-to-day workload and responsibilities and see if they are a good fit for them.

Part 5

What is a cooperative aka ‘co-op?’

A co-op is a three-way partnership between a student, an employer, and a college. Co-ops allow students to gain work experience and training while also earning college credits. Many colleges partner with employers to provide career-related opportunities and allow students work in jobs that relate to their majors. The main difference between an internship and a co-op experience is the length of time. While internships generally last a few weeks to several months, co-op’s normally last one or more years.

Part 6

What is the difference between registration with the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and registration for copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office to enforce your rights?

WGA registration protects your script/idea for five years. It is not a legally binding copyright like the U.S. Copyright Office can give you, it is more used as an additionsla form of registration as in event of a lawsuit the WGA will be able to show when you registered the script/idea and what was included.

Copyrighting with the U.S. Copyright Office on the other hand is a legally binding ownership of an idea/work. This allows you to own and protect the specific details of your script. Copyright registration lasts for the authors entire life plus 70 years. so that's a little more than the five the WGA can guarantee.

Part 7

What is the objective of a general information meeting?

A general information meeting allows you to someone’s profession and network.. It also allows you First it is helpful to to build a rapport with the person and find out more about their background/current job.

[zackim]

Application Experiences

From what I can remember the first job I ever applied to was a caregiving position back in high school. This program was a government-funded service called In Home Supportive Services (IHSS). I remember this process being pretty simple as caregivers, around Pasadena especially, were in high demand. The application consisted of questions such as “Why do you want to become a caregiver?” or “What experiences have you had working with older adults?”. Already being an informal caregiver for my grandparents, I felt like this job was up my alley. The pay was good (for a high schooler), I didn't have to work full time, and I was working locally.

However, coming to USC, it was hard to keep working as a caregiver while focusing on my studies. I decided to leave and focus on building my experiences aligning with the pre-med track. That is to look for research positions, shadowing opportunities, and internships. In terms of applying to research, I remember cold emailing many professors around Dornsife and Gerontology. After a couple months of ghosted emails, a GERO professor, whom I was very close to, recommended me a research position at an Alzheimer's lab. I applied as soon as possible and was admitted. As for internships, I heard about a case managing position at a family-owned company in West Covina. When applying I had to answer questions such as “Why us?” or “What can you contribute to our group?”. To me, these are the hardest questions to answer. I had plenty of experiences working with older adults, but it was hard for me to express them through writing. Luckily I was offered an interview where I gave them my spiel of my life experiences and knowledge on this topic of service to older adults. 

The process of applying to jobs, or any demanded position, is not easy. You just gotta keep on trying until you get what you're looking for. 

-Zacki

[eliteprepsat]

The LEAD: Research Proposal Program is a great opportunity to learn and develop your research skills in preparation for college. Students will meet with Elite’s expert instructor, Dr. Jeenah Clattenburg, to learn about Pre-Med research methods and to develop their own research proposals. Interested in a career in science or medicine but have no experience in those fields? Through this program, you’ll be able to research a topic specifically related to your college major selection, demonstrate your intellectual curiosity, and express interest in your field of study.

Online classes

📅 February 12 – April 5, 2024

Mondays @ 6:30-8:30 pm PT (for Feb 12-26 Lecture Phase only)

For students in grades 10-12

🔗 Learn more and enroll here.

[nursc]

nurse christine chapel, DNP advanced practice/PhD in the philosophy of nursing, masters in biochemistry and epigenetics.

since season two wrapped up, i thought it might be nice to update my education headcanon for christine based on what we got on episode eight about her background + some research i've done about nurses.

some information to keep in mind, and which i used to build this:

christine develops her own research, independent of m'benga ( pilot, ghosts of illyria, charades );

she can prescribe medication ( lost in translation );

she gave up a career on 'bioresearch' to search for her missing fiancee ( what little girls are made of );

she was head nurse at the age of 25 / 26 ( under the cloak of war ); and

she is a civilian at this moment at this time, and probably did not attend starfleet academy.

