Stanford at The Tech: Student Testimonials

2008-2010 Participants

Winter, Spring 2008

Jason Hoyt	Grad Student, Genetics Michele Calos Lab Research interest: Adult stem cell therapy	Teaching at The Tech was the best "communications course" I have taken. Trying to get a set of genetics concepts across to a group of 5th-12th graders is about the most difficult thing you could do. Even coming half-way to mastering that skill has set me up for successful interactions with non-scientists for the future. I am not always going to be in the lab with people who "speak the same language" as me, so learning how to concisely and clearly explain science was something very important to me before graduating. More importantly, I was often teaching to disadvantaged children in poor school districts, sometimes with non-existent science programs. Opening a door for them into science has been just as significant as any research that I have done.
Yuya Kobayashi	Grad Student, Genetics Rick Myers Lab Research interest: Genetics of variation in drug response	I’d do it again, if there weren’t so many others who want to try it! On the first day at the museum, one of the other students made the comment, “I can’t believe it’s already been two quarters!” I wondered whether my experience at The Tech would be similar. I can say now that it most certainly was. From running museum floor programs to teaching at a summer science camp, I was able to show to so many different people, a glimpse of the exciting world of genetics. Whether they were 6 or 60 years old, everyone seemed to be having fun learning about science. And in turn, I was excited watching them be excited about the work we do. When a program with such small time commitment over such a short period of time can accomplish all that, you know you have something worthwhile. This has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my graduate career so far and I would recommend this to just about everyone!
Jennifer Shieh	Grad Student, Neuroscience Susan K. McConnell Lab Research interest: Adhesion and endocytosis in neuronal migration	Working at The Tech has been one of the best experiences of graduate school! Every scientist should be so lucky to have the opportunity to actually see the awe and wonder that reminds us of why we love science. Being exposed to the big questions that comes from creative curiosity is a great way to get pulled out of the minutiae of experiments. Those questions are an eye-opener to how critical it is that scientists be involved in dialogue with the public. Helping people improve their science literacy and understand the importance of research is essential for an enlightened society (and for us to keep getting funded). It certainly wasn’t a one-way education road though. I learned even more than the visitors that came to the museum or read the Ask a Geneticist answers. In addition to the ongoing training of communicating complex scientific ideas to a broad audience, I’ve learned a lot more about genetics (reading the answers myself!), discovered what sweetbread is and purified my first protein. The Stanford at the Tech program has been fun, rewarding and incredibly challenging. The only problem is that it’s addictive!

Spring, Summer 2008

Jackie Benjamin	Grad Student, Cancer Biology James Nelson Lab Research interest: Cell-cell adhesion and membrane dynamics	The Tech is a unique educational experience- both for the visitors AND the volunteers! I didn’t fully realize just how educational volunteering at The Tech would be for me. I’ve had lots of previous experience tutoring high-school students but I’d never worked with younger students before. That all changed while volunteering at The Tech where the majority of the students we interact with are in middle school. Running our hands-on demonstrations each week challenged me to explain science to kids AND make it super interesting. Although it was difficult at first, as the weeks went by I saw how much more comfortable I became engaging the younger students. In addition to weekly demonstrations, answering questions online helped me improve my science writing while teaching me a lot about very diverse and interesting topics. But my favorite part about the experience was the few weeks when we went off-site and ran our demonstrations at Overfelt high school in San Jose. From freshman to seniors, it was a unique experience modifying my interaction with older students while still keeping it interesting and fun.
Jose Morillo	Grad Student, Developmental Biology Margaret Fuller Lab Research interest: Epigenetics of stem cell identity and function	The two quarters I spent at the Tech was by far one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had while in graduate school. The rewards were immediate. Personally, I saw myself become interested in science in a whole new way. It’s very encouraging to see kids and adults alike become engaged in topics I found so basic that my interest in them had disappeared. While in the lab, I felt like I was diving deeper and deeper into a very specific topic and forgot to come up for air and look at the big picture from time to time. The Tech allowed me to do this while reigniting that creative spark I lost long ago. There is also nothing more rewarding than seeing an entire family; kids, parents and grandparents, learn about such important topics as genetics and molecular biology. And most importantly, it is gratifying to know that the 10-15 min they spent listening to us and performing experiments have enriched their lives in ways they didn’t imagine. You know you’re making a difference when people ask questions, and when the answers lead to other questions and ultimately, through the programs at The Tech, people get a better understanding and appreciation for science. Working at The Tech also allowed me to get out of lab and do something that had an immediate and direct impact in society. As scientists, we are using a large amount of resources to make discoveries. Yet, the public still does not comprehend why we do what we do and, as a result, support for science is eroding. I strongly believe that as scientists we have the responsibility to educate the public about the importance of our work. The Stanford at The Tech program provided me with the opportunity to assume such responsibility. I feel that my experience at The Tech was much more fun and much more rewarding and intellectually challenging than lab work. I hope this program and other programs like this become more widespread. It is our responsibility to ensure that this happens.

Summer, Fall 2008

George Wang	Grad Student, Biological Sciences Kang Shen Lab Research interest: Nervous System Development	After a morning at the Tech, I always had a good feeling whether it was teaching what seemed like hundreds of visitors about PTC or just talking to Barry about science education on a slow day. This program is a great chance to improve your writing skills and to learn how to engage visitors of all ages with the experiments at the Tech. One of the best parts is during your second quarter when you have a chance to create something new for the program. I also had fun meeting the other similar-minded Stanford at the Tech participants through training sessions and trips to Overfelt High School. I’ll miss those mornings at the Tech!
Jamie Conklin	Grad Student, Genetics Julien Sage Lab Research interest: Control of embryonic stem cells	Stanford at the Tech is a great experience for the scientists that participate and the visitors of the Tech! Of course it is rewarding when you see that spark in a child’s (or adult’s) eye when they discover the magic of science through participation in some of our hands-on “science projects”. But for me, the reward went far beyond that. Not only did I enjoy working with the visitors of the museum, but I also feel that I myself learned more than I had ever imagined- through answering the “Ask a Geneticist” questions, writing a Genetics in the News article, figuring out how to make science easier to understand, or just answering questions generated from our programs. It was also an awesome feeling when, for my final project, I got to work with a few San Jose high school classes to develop a program where they used actual DNA samples to solve a mock murder case and to free an innocent man from jail! This program further intensified my passion for science outreach programs and gave me some of the tools needed to better present science to the general public.
Sandeep Ravindran	Grad Student, Microbiology & Immunology John Boothroyd Lab Research interest: Protein secretion mechanisms of the parasite Toxoplasma	Stanford at the Tech was one of the most fun things I’ve done in graduate school. It was a really challenging and rewarding experience to get a chance to convey basic concepts of biology to the public. It was great to be able to reach such a wide age-group of kids, and see how excited they got. Working in lab I take a lot of what I do for granted, and seeing the way the kids got excited reminded me about what excited me about biology in the first place. I became so much more confident at public speaking, and improved my ability to communicate to the public both verbally and through writing for the ‘Ask a Geneticist’ website. It was informative to interact directly with the public. This made me realize not only how important it was to educate them, but also to learn from the way the program was setup to see the things that worked best to do this.

Fall 2008, Winter 2009

Jared Wenger	Grad Student, Genetics Gavin Sherlock Lab Research interest: Yeast carbon metabolism and genome evolution	Having the opportunity to share with a kid (or adult) something that I am passionate about is a wonderful thing. The Tech provided many ways to experience this. In high school classrooms, on the museum floor, or in an Ask a Geneticist answer, I had the chance to help people understand something they didn’t before. This is an amazing thing. Helping a child go from not knowing what DNA is or does, to actually purifying it and seeing it with their own eyes, all within the space of 10 or 15 minutes, was an extremely valuable experience for both me and the people with whom I interacted. Biology can often be viewed as a very dry and detached subject for kids. I really enjoyed having the chance to share my enthusiasm and excitement about it, by showing people how cool genetics is and how it is such an important and relevant subject. It was very valuable for me as a scientist as well. Learning how to communicate on an appropriate level, both in writing and speech, is an essential skill for all scientists. The Tech program definitely helped improve my ability to do this.
Julia Oh	Grad Student, Genetics Ron Davis Lab Research interest: Development of genomic tools for microorganisms	The Tech is a fun and inspiring way to make scientific research public knowledge Before the Tech, I’d never had much of a chance to write for or communicate with non-scientists. I feel sorry for the people I tried to explain my research to, since I would get carried away in my jargon! Learning how to deconstruct questions and communicate with a general audience has been invaluable. I definitely think that it helped my overall mental organization for my own scientific writing and speaking. On the floor doing the demonstrations, I mostly interacted with younger children, which was incredibly fun. I also had a great time teaching high school students in a couple of the museum’s lab classrooms. It was so exciting and fulfilling to get the older students (who might be closer to making career choices) enthusiastic about biology and the scientific method. I highly recommend volunteering at the Tech to anyone, especially those who would like to give some of their scientific knowledge back to the public.

Winter 2009, Spring 2009

Dale Bodian	Research Associate, Genetics Russ Altman Lab Research interest: Genotype-phenotype relationships, bioinformatics	Volunteering at the Tech was a really fun and educational experience. It was a great opportunity to interact with people outside of the university who have a different perspective on science. The contagious enthusiasm of the kids and their parents was a welcome reminder of why I decided to go into science. Barry and the previous program participants have done a great job designing experiments that the kids can learn from and have fun with too.
Mark McElwain	Grad Student, Developmental Biology Roel Nusse Lab Research interest: Wnt signalling in Drosophila embryonic patterning	Volunteering at the Tech injected some much-needed excitement into my otherwise dreary grad student life. When you're spending all your time in the lab repeating experiments and getting a different result each time, it's comforting to go to the Tech and stain your cheek cells or purify GFP, and know that it's going to work! But seriously, the best parts about Stanford at the Tech are being able to do something different once a week, and being able to interact with all sorts of different people with widely varying knowledge about science. This is a great thing, not only for personal growth - I get a kick out of talking to people I wouldn't normally encounter in my day to day life - but also for thinking about science in a different way. It definitely can help you to think about your own science from a different perspective. If you're looking for a challenge that can be just as hard as experimental biology but uses a different part of your brain, the Tech program is a great experience.
Chris Franco	Grad Student, Immunology Steve Galli Lab and Irv Weissman Lab Research interest: The development of the immune system	Working at The Tech was a fantastic experience. I learned a lot about how to clearly communicate complicated ideas to a lay audience. Working with groups of visiting school kids each week is a phenomenal way to really learn how to keep an an audience engaged. The skills I gained while teaching at The Teach easily translate into how to go about making my next talk or outlining a manuscript. It doesn't matter as much if you think your work is the coolest thing out there unless you can convince someone else of this too. And aside from all this seriousness, it's a total blast to do cool science experiments with the kids!
Evonne Leeper	Grad Student, Genetics Rick Myers Lab Research interest: Transcriptional Regulation in Cell Type Determination

Spring 2009, Summer 2009

Stacey Wirt	Grad Student, Cancer Biology Julian Sage Lab Research interest: Regulation of cell cycle and differentiation in embryonic stem cells	My time at the Tech museum was the most rewarding experience of my graduate career! It’s easy to get wrapped up in the daily details of experiments, lab meetings, and papers, and to forget about why it is that I came to grad school in the first place. Working with the kids at the Tech museum rekindled my enthusiasm for doing science, and it reminded me that science is about more than just running gels and doing endless PCR reactions. It can also be about understanding ourselves (like learning about cells, genes, and what DNA looks like) or about how we can improve our society (like solving a crime or making medicine). Answering “Ask a Geneticist” questions also gave me the opportunity to try out my science writing skills, and to research topics that I never would have learned about otherwise. Overall, participating in Stanford at the Tech provided me with a whole host of new challenges that I never would have experienced in the lab, and I came away from the program with better communication skills and a renewed enthusiasm for science and science education.
Mandi Hartman	Grad Student, Biochemistry Jim Spudich Lab Research interest: Cell biology of Drosophila myosin VI	I've really enjoyed my time at the Tech and have learned a lot. I went into the program thinking I'd have fun working with kids, but my experience was really about much more than that. Not only did I get to teach kids about science, but also it was so rewarding to see them genuinely excited by the hands-on experiments we did. Plus, I learned so much about science writing and how to communicate ideas to the public, both of which are valuable skills to have. Working at the museum has really made me think about science in a new way, and I'm so glad I participated in the Stanford at the Tech program.
Zhaoqing (Ching) Ding	Grad Student, Neurology and Neurological Diseases Tony Wyss-Coray Lab Research interest: Immune response in the nervous system	While working at The Tech, it was the highlight of my week. My favorite part of working at The Tech was communicating science to the general public and seeing their interest in science develop right in front of me. As a graduate student, tunnel vision occurs due to the tediousness of everyday science, and working at The Tech helped me rediscover the passion I have for science. This rediscovery happened every time I saw the light bulb go off in a child/teen/adult’s brain when they comprehended the connection between what they were doing at the one of the many hands on science exhibits to the science behind the exhibit. I also love the flexibility that working at The Tech provided, where Barry allows you to develop your own passion. I have always been a big proponent of science and if I had it my way I would suggest everyone to be a science major! This dream however is far from reality due to the lack of awareness of science-related experiences available for kids, teens and adults. Given the shortage of awareness, my final project is to create web-based outlet in which kids, teens and adults can find information about entering the world of science. All in all, I would highly suggest working at The Tech to anyone who loves science.

Summer 2009, Fall 2009

Feng Chen	Grad Student, Genetics Mark Krasnow Lab Research interest: Development and remodeling of the trachea in fruit flies
Gwen Liu	Grad Student, Microbiology & Immunology Chang-Zheng Chen Lab Research interest: The structure and function of microRNA genes
Andrew Hellman	Grad Student, Biology Kang Shen Lab Research interest: Synapse Formation

Fall 2009, Winter 2010

Karen Colbert	Grad Student, Structural Biology William Weis Lab Research interest: Molecular basis of neurotransmission
Shuai Chen	Grad Student, Cancer Biology Or Gozani Lab Research interest: Protein methylation and its effects
Mara Damain	Grad Student, Biology Helen Blau Lab Research interest: Stem Cell Nuclear Reprogramming

2003-2008 Participants

Fall 2003, Winter 2004

Dan Ginsburg	Grad Student, Genetics Michele Calos Lab Research interest: Phage integrases for site-specific integration in the human genome	It was a very rewarding experience. Being involved in many aspects of exhibit development and then actually being on the floor of the completed exhibit gave me a great feeling of accomplishment. The writing I did for The Tech Museum and the interactions I had with museum visitors led to great improvements in both my written and verbal communication skills. I was also able to help start a program on the misrepresentation of genetics in the media. I'm very excited to see that program up and running now. The whole experience made me think that this is something I might want to do in the future.
Chana Palmer	Grad Student, Genetics Pat Brown Lab Research interests: Bioinformatics (microarray design) and human microbial flora	My experience at The Tech was both fun and educational. I enjoyed the challenge of communicating science to people of all ages and backgrounds, both in person and in writing. It was a valuable experience for me because it exposed me to a type of science-related career that I knew nothing about, and in doing so helped shape my career plans. I would encourage any graduate student to try it out, for the sake of understanding how your science is perceived and understood, but feel that the experience is especially useful for those interested in exploring "alternative" careers in science.

Winter, Spring 2004

Joylette Portlock

Grad Student, Genetics
Michele Calos Lab

Research interest:
Cardiovascular gene therapy

Working at The Tech was a really great opportunity.
Among other things, it lets you: 1) Develop new opinions and get some experience in a couple of the so-called "alternative" career paths that so many scientists take after grad school, 2) Have a lot of fun talking to people besides your labmates, and 3) Contribute in a very direct way to people's understanding of scientific concepts. Also, it was really neat to create a museum program from scratch and get it to a prototyping stage with actual visitors!

Spring, Summer 2004

Sophie Candille	Grad Student, Genetics Greg Barsh Lab Research interest: Genetics of pigmentation in dogs	It was time well spent. At The Tech I wrote science articles for The Tech's web site, I presented programs on the floor exhibit, and I started to develop a GFP purification program with another graduate student, Ky Sha. Interacting with the public was always motivating and rewarding. Kids are very interested in doing experiments and their parents often have great questions about genetics. This internship was an opportunity to explore different career options. I have always thought about the possibility of having an alternative career after my PhD i.e. not be a scientist or a professor. At The Tech I did some science writing and teaching. This experience helped me determine whether or not I enjoyed writing and teaching and whether I was any good at it.
Ky Sha	Grad Student, Biology Johns Hopkins University Andrew Fire Lab Research interest: Somatic gene silencing in C. elegans	My volunteer experience at the Genetics Exhibit has been both a fun and educational experience. It's rewarding demonstrating science to the public and being able to answer their questions. I especially enjoy visitors' faces lighting up, both kids and adults alike, when they have learned something interesting. I've learned interesting facts from the Ask a Geneticist section and new skills from the GFP purification demonstration Sophie Candille and I are trying to set up.
Eszter Vladar	Grad Student, Genetics Tim Stearns Lab Research interest: Ciliated epithelial cells	I’m having a great time at The Tech! The Genetics Exhibit is really well done and draws in tons of interested visitors. I’ve had a real positive experience interacting with people, addressing their questions and concerns about genetics. I think I’ve managed to convince quite a few that it’s not possible to clone extinct dinosaurs and eating recombinant DNA will not make one sick!

Summer, Fall 2004

Colin Davidson

Post-doc, Genetics
Joseph Lipsick Lab

Research interest:
Evolution and function of the Myb gene family

I benefited from my experience at The Tech.
I enjoyed the challenge of communicating the basic scientific principles of the different demonstrations to museum visitors. The reaction and enthusiasm of the kids was particularly rewarding. Contributing responses to the Ask a Geneticist web page provided valuable lessons in communicating scientific ideas in a simple, succinct, but engaging manner. I’ve tried to incorporate some aspects of this style of writing in subsequent grant and fellowship applications. Overall, my involvement with The Tech was extremely positive.

Fall 2004, Winter 2005

Erin Cline	Grad Student, MCP James Nelson Lab Research interest: Epithelial cell polarity and protein localization	My time at The Tech was really wonderful. Working with the kids and watching their faces light up when they see DNA right before their eyes or they find out they can load a gel just like a real scientist is very rewarding. Writing for the website was a great experience too. I enjoyed learning how to communicate science to non-scientists and I think it will help me in whatever science career lies ahead for me.
Robin Kimmel	Post-doc, Epithelial Biology Khavari Lab Research interest: Genetic mechanisms of skin cancer development	Working at The Tech is a unique opportunity. It is great to see kids getting excited about DNA and to give them a feel for what geneticists do. Writing for the website gave me a chance to learn about a broad range of topics in current research. It was challenging and rewarding to write articles intended for nonscientists. There aren’t many chances while doing grad school and a post-doc to get that kind of writing experience.
Flo Pauli	Grad Student, Genetics Stuart Kim Lab Research interest: Tissue-specific gene expression in C. elegans	My experience at The Tech was a lot of fun! I had a great time interacting with museum visitors and staff. It was a very good opportunity to learn to communicate science to the public by speaking to museum visitors and writing articles for the website. I also had the chance to teach a class about DNA and human traits to 5th-8th grade students. Overall the experience was eye opening and very rewarding. Working at The Tech reinforced my belief that even if we don't take alternate career paths, we have a great responsibility to educate the public about the impact of science, and especially genetics, on their lives.

Mike Cherry

Associate Professor, Genetics
Mike Cherry Lab

Research interest:
Genome databases

Winter 2005

Karen Fitch

Postdoc, Genetics
Greg Barsh Lab

Research interest:
Genetics of skin development and pigmentation in the mouse

Get out of the lab into the real world!
I really enjoyed going to The Tech and interacting with people who don’t necessarily think about science every day. It’s interesting to learn what people find fascinating. I was mostly involved with demonstrations about agarose gel running and how to make DNA from cow thymus. The fourth graders loved that they got to take home their mini science projects at the end of the demonstration. The best part was being able to leave my isolated lab bench for a few hours and interact with a wide variety of people who want to learn about genetics and DNA. As post-docs and graduate students, we are not given a lot of opportunities to do non-bench science, so I encourage everyone to use it as a way to get a broader training experience. This is true both for writing as well as for public speaking and teaching.

Winter, Spring 2005

Anne Tecklenberg Strehlow

Grad Student, Genetics
Rick Myers Lab

Research interests:
Genetics of Huntington Disease

Working at The Tech is a welcome break from your daily routine!
I enjoyed my experience at the Tech on many levels. Watching children, teachers, and parents take an interest in science is energizing. It also gives you real perspective on where the general public stands in terms of understanding the field of genetics. The Tech's genetics exhibit is making a great contribution towards increasing awareness by making DNA fun and accessible. Working at the Tech is also great for graduate students and post-docs considering careers paths outside of bench science and academia, such as science writing, curriculum development, teaching, community education, and of course, science museum-related jobs. My favorite aspect of the internship was writing for the Ask the Geneticist on-line exhibit. I actually learned a lot myself about several interesting topics while researching the answers.

Spring, Summer 2005

Rama Balakrishnan	Scientific Curator Saccharomyces Genome Database Research interest: Genomics, Databases and Protein Chemistry	My experience at The Tech was very rewarding and fun. The opportunity to talk to kids and adults of different ages about DNA, about science in general was very rewarding. This experience made me realize the disconnect that exists between researchers in the lab and the people outside and the great need to communicate science to the public and get kids and adults alike interested in science. I really enjoyed writing the articles for the Ask a Geneticist column as it allowed me to research and acquaint myself on some interesting topics. Writing and teaching science to kids challenged me at various levels and I encourage students and post-docs to give this a try.
Vashi Patel	Grad Student, Biological Sciences Tim Stearns Lab Research interests: Characterization of the human gamma-tubulin complex	My experience at The Tech was amazing. I went in thinking that I would be able to teach a lot of people about how wonderful genetics is but came out learning a lot myself. It gave me the opportunity to communicate, really communicate to others about important issues related to scientific research. The exhibit focuses on genetics, but this is just a portal through which the people who come through are able to talk about all kinds of scientific issues that they are faced with today. I met with people who came from all over the world and had the wonderful opportunity to see their eyes become wide with amazement when they learned more about themselves through the exhibits that we have at The Tech. Part of being a good scientist is having the ability to effectively communicate to others and I believe that this experience at The Tech has made me more capable of doing that.
Cheryl Chow	Research Assistant, Genetics Luca Cavalli-Sforza Lab Research interests: Genetic diversity of the Y Chromosome and ancient human migration	Working with visitors from around the Bay Area every week always brightened my Wednesdays. I enjoyed explaining DNA and other genetics terms, and seeing that "look" of understanding and the realization that they could do science. But more importantly, I learned firsthand about the process of exhibition design and development (an area typically unavailable to most museum volunteers!). As someone interested in a museum career, this program offered an unusual opportunity - one that I happily took advantage of - to create a new element of the genetics exhibit and prototype new hands-on programs. To sum it all up, I wish I could stay longer and this program is great if you are considering a career outside of the lab and/or want to get involved with museums and the local community.

Summer, Fall 2005

Simone Marticke	Grad Student, Genetics Rick Myers Lab Research interests: Global Mechanisms of Transcription in Mammalian Cells	A very rewarding learning experience Before working at The Tech, I didn’t have many chances to learn how to talk about science with the lay public. During the course of a typical day on the museum floor, I worked with a diverse range of visitors ranging from 6 years old to adults. This was a great experience, because I often had to switch gears quite quickly from one group of visitors to another. It was also a great opportunity to learn to gage a visitor’s familiarity of scientific concepts in a few minutes after meeting them, so that I could tailor an exhibit to their level of understanding and hopefully let them walk away knowing something more. Writing for the Ask a Geneticist column was also an enriching experience, both because I learned more about scientific writing for a lay audience, and because I researched and read about topics that were completely unrelated to my thesis topic, so that with each article I wrote, my own horizons were broadened as well.
Sarah Pierce	Grad Student, Genetics Ron Davis Lab Research interests: Yeast functional genomics	Working with the kids (and parents!) at The Tech Museum was a blast. It was great spending time talking to non-scientists. They learned about genetics while I learned a lot about how the general public views science. I was often surprised by the issues people cared the most about. Leading the demonstrations made me nervous at first because I have always been shy about public speaking, but it paid off big time by helping me get used to talking in front of a crowd. Learning how to write for non-scientists may sound like a specialized skill, but my scientific writing has benefited a lot from the tricks I learned for making articles clear and readable. I would recommend this experience for anyone. Of course it's a great opportunity for people who are considering alternative careers, but it is also great for those of us who aren't, since we probably need time away from the ivory tower the most.

Fall 2005, Winter 2006

Eric Churchill	Postdoc, Molecular Pharmacology Daria Mochly-Rosen Lab Research interest: Proteomic approaches to the treatment of cardiovascular disease	What an awesome time at The Tech. My time at The Tech was invaluable in forming my career. It showed me that teaching children is a viable option. My time spent doing experiments with kids that came through the museum made me realize that getting them interested in science may be more important than any discovery I might make in the lab. Educating children at this age can help grow the scientific community at an exponential rate. Seeing kids understand and get excited about the experiments I did with them was very rewarding. I hope to be a part of something like the genetics exhibit at The Tech throughout my career.
Kim Matulef	Postdoc, Molecular and Cellular Physiology Merritt Maduke Lab Research interest: Chloride ion channels and transporters	Working at The Tech has been a very rewarding experience. I greatly enjoyed learning to tailor each demonstration to the appropriate age level and seeing the kids’ excitement with science. Writing for the web site has helped me to communicate more clearly and given me an excuse to learn about science outside of my immediate field. It has also made me realize the obligation that we have as scientists to explain science to the public in an understandable manner. This past quarter, I have additionally had the opportunity to test a forthcoming exhibit for the museum. I have greatly enjoyed this challenge, and it has also given me an appreciation for the work that goes into exhibit design. I am sorry to see my time in this program ending, and I hope to continue to make scientific community outreach an important part of my life.
Natasha Miley	Grad Student, Developmental Biology Anne Villeneuve Lab Research interest: Chromosome pairing in C. elegans meiosis	The The Tech program is awesome. This program is great because you get experience in different ways to communicate science to people with a wide range of educational backgrounds. You can teach large or small groups, write for the Ask a Geneticist page, go behind the scenes of exhibit design, or come up with your own new thing that you want to try. The ability to explore different approaches is a fantastic opportunity to make an informed decision about what appeals to you most as a science educator.

Winter, Spring 2006

Aaron Shafer	Postdoc, Molecular and Cellular Physiology Brian Kobilka Lab Research interest: Activation mechanism of G protein-coupled receptors	My experience as a volunteer for The Tech Museum was a wonderful one. Never have I had a chance to work with such a diversity of children coming from many places around Northern California. Some of the kids traveled to the museum from towns as far away as Yosemite. Wow! Talk about commuting at a young age- but for them the trip was well worth it. The kids’ enthusiasm was a great reminder of taking in the wonders of nature and remembering why I went into a science career as a research scientist. Walking kids through the wet lab experiments was like fishing. The best part was when you know you hooked their curiosity because they actually understood what you’re talking about. Sometimes that was a real challenge as the attention spans varied greatly depending on whether they were first graders or high schoolers. Amazingly the little ones seemed to do quite fine. All in all, I would highly recommend this experience to any scientist with a remote interest in getting a taste of what’s like to be a teacher and ambassador for science.
David Tran	Postdoc, Biological Sciences Bruce Baker Lab Research interest: Neurobiology of Drosophila courtship behavior	I enjoyed my experiences at The Tech. It was a welcome break from research because I could interact with a wide variety of people. It was always worth it to see the eyes of kids light up when they realize the have the right answer or see the answer to some puzzle. Sometimes it’s adults too who still have that spark of wonderment. On a personal level I learned a lot from trying to transform complex scientific principles into easy to approach and understand lessons and examples. I believe that it is always a good thing to get scientists out of the cocoon of research and interact with and reach out to the public.

Spring, Summer 2006

Natalie Dye	Graduate Student, Biochemistry Julie Theriot Lab Research interest: Bacterial cytoskeletal proteins	My experience at The Tech was both challenging and rewarding. Working with the kids in the exhibit actually reminded me of why I got into science. The experiments are really fun, and the demonstration almost feels like a little magic show. Plus, I found it very interesting to see what the general public knows about genetics and science in general. And being able to teach them even the most basic things that we know was really enjoyable. I’d say that the experience is worthwhile for any student or postdoc, no matter what career path is in his/her future.
David Skibbe	Postdoc, Biological Sciences Virginia Walbot Lab Research interest: Maize molecular genetics	My experience at The Tech was phenomenal! Volunteering at The Tech was a great experience. The most fulfilling part for me was learning how to explain complex scientific questions to general audiences. While the “Ask a Geneticist” component was challenging, it provided me with the opportunity to teach my non-science friends and family more about cool scientific topics. Above all, I was proud to be a part of a program (and a vision) that stimulates young minds by sharing an enthusiasm for science.

Summer, Fall 2006

Bronwyn MacInnis	Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular and Cellular Physiology Miriam Goodman Lab Research interest: Genetics of Behavior, Learning, and Memory	Working at The Tech was both more fun and more challenging than I expected. I came to The Tech with the assumption that communicating scientific concepts to youth and lay audiences would be easy – just use simple words. But I quickly learned that there is a fine balance between ‘keeping it simple’ and losing all content and meaning. I improved my science communication skills by learning the power of a good analogy (thanks Barry!) and how to guide visitors through the exhibits at a level that was interesting and meaningful to each individual. It was rewarding to see people really get what you were teaching them, and to stimulate their interest in genetics and science in general.
Devasena Gnanashanmugam	Fellow, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Yvonne Maldonado Lab Research interest: Oral Polio Vaccine	So glad I did it! Working at The Tech was a completely rewarding experience. It was great to bring a little science directly into the community. The best was witnessing the "that's so cool!" moments from the kids. I also benefited by learning some genetics myself, and learning to write science for children. It was also great to be a part of launching a new exhibit, cheek cell staining.

Fall 2006, Winter 2007

Leremy Colf

Graduate Student, Biochemistry
Chris Garcia Lab

Research interest:
The Structural Basis of Alloreactivity

The best part of being at The Tech was seeing how excited museum visitors get about science.
Science is really cool, but sometimes I do the same thing so often that I forget just how exciting it can be. Teaching kids about proteins and DNA makes me remember what a great job I have! This excitement about teaching and learning transitions to training the new volunteers as well. It was great to see the changes in teaching style and interaction as new participants in the program discovered their own styles and really made the floor experiments their own. Because of my experiences at The Tech, I feel much more confident and capable in explaining my own research to others.

Winter, Spring 2007

Azita Alizadeh	Postdoc, Genetics Greg Barsh Lab Research interest: Genetics of pigmentation of cats and hamsters	Stanford at The Tech program is a multi-faceted and a unique program. Volunteering at The Tech was a wonderful and helpful experience for me for several reasons. This program enabled me to explain science to the public both in person and in writing and I believe that makes it a very unique and special program. I wrote several science articles that allowed me to research and learn about a new subject each time. Writing these science articles for the general public was a very rewarding and enjoyable experience for me and taught me to write about science in a simple way. Doing the programs about DNA extraction, protein purification, and DNA analysis using gel electrophoresis gave me the opportunity to interact and communicate with people of all ages and taught me to explain science in a fun and interesting way. I also had the chance to teach a class about DNA and human traits to 5th-7th grade students. I had a great experience at The Tech and I highly recommend it to both postdocs and graduate students at Stanford. Ultimately none of these opportunities would have been possible without Barry so I would like to thank Barry for being a great mentor to me.
Amy Radermacher	Grad student, Immunology Jerry Crabtree Lab Research interest: The development of the immune system	Every scientist should have an experience similar to The Tech. I learned so much while at The Tech. As scientists, we tend to get immersed in our very complicated, jargon filled world. Teaching at The Tech really helped me step back from that and be able to explain science to the public. Kids are a great learning ground for this because they're so responsive and filled with so much enthusiasm. In addition, the writing I did for the Understanding Genetics website was invaluable to wrapping my head around how to teach science. Because of my time at The Tech, I'm seriously considering making science writing a much larger part of my future career.
Shalu Srinivasan	Post-doc, Biological Sciences Susan K. McConnell Lab Research interest: Understanding the role of polarity in neural progenitor cell fate determination	Volunteering at The Tech exposed me to a new teaching and learning environment that an academic institution does not provide. Here, I not only learnt to explain science to non-scientists but also to get young brains very excited about the scientific process. To see young children's eyes light up when they saw their own cheek cells for the first time or when they carefully stashed away their little eppendorf tube with green fluorescent protein was the best reward I could get from this program. Interestingly, I also learnt how hard it is to write about scientific issues in a non-scientific, yet engaging manner. When I researched to answer questions that were posted by visitors to The Tech, I too learnt a lot about topics that were relatively new to me. In short, I would strongly encourage other students to avail themselves of this wonderful opportunity and learