This blog is devoted to BIOL 6988, a graduate level seminar in the biological sciences at Youngstown State University. While targeted towards graduate students, BIOL 6988 actively incorporates undergraduate participants in their scholastic endeavors in the biological sciences. This blog is intended as a educational tool not just for YSU students and faculty, but for anyone who wishes to contribute to an active-learning environment.
This coming Friday, September 30th, Dr. Jill Tall will be presenting seminar. She will be discussing her experience in clinically-oriented investigations. At this time there is no background reading, but stay tuned. See you in seminar!
Dr. Tall’s narrative exemplified a commonly overlooked aspect of education — from where does one derive his/her intentions, inspiration, and ambition, and at what point is it reasonable to decide to augment a course of study or career based on new information or experience? It could be argued that success in any industry is resultant of a strong foundation in diligence, and enthusiasm is one source of maintenance for diligence. It is likely that we all have functional encounters with this idea of our planned roadmap to personal success taking unforeseen deviations. For this discussion, please point out a piece of advice provided by Dr. Tall that you found to be personally substantial, and explain the core of its meaning. Alternatively, you may also provide a link to material specific to your field of interest that others might use to advance their understanding of said field.
Dr. Tall talked about her interesting journey from Arizona State to Youngstown State University, the detours it took and how it made her realize what her passions are in the field of pain receptions and in vivo examination of rats. At the John Hopkins Hospital, she worked on how gonadal hormones have short term and long term effects on pain, and how diet influences it. She also want to create humane conditions for lab rats, conditions in which they can socialize, maneuver around and have spacious living conditions to reduce stress. She had also worked with physicians to find out the efficacy of medical electronic records affected medical practice. As per her findings, electronic records didn’t helped the patients in ER that much except for only when it comes to radiology and pathology results becoming available to physicians right away.
I really enjoyed that Dr. Tall followed her passion (in vivo research) even though it was likely that she wouldn't be able to find a post-doc. However that research is exactly the experience that Johns Hopkins was looking for. I think it is incredibly important to follow what you are passionate about, and not necessarily where you are going to find a job easier.
The presentation was encouraging and discloses the idea of unshakable mindset in everything an individual pass through. She narrated about her real life journey, in education and work and the way she got advised but decisively re-wrote the advise and strongly followed her goal that rendered her to pursue doctorate in in-vivo research despite the discouragement of job search. In in-vivo research lab, she got interested to work and handle rodents and thereafter worked with different organisations.
I really enjoyed Dr. Tall's presentation. It was a nice change of pace from the other lectures we've had so far. Her passion to pursue in vivo rat research was truly inspiring to me. I find that people tend to cut short their passions and ambitions in the fear that they will not find a job. I know (especially as graduate students) we tend to worry about what the future holds, but sometimes it's better to focus on our current education and pursue opportunities that we're passionate about, even if they go against the grain of what the norm is.
I appreciated hearing Dr. Tall’s presentation on reinventing herself. I related to her story because I am a non-traditional student, and I also flipped the script. In high school I earned decent grades, yet nobody told me that I should, or had to, go to college. I graduated without applying to college and asked myself what I was going to do next. I worked various jobs in the outdoor recreation industry (bicycle shops, outdoor shops, bicycle warranty, etc.), which was satisfying in a way, but my curiosity was never sated. I played bass guitar in local bands with dreams of playing in front of thousands of people, but the truth is that that is more difficult and WAY more work than I initially thought. Constant rehearsal, moving gear to and from gigs every week, playing till one in the morning, and being your own PR representative is incredibly tiring, and the pay is hardly worth the effort. In the end I decided to revisit my education so that I could make myself more marketable and career-worthy. I found my passion in the life sciences and continue to work towards my goal of becoming a researcher/educator. The message that I took home from Dr. Tall’s presentation is that we shouldn't rashly think that we need make a single decision about whom we are and what to do with our lives. Dr. Tall wanted to be a physician until she saw the darker side of humanity (e.g. the story of an intentional overdose to cause a spontaneous abortion) and realized that she couldn’t deal with that on a daily basis. She completed her undergrad and found a job in the business sector but was not satisfied by it. In the end she found her passion in applied science and working with live animals, yet she continues to rewrite her life. She is a mother, runner, educator, researcher, and she advocates improved conditions for lab animals. I think her list of nouns will continue to grow. She reminds me of the Mother of Dragons (you should all watch Game of Thrones!). I am still passionate about outdoor recreation and music, and alongside my interest in life science, these things define who I am. I think that Dr. Tall would agree that we should never shun our passions and interests because they make us stand out. As the frog said to the scorpion: you do you - although I don’t take its meaning to be narcissistic or braggadocios.