undergrad + masters in biochemistry (2247 - 2251 )

at the age of seventeen, christine starts college, not sure of who or what she wants to be. quite frankly, she is lost. she passed the test to enter the academy, but choose not to attend, thinking the opportunities here on earth were more interesting, and she did not want to be part of such a regimented organization. during her first two years of college, she accumulated enough credits to major in genetics and biochemistry, and minor in early medieval literature and dance. during the summer break between her sophomore and junior year, a professor invites her to accompany them to a hospital they are going to be working on, as part of an alien exchange program. they were hoping christine would go into pre-med, but instead, she gravitated towards nursing after developing a strong connection with the head nurse of the hospital. at this point, christine was leaning more towards being purely a researcher, but seeing up-close how nurses work in a hospital setting, the importance of the healthcare - patient connection, and that there are various ways she can be a researcher and a nurse changed her mind. when she returns to school, she changes her classes so she can leave her undergrad with a nursing degree. also, armed with a recommendation letter from the head nurse of the hospital, and from various professors, she is invited to participate in a masters acceleration programme. she still finishes her undergrad in four years, with a bachelor's in nursing a masters in biochemistry.

practical experience + doctorate in the philosophy of nursing and DNP (dual degree) (2252 - 2255)

christine accepts a position as a nurse in the hospital connected to the university. she works as a teacher's assistant for an old professor, but focuses most of her attention on her work at the hospital. as a nurse, she flourishes. quick, attentive to a fault, she pays attention to the smallest details and is always in demand. as a researcher, she feels stifled. her position doesn't allow her to conduct herself as independently as she wants, and her options are slightly limited. at first, she considers going for a PhD in the philosophy of nursing, which is a more theoretical degree, which would allow her to develop her abilities as an academic and a researcher. it is a program 'designed to prepare nurse scientists with expertise in clinical-translational research methods to advance the scholarly discipline'. however, when she floats the idea, some of her peers nudge her towards a DNP which is a doctorate program more focused on the clinical aspects of nursing, meant to develop skills for leadership positions — 'many DNP graduates have expanded responsibility and accountability in planning, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based strategies to improve individual patient and population health outcomes.' faced with two choices, christine chooses both. she finds a university offering a dual program and once again works her ass off, trying to merge her passions for science, patient-care and human-connections. i should note, as this is something i mentioned while plotting this out on discord and i think its very important to christine's general character, that while her nursing passion started from a summer program, christine is a big fan of actually enjoying her summers. while she does some courses during those months, it's rare. usually, you can find her at a friend's place, or in the middle of nowhere, exploring.

klingon war (2256 - 2257 )

shortly after she finishes her degree, the klingon war starts. at first, christine is too busy to really notice it. she is interviewing for positions, trying to decide if she is going to accept a position at a university, and stay more closely connected with the academic side of the profession, or work in a hospital and get more practical experience. despite her youth (she is 26), she is already being offered positions as head nurse in smaller hospitals, and in bigger hospitals, the promise of being promoted within five years. as she plans on conducting research that is closely connected to patient-care, she chooses a position in a smaller hospital which is connected to a prestigious university. however, after a while, the klingon war becomes impossible to ignore. it seeps into every aspect of her life: friends from her teenage years, who went into starfleet, are fighting. old school mates from university are signing up to help, and several doctors in the hospital also quit in order to help on the front lines. a request, from a doctor named buck ( just buck ), provides a wake-up call. there are people out there who need her help, and christine can't turn away from people in need. so she takes the job. when she gets there, she is thrust into a position that feels beyond her capabilities. head nurse, of a makeshift hospital on the front lines. it’s a long way from the shining hospitals back on earth. she learns on her feet, though. not one to back away from a challenge, christine rises up, figures it out, and by the end of the month, she’s re-organized buck’s entire system and is working side-by-side with joseph m’benga, the best doctor on the team.

post klingon war, masters in epigenetics (2257 - 2259)

after the war ends, she doesn't immediately go back to earth, briefly serving on the uss ferragut, at the request of starfleet. with so many of their officers dead, they don't have a head nurse available for the ship. she is there for the incident with the dikironium cloud creature. at the end of 2257, her contract with starfleet ends and she accepts a position with the stanford morehouse epigenetic project. she gets a masters in epigenetics as part of her research, and her work on epigenetics and how it can be used to alter outer physical characteristics in order to mimic other species catches starfleet's attention. on 2259, they ask her to once again work with them, this time, on an exploration ship. at this time, she is also pursuing a masters in medieval arthuriana literature.

