Reflection, Fall 2013

As a young scientist, the different perspectives people have towards a certain

topic have always captivated me. Weather it is research or an opinion toward your

research. Listening to someone else’s research is just as important as presenting

your research. With this in mind, I compared my semester in the Seminar in

Scientific Literature with the thought I had about listening.

During the semester we experienced different workshops that contribute to

our making of successful scientists. Some were beginners in the interview process;

therefore we gained more experience by practicing interviews with our peers, and

later on our professors.

We got to attend many seminars from which we all learned vast amounts of

techniques and knowledge. We got to meet the speakers of the seminars as a group

and discuss the research being held. These speakers also served us as mentors for

when we were curious about career paths. Some of these speakers were recruiters

for their university’s summer research program. They came to interview interested

students in order to give them an opportunity to do research in the United States.

To be able to do this, students were first trained and taught the interview

process. Also we were given workshops on how to write a personal statement,

curriculum vitae, annotated bibliographies, paraphrasing and a scientific writing.

With the help of this course and the RISE program, I have grown as a young

scientist. Expanding knowledge, networking, and presenting a review paper are all

part of the journey in order to become a future scientist. Seeing my peers present,

an presenting to them is an wonderful experience. Sharing thoughts and questions,

looking deep at the way everyone organized they’re thoughts in a different matter

was simply overwhelming.