What stood out the most to me in Dr. Tall’s presentation was that she remained committed to her passion when looking for postdoc work. A person will spend years working on a project and taking courses to earn a PhD in order to build a foundation from which they can study what interests them. I could only imagine how stressful it would be to then, after years of work, have to make a choice as to take a risk in following that passion or opt for a safer course of action in something not as interesting. I think that following your passion would be worth the risk and would give you the best chance of finding a permanent appointment within your desired area. However, it would also be wise to have a backup in case things don’t go according to plan.
Dr. Tall's presentation may very well end up being one of the most important presentations many of us have been to. At certain points in our academic careers it becomes almost impossible NOT to question what we're doing, where we're going, and if it's even worth it. Thinking about the path that Dr. Tall has taken, it becomes a little more clear that we can always take what we have and "flip the script" if we truly want to. We are not locked in to our present circumstances. I am really grateful that she took her time to talk to us about the path that brought her to her current position instead of just talking about her research. I feel that it was definitely an inspiring lesson for all of us.
I agree with the general consensus established already by previous comments; I found Dr. Tall’s presentation to be the most valuable one yet. I can definitely relate to the many times in her life that she decided to “flip the script and rewrite it.” I had applied to Physician Assistant programs while I was completing my Bachelor’s degree and thought for sure that it was the occupation for me. When I did not receive an invitation to any of the schools to which I had applied, I felt like a total failure. Feeling defeated, I applied to Master’s programs so I’d be able to continue my education while I waited to apply to PA schools a second time around. But now that I’m working on that Master’s degree, I’ve been strongly reconsidering my intentions of trying PA school again. Dr. Tall provided reassurance that this is completely ok, and actually normal! It takes courage to rewrite your script, change your mind many times until you are on the best path for you, not the one that just makes the most sense so as not to appear indecisive.
Something that I really related to in Dr. Tall's talk was when she discussed having to try different fields of research during her Ph.D. She said she had to learn a lot of different lab techniques and the first two sections she didn't enjoy so much, but then in the third section she got to work with rats and ended up loving it even though it was the last thing she expected to like so much. I can relate to this personally because I had to learn different techniques in labs during my undergrad and then my senior year I had to write an undergraduate thesis where I worked with rats. I was weary at first and thought I wouldn't enjoy working with them. However, I absolutely loved it and realized I wanted my future research in graduate school to involve mammals as well, hence I ended up here where I will have the chance to work with sloths. I think the core meaning of this part of Dr. Tall's talk was that you have to be willing to try new things and learn different specialties in the field of science in order to find what you really love doing. And, like Dr. Tall, you may end up liking the field you least expected.
Dr. Tall's presentation was important for all of us to hear. She went through the major parts of her educational journey, and explained that life takes you in different directions that what we would expect. She further told us to follow our passions, even if it seems like the "wrong" path to take. I used to think that to get anywhere in research or other job careers is to only study human physiology or molecular biology. In the past, I feel like I "forced" myself to love it and want to do a career in it. But, one of my true passions is comparative anatomy, evolution, and taxonomy in animals. Although there may not be nearly as many jobs in that area, I'm now in a program that that specializes in those areas, and I'm now following my passion. Her story related to me in that way. I personally am not sure what I want to do with my career, whether I should stop after getting a master's degree and find a job, or go on to get my Ph.D. I know that life will take you into unexpected places, but everything turns out for the best.