[openpathsblog]

Tips for Newbies Entering the Cyber Security Industry

Are you looking to enter the cybersecurity industry? If yes, then you have made a good decision. The reality is that the demand for that particular skill is at an all-time high.

Cybercriminals are increasing day by day. The sophistication level of his attacks is mind-boggling. Security experts have to be engaged in providing practical solutions to the customers.

Our article explores some essential tips for beginners in the cybersecurity industry. Let's dive into it.

Start with an understanding of cybersecurity Cyber security involves protecting digital assets from hackers. These include networks, databases, and applications. Its purpose is to ensure the confidentiality, information availability, and integrity of the system. Cyber security is important for everyone in the online space.

It does not matter whether we are talking about it on a personal or corporate level. There are individual/company/industry-specific cybersecurity needs that require expert management.

It provides detailed guidelines for the protection of critical infrastructure. These include personal training, system security management, and recovery plans for cyber systems.

When you start learning about cyber security, get ready to do a lot of reading and research.

Know Core Skills Certain specific skills will give you a foothold in the industry. They include knowledge of:-

Coding and scripting languages such as JavaScript, Python, Shell, and HTML. This will make it easy for you to understand web applications and script development.

Networking systems like LAN, WAN, and VPN.

Configuration and maintenance of computer applications and software

Operating systems such as Windows, iOS, and Linux

preferably, an IT background

Some top security professionals have zero technical backgrounds. A quick glance at his resume reveals a wide range of skills.

You'll find English majors, pre-meds, stay-at-home moms, artists, and more. You don't even need to have a university degree to work in cyber security. One thing they all have in common is that they were willing to learn or had the desire to learn. The second thing you should know is that you don't have to go into the technical field.

There are many opportunities in human-centric fields. It requires you to have critical thinking and attention to detail. The ability to communicate fairly well is also important.

You don't need to wait to graduate high school to go into cyber security. There are free programs like Cyber Start America. It provides an excellent gateway into the industry for those interested.

Decide Your Career Path As we have already indicated, there are many opportunities in cyber security for beginners. It is important to narrow down your focus and choose a career path. Some of the things that will help you decide include:-

Evaluate your skills and interests given your strengths and background.

Check out the options available to you based on your skill set. Some areas include incident response, security engineering, mobile device forensics, and penetration testing. Other areas are security awareness and endpoint security.

Get ready to do a lot of research on your favorite fields. Also, get comfortable with specific terminology like the Internet of Things (IoT).

With the ongoing COVID pandemic, many industry events are going online. It saves you from traveling from one place to another. Scour the internet for such opportunities and sign up as a partner.

Follow industry leaders and other professionals online. Many of them maintain a very strong presence on online platforms. They always have great titbits that can help beginners. Plus, reach out to them with questions or comments.

Check out open-source projects and volunteer for the opportunity to learn.

4. Create a Home Lab You can create a home lab without too much effort. All you need is your computer and you can set up virtual operating systems. The other choice is to go for Cloud on stages like Microsoft Sky blue or Amazon AWS. Put away an opportunity to go through the how-to instructional exercises on Google or even YouTube. All you need to do is type in how to build a home cybersecurity lab and you will get so many ideas.

When you set up a home lab, begin investigating what you include just inside the home. Map the home network and see how different devices or computers interact. To begin, catch traffic from savvy gadgets and unravel the data. Find an opportunity to get the fundamentals just prior to scaling any of the activities. f the projects.

Last Contemplations In any case, considering getting into the online protection industry? In the event that indeed, you ought to dive in. The amazing open doors are ample, contingent upon your area of interest. The best part is that you don't for even a moment need a degree or specialized foundation.

Yet, so, it means a lot to realize that the field can very request. You are managing digital crooks who are exceptionally shrewd. They likewise approach the absolute best assets and advances. It implies they will continue to work on their exchange.

You ought to really buckle down. Stay aware of further developing your insight base to succeed. Be that as it may, the one thing you should rest assured about is weariness won't ever be a figure of your vocation. There will be a lot to keep you occupied and honest.

Good luck with your career!

[xtruss]

Sociology: Where Are The Black Female Doctors? Representation Of Black Women In Medicine Remains Stuck In The 1800s.

— By Kristen French | February 18, 2023

In 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Over the next 20 years, she provided medical care to countless people in the Black community, first helping former slaves in Virginia, and later tending to the sick in her own private practice in Boston. Most of her patients had few other options for access to healthcare. At the age of 52, she published a book of medical advice. It is the only known medical book written by a 19th century Black woman.

But few people have heard of Crumpler—or the stories and contributions of so many other Black female physicians, even those who rose to positions of considerable prominence at universities and government agencies. These women have remained hidden in the folds of history, even to contemporary Black female medical students like Jasmine Brown.

I had never met a Black woman physician.

When Brown began to pursue a pre-med track in college, she realized she had never met a Black female physician nor learned about any in school. So she decided to dedicate a two-year Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford to studying the lives and careers of Black female physicians through interviews and oral history archives. The result is Twice as Hard: The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians from the Civil War to the 21st Century. The title of the book is a reference to an old adage in the Black community: to achieve the same kind of professional success as a white person, a Black person must put in twice the effort. Double it again if she is a woman.

The book profiles nine Black female physicians and their stunning achievements amidst overwhelming obstacles—scarce mentors and financial resources, discrimination in schools, and even for those who graduated at the tops of their classes, few employment opportunities. She also describes the personal, political and scientific events that helped to shape their lives.

SEEING IS BELIEVING: Medical student and Rhodes Scholar Jasmine Brown wrote Twice as Hard to bring the hidden lives and contributions of outstanding Black female physicians to light. Photo courtesy of Jasmine Brown.

While formal rules barring Black women and men from schools and professional institutions have changed, many of the imprints of the centuries of codified oppression remain, even for the country’s best and brightest. Nautilus spoke with Brown, currently a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania, about her experiences and her book, and its connection to the present moment, when racial tensions and violence continue to mount and the Supreme Court is on the eve of a historical decision about the future of affirmative action[1].

How did you choose the women you wrote about?

There are so many incredible Black women physicians throughout history, but I wanted to focus on individual stories and give more depth to the storytelling as opposed to telling a bunch of stories at a really surface level. That narrowed my focus a lot because there’s not that much in the archives. I also wanted to choose women who had lived at different points over the past 150 years, to see how their experiences were changing as society was changing. And I wanted to choose women who had retired so that I could show the full arcs of their careers.

Why was having personal details about the women’s lives, their marriages and children, their emotional struggles, important to you?

I got to interview some of the women myself, but a lot of my research was oral histories that I was able to find in archives of different libraries. Some of it was transcribed, but in other cases, I was able to hear their voices as they spoke about their lives. I felt so privileged to be able to dig into these stories, to get to know these women on a deeper emotional level. I really connected with them, saw my own experience reflected there, and I wanted to share that with others.

In a chapter on Dorothy Ferebee, who later became a medical consultant to the Peace Corps and the U.S. State Department, you describe her teaming up with the four other women in her class at Tufts Medical School in the 1920s, all of them white but of different ethnicities. There was a lot of solidarity between them. They studied together and relied on one another to overcome the neglect of their professors and ultimately rose to the top of their class. But you also write that the kind of cross-racial solidarity that Ferebee enjoyed a century ago doesn’t exist today in the field of medicine. What happened?

The premise of me writing this book was that I had noticed that when people talked about Black physicians, they were primarily talking about Black men, and when they talked about women physicians, it was white women. I share identities with both, but I feel like I’m less forgotten or more seen in the Black spaces in general than in women’s spaces. In school, my allies are more often Black men than they are white women. So I haven’t been super involved in organizations that focus on women’s advancement. I tend to have more involvement in groups that focus on advancing Black people. But I don’t think that all hope is lost. I’m friends with a lot of white women. They recognize the additional challenges I experience as a Black woman, and they try to help support me.

“You’re Only Here Because You’re Black.”

One thing that I found kind of stunning to read was that representation of Black people in medicine has stayed basically the same or, by some measures, even declined over the past century or more. You mention, for instance, that while Black physicians were almost exclusively African Americans before 1960, their numbers fell markedly after that, and today Black physicians are primarily first or second-generation immigrants. You yourself are the only African American woman in your current medical school class of 160 students.

It was really surprising to see how powerful a few policy changes were—that they really affected representation within medicine for decades. In the late 1800s, when Black men and then later Black women started entering medicine, there was this rise in numbers, but then, with the Flexner Report of 1910[2] that recommended the closing of so many schools, including so many Black medical schools, the representation dipped and then it just remained stagnant at that level of around 2 percent for almost a hundred years. It is shocking to see that in the early 2000s, with all the discussion that we have around diversity, these numbers remain the same.

What is the connection between your book and the present political moment, between the history of Black women in medicine, and the intense racial division in the U.S. today, as well as the threat that affirmative action will be overturned by the Supreme Court?

I wonder if after the affirmative action decision comes down, probably in a few months, there will be another significant dip in representation in the field of medicine. Schools are really powerful. I think that if these academic institutions teach more about the history of outstanding Black physicians who have been leaders in the field it could make a difference. Maybe sharing those stories would dampen some of the affirmative action critiques where people say, “Oh, well you’re not good enough, you’re only here because you’re Black.”

Even though I was pre-med and was preparing to apply for medical school when I began this work, I had never met a Black woman physician. And I wasn’t learning about our stories in school. The physicians that I was taught about were almost exclusively white men. But there are so many outstanding Black women in the history of the profession.

“I See Black History Month As A Catalyst For Discussion.”

We were talking about intersectionality in terms of gender and race. In high school, someone who I thought was my friend who was a white woman, told me, “Oh yeah, you only get into these schools because you’re Black.” I had basically a 4.0 GPA, multiple AP classes, was varsity athlete president, participated in multiple organizations. But she told me that, and I obviously still remember it to this day. White women have actually benefited the most from affirmative action,[3] but at this point, there are more white women in leadership roles in academic spaces than Black individuals, so if affirmative action is overturned, it will hurt Black students a lot more.

Is there anything that gives you hope for positive change in representation of Black women—and men—in the field of medicine?

After learning about these women, I felt really hopeful because I already knew about the bad stuff, the challenges—that was my lived experience. But learning about all the good is what makes me optimistic about my own future and the futures of others. I was also inspired by just how much support I’ve gotten for my work. When I was starting to write this and wanted to get it published, I was worried that nobody would care about it, but I’ve been overwhelmed by the support I’ve gotten across backgrounds—men, women, white, Black. There are allies everywhere. That just shows that there are a lot of people who care and want things to change and who are just looking for direction.

Who do you most hope will read your book?

I had two major target audiences for the book. First, young Black girls, and Black people in general, with the hopes that it will inspire more of them to go into medicine. And then the other group is people within academia, through the entire education pipeline, so that they can gain insight into some of the barriers to better representation in medicine that were established a long time ago and continue today. I’m hoping that these administrators and educators will teach these stories and take action to help address the disparities that persist.

How do you feel about Black History Month? Is the effort to bring a concentrated focus to African American and Black experience over the course of a single month just another instance of tokenism or does it have real value?

I like Black History Month. I have definitely heard discussion of the idea that if you’re a Black writer, you might only get interest during Black History Month. But we live in a flawed society, so if there wasn’t this dedicated period, I don’t think Black history would be celebrated nearly at the level that it is now. I don’t think that it should be only during February. I see Black History Month as a catalyst for broader discussion. For instance, this conversation about my book is starting during Black History Month, but if that gets the book into more readers’ hands, it can affect the way they think throughout the rest of the year.

Footnotes:

[1] Affirmative action was introduced by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and it required organizations that receive federal funding to take action “to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” Six years later, in 1967, Lyndon Johnson added sex to that list.

[2] Abraham Flexner, author of The Flexner Report of 1910, argued that Black physicians should only treat Black patients, and, as he wrote in the report, “the fewer, the better.” Fourteen Black medical schools or departments were founded in the late nineteenth century, but only seven survived to the early 20th century. After Flexner’s report, that number tumbled to two: Howard University College of Medicine and Meharry Medical College.

[3] Though direct attribution has not been established, the representation of white women in the field of medicine has grown significantly since affirmative action policies were put in place, whereas the representation of black women has not changed. In 1970, three years after women were written into affirmative action laws, just 7 percent of physicians in America were women. By 2008, white women accounted for 28 percent of physicians, whereas Black women and Black men accounted for only 3 percent each.

— Kristen French is an Associate Editor at Nautilus. Lead image: Moremar/Shutterstock

[areruareru]

Physical therapy during lockdown

Hello, if you are a pre-med student especially physical therapy student this is for you. During my first year in college, I have little to no knowledge about physical therapy. We were tasked to conduct research about physical therapists during pandemic. We were fascinated and surprised about the experiences and activities that they’ve shared to us.

Being a first-year students with little knowledge about our degree program were taking, our mind was full of questions especially in this point of time pandemic was prevalent and the fear of covid-19 was at its peak. Since the PT’s job needed to be physically in touch with patient/client and the whole world strictly implementing physical distancing, how can PTs practice their profession in hospitals and rehab centers? Also, how can PTs be a help if the main problem were viruses and not a musculoskeletal condition? Luckily for us there are some PTs who were willing to give their time and answered our questions.

We were amazed how PTs still be able to practice their profession even at the peak of the pandemic. First, there’s this thing called Telerehabilitation where PTs video calls their patients/clients and instruct them with their caregivers or family member on how to perform exercises and other types of interventions. With the help of telerehabilitation, PTs were still able to communicate and virtually interact with the help of their gadget and the internet. Another thing is they help both people who are infected by the virus and healthcare workers. PTs were promoting postural drainage to the patients helping them to release their phlegm better, they also rehabilitate those patients who were bedridden for a long time to prevent exacerbation of the patients' condition. Healthcare workers, they help them by creating exercises that can help them perform better and ready their bodies before they do their job.

Being  PT students, were happy to know that physical therapy have a diverse of jobs to do. They are not limited even in the midst of pandemic, and they can be productive even the disease is not a musculoskeletal condition related by prevention of exacerbation of the disease and enhancing the overall performance of their colleagues.

When we finished our research, were happy not only because our task is done but also was happy that our skills were aligned with our degree program and we know that there are a lot of opportunities waiting for us.

We hope you gain some knowledge and fun while reading our experience and results, and if you are a PT student, we hope this brings excitement and encouragement to you. Have a great day!

[lachrimae-verae]

Dang, I posted this and immediately got distracted by my udon, haha.

So my friend in high school went to an all boys catholic school. He was really sickly at the time, so he was bullied just as badly as you can imagine.

Now, they do have to take health class, but this school was pretty good with two things sports, and college prep for pre-meds, so there was a lot of sports med in his health class.

One day, they are given the dreaded thing, a group project. My friend is put in a group with a bunch of slack off football guys who know they're gonna pass bc the teacher was the football coach. My friend knows he's basically gonna have to do all the work.

However, that's when the topic is introduced. They have to choose from a list of injuries that can affect males (well cis males but this was a. a catholic school and b. somwtime in 2010 so).

My friend knows he has an opportunity to get back at some of his bullies. He researchs all of the things on the list and chooses testicular torsion. When he submits his topic he includes that he just wants to do it so he can help mitigate the risk for the football players. The coach readily approves.

My friend then goes into exhausting detail including medical pictures in his powerpoint presentation. He gets every statistic and risk factors and talks about how it can cause men to become infertile. Again. This is a catholic school. This is a big thing to them. I also cannot stress this enough, back when he did this presentation there was this catholic theory that has no basis that mastrubation causes testicular torsion.

On the day of the presentation, he is still the only one to have looked at the shared powerpoint. He makes sure to screenshot that so he can take full credit. He does his presentation. One of his partners is visibly nauseous at the pictures and can't finish reading the slide. Another guy in the class asks to go to the nurse. Another guys straight up leaves. My friend reads slowly through every slide with a shit eating grin. His classmates are all visibly uncomfortable veering into probably going to get sick soon territory. My friend ends on a slide of a testicle that has died due to someone not seeking medical care.

Needless to say, the jocks who had been bullying him gave him space after that.

I cast TESTICULAR TORSION!!!! RAAAAHHHH!!!

[sadbeautifutragic]

i have so many appointments and things to do this month aaaaaah