Like Ecomarci, I am a graduate of Lyman Briggs at Michigan State University with a degree in Human Biology, and a specialization in Bioethics, Humanities, and Society. I conducted four years of undergraduate research in a Pharmacology & Toxicology Department laboratory studying vascular biology and being exposed to the trials and tribulations of academic science. I also was a teaching assistant in the undergraduate biology labs in Lyman Briggs--having the privilege of working with some truly gifted scholars, and feeling the heartbreak of student apathy. Uniquely, my collegiate years gave me a solid foundation for scientific learning as well as an appreciation/passion for the contextual side of scientific thought and discovery.
Throughout my academic endeavors, I too have had the honor of working with/under some tremendously talented lady scientists (actually, Marci, I quite like this term) and mentors. Women who, in addition to professional successes, are able to balance family life and personal gratification. Women who can walk into a predominantly-male conference room in a red dress and present compelling scientific data. It is with the strength of these women behind me that I proceed forward, building strength of my own. As part of this, I think it's important to be cognizant of the gender in/and science--because even when the media is portraying a perfectly egalitarian world the department I work in has only one tenure-track female professor (in about twenty-five, total).
Today, I am just over a year into a PhD in Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin doing research on molecular mechanisms behind salt-induced vascular dysfunction (or, simply, how arteries are negatively affected by dietary salt intake). I remain truly interested in the humanitarian and societal implications of both my science and the science that goes on around me--and one outlet for this energy is through blogging.
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