Dr. Tall’s talk of her personal and professional journey from undergraduate coursework to her position at YSU, was both encouraging and comforting. As many of us have stated on this blog, there are times when we have had to “flip the script” in our educational as well as personal lives. Personally, if someone would have asked me a few years back where I would be now, I wouldn’t have said “working on a master’s degree”. I planned after completion of my bachelor’s degree to matriculate into dental school. That obviously did not work out the first time, but as Dr. Tall did I “flipped the script” and am enjoying my continued studies in the field of biology. I still have aspirations to enter dental school upon the completion of my graduate coursework, and just as Dr. Tall’s presentation suggested, things may not go as planned initially, but they all work out in the end.
Dr. Tall presentation was the most inspiring and motivational presentation I have ever heard. It takes courage and passion to flip the script and re-write it again. Her ambitions in life didn’t go as planned after she completed her undergraduate, the failures and obstacles she encountered through her journey were a stepping-stone that gave her the strength to wake up, flip the script, re-write it again and move on. She never said she CAN’T. Her presentation defined failure in life is not when you don’t achieve your dreams, but rather when you do not have a dream.
've had Dr. Tall as a teacher and advisor and I know her number one priority at YSU is the students. Not only is she an excellent researcher, but she's also a great teacher. I'm so glad Dr. Tall gave the talk she did. It's great that she shared her perspective with the students because life doesn't always go as you plan. It's important to be flexible, but to also follow the path you're passionate about.
Dr. Tall’s presentation is probably one of the more important/realistic talks that we all need to hear. By sharing her experiences and her journey through college and career-searching, I feel like it helped to open the eyes for some of us who are still not sure what our futures have in store for us. She showed that if you stick with your passion and stay true to what you want to do, the doors will open for you. Nothing has to be set in stone. Personally, I liked when she said she was a premed student and worked in the ER and absolutely did not like it. I’ve been working in the ER for the past few months, and I can say that I would not was to be an ER doctor. There are many aspects I like about medicine and helping others, and I do like my job a lot. It’s just that that specific type of doctor isn’t what I would like to be. All experiences you have, good and bad, will get you one step closer in figuring out your true passion. What I really got from her presentation was don’t force yourself down a path just because of alternate motives and ideas fed by other people. Do things for yourself and see how you’ll thank yourself in the future. Truly a motivational talk that I think everyone took a little something from.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDr. Tall’s narrative exemplified a commonly overlooked aspect of education — from where does one derive his/her intentions, inspiration, and ambition, and at what point is it reasonable to decide to augment a course of study or career based on new information or experience? It could be argued that success in any industry is resultant of a strong foundation in diligence, and enthusiasm is one source of maintenance for diligence. It is likely that we all have functional encounters with this idea of our planned roadmap to personal success taking unforeseen deviations. For this discussion, please point out a piece of advice provided by Dr. Tall that you found to be personally substantial, and explain the core of its meaning. Alternatively, you may also provide a link to material specific to your field of interest that others might use to advance their understanding of said field.
ReplyDeleteDr. Tall talked about her interesting journey from Arizona State to Youngstown State University, the detours it took and how it made her realize what her passions are in the field of pain receptions and in vivo examination of rats. At the John Hopkins Hospital, she worked on how gonadal hormones have short term and long term effects on pain, and how diet influences it. She also want to create humane conditions for lab rats, conditions in which they can socialize, maneuver around and have spacious living conditions to reduce stress. She had also worked with physicians to find out the efficacy of medical electronic records affected medical practice. As per her findings, electronic records didn’t helped the patients in ER that much except for only when it comes to radiology and pathology results becoming available to physicians right away.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that Dr. Tall followed her passion (in vivo research) even though it was likely that she wouldn't be able to find a post-doc. However that research is exactly the experience that Johns Hopkins was looking for. I think it is incredibly important to follow what you are passionate about, and not necessarily where you are going to find a job easier.
ReplyDeleteThe presentation was encouraging and discloses the idea of unshakable mindset in everything an individual pass through. She narrated about her real life journey, in education and work and the way she got advised but decisively re-wrote the advise and strongly followed her goal that rendered her to pursue doctorate in in-vivo research despite the discouragement of job search. In in-vivo research lab, she got interested to work and handle rodents and thereafter worked with different organisations.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Dr. Tall's presentation. It was a nice change of pace from the other lectures we've had so far. Her passion to pursue in vivo rat research was truly inspiring to me. I find that people tend to cut short their passions and ambitions in the fear that they will not find a job. I know (especially as graduate students) we tend to worry about what the future holds, but sometimes it's better to focus on our current education and pursue opportunities that we're passionate about, even if they go against the grain of what the norm is.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated hearing Dr. Tall’s presentation on reinventing herself. I related to her story because I am a non-traditional student, and I also flipped the script. In high school I earned decent grades, yet nobody told me that I should, or had to, go to college. I graduated without applying to college and asked myself what I was going to do next. I worked various jobs in the outdoor recreation industry (bicycle shops, outdoor shops, bicycle warranty, etc.), which was satisfying in a way, but my curiosity was never sated. I played bass guitar in local bands with dreams of playing in front of thousands of people, but the truth is that that is more difficult and WAY more work than I initially thought. Constant rehearsal, moving gear to and from gigs every week, playing till one in the morning, and being your own PR representative is incredibly tiring, and the pay is hardly worth the effort. In the end I decided to revisit my education so that I could make myself more marketable and career-worthy. I found my passion in the life sciences and continue to work towards my goal of becoming a researcher/educator.
ReplyDeleteThe message that I took home from Dr. Tall’s presentation is that we shouldn't rashly think that we need make a single decision about whom we are and what to do with our lives. Dr. Tall wanted to be a physician until she saw the darker side of humanity (e.g. the story of an intentional overdose to cause a spontaneous abortion) and realized that she couldn’t deal with that on a daily basis. She completed her undergrad and found a job in the business sector but was not satisfied by it. In the end she found her passion in applied science and working with live animals, yet she continues to rewrite her life. She is a mother, runner, educator, researcher, and she advocates improved conditions for lab animals. I think her list of nouns will continue to grow. She reminds me of the Mother of Dragons (you should all watch Game of Thrones!).
I am still passionate about outdoor recreation and music, and alongside my interest in life science, these things define who I am. I think that Dr. Tall would agree that we should never shun our passions and interests because they make us stand out. As the frog said to the scorpion: you do you - although I don’t take its meaning to be narcissistic or braggadocios.
What stood out the most to me in Dr. Tall’s presentation was that she remained committed to her passion when looking for postdoc work. A person will spend years working on a project and taking courses to earn a PhD in order to build a foundation from which they can study what interests them. I could only imagine how stressful it would be to then, after years of work, have to make a choice as to take a risk in following that passion or opt for a safer course of action in something not as interesting. I think that following your passion would be worth the risk and would give you the best chance of finding a permanent appointment within your desired area. However, it would also be wise to have a backup in case things don’t go according to plan.
ReplyDeleteDr. Tall's presentation may very well end up being one of the most important presentations many of us have been to. At certain points in our academic careers it becomes almost impossible NOT to question what we're doing, where we're going, and if it's even worth it.
ReplyDeleteThinking about the path that Dr. Tall has taken, it becomes a little more clear that we can always take what we have and "flip the script" if we truly want to. We are not locked in to our present circumstances.
I am really grateful that she took her time to talk to us about the path that brought her to her current position instead of just talking about her research. I feel that it was definitely an inspiring lesson for all of us.
I agree with the general consensus established already by previous comments; I found Dr. Tall’s presentation to be the most valuable one yet. I can definitely relate to the many times in her life that she decided to “flip the script and rewrite it.” I had applied to Physician Assistant programs while I was completing my Bachelor’s degree and thought for sure that it was the occupation for me. When I did not receive an invitation to any of the schools to which I had applied, I felt like a total failure. Feeling defeated, I applied to Master’s programs so I’d be able to continue my education while I waited to apply to PA schools a second time around. But now that I’m working on that Master’s degree, I’ve been strongly reconsidering my intentions of trying PA school again. Dr. Tall provided reassurance that this is completely ok, and actually normal! It takes courage to rewrite your script, change your mind many times until you are on the best path for you, not the one that just makes the most sense so as not to appear indecisive.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I really related to in Dr. Tall's talk was when she discussed having to try different fields of research during her Ph.D. She said she had to learn a lot of different lab techniques and the first two sections she didn't enjoy so much, but then in the third section she got to work with rats and ended up loving it even though it was the last thing she expected to like so much. I can relate to this personally because I had to learn different techniques in labs during my undergrad and then my senior year I had to write an undergraduate thesis where I worked with rats. I was weary at first and thought I wouldn't enjoy working with them. However, I absolutely loved it and realized I wanted my future research in graduate school to involve mammals as well, hence I ended up here where I will have the chance to work with sloths. I think the core meaning of this part of Dr. Tall's talk was that you have to be willing to try new things and learn different specialties in the field of science in order to find what you really love doing. And, like Dr. Tall, you may end up liking the field you least expected.
ReplyDeleteDr. Tall's presentation was important for all of us to hear. She went through the major parts of her educational journey, and explained that life takes you in different directions that what we would expect. She further told us to follow our passions, even if it seems like the "wrong" path to take. I used to think that to get anywhere in research or other job careers is to only study human physiology or molecular biology. In the past, I feel like I "forced" myself to love it and want to do a career in it. But, one of my true passions is comparative anatomy, evolution, and taxonomy in animals. Although there may not be nearly as many jobs in that area, I'm now in a program that that specializes in those areas, and I'm now following my passion. Her story related to me in that way. I personally am not sure what I want to do with my career, whether I should stop after getting a master's degree and find a job, or go on to get my Ph.D. I know that life will take you into unexpected places, but everything turns out for the best.
ReplyDeleteDr. Tall’s talk of her personal and professional journey from undergraduate coursework to her position at YSU, was both encouraging and comforting. As many of us have stated on this blog, there are times when we have had to “flip the script” in our educational as well as personal lives. Personally, if someone would have asked me a few years back where I would be now, I wouldn’t have said “working on a master’s degree”. I planned after completion of my bachelor’s degree to matriculate into dental school. That obviously did not work out the first time, but as Dr. Tall did I “flipped the script” and am enjoying my continued studies in the field of biology. I still have aspirations to enter dental school upon the completion of my graduate coursework, and just as Dr. Tall’s presentation suggested, things may not go as planned initially, but they all work out in the end.
ReplyDeleteDr. Tall presentation was the most inspiring and motivational presentation I have ever heard. It takes courage and passion to flip the script and re-write it again. Her ambitions in life didn’t go as planned after she completed her undergraduate, the failures and obstacles she encountered through her journey were a stepping-stone that gave her the strength to wake up, flip the script, re-write it again and move on. She never said she CAN’T. Her presentation defined failure in life is not when you don’t achieve your dreams, but rather when you do not have a dream.
ReplyDelete've had Dr. Tall as a teacher and advisor and I know her number one priority at YSU is the students. Not only is she an excellent researcher, but she's also a great teacher. I'm so glad Dr. Tall gave the talk she did. It's great that she shared her perspective with the students because life doesn't always go as you plan. It's important to be flexible, but to also follow the path you're passionate about.
ReplyDeleteDr. Tall’s presentation is probably one of the more important/realistic talks that we all need to hear. By sharing her experiences and her journey through college and career-searching, I feel like it helped to open the eyes for some of us who are still not sure what our futures have in store for us. She showed that if you stick with your passion and stay true to what you want to do, the doors will open for you. Nothing has to be set in stone. Personally, I liked when she said she was a premed student and worked in the ER and absolutely did not like it. I’ve been working in the ER for the past few months, and I can say that I would not was to be an ER doctor. There are many aspects I like about medicine and helping others, and I do like my job a lot. It’s just that that specific type of doctor isn’t what I would like to be. All experiences you have, good and bad, will get you one step closer in figuring out your true passion.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really got from her presentation was don’t force yourself down a path just because of alternate motives and ideas fed by other people. Do things for yourself and see how you’ll thank yourself in the future. Truly a motivational talk that I think everyone took a little something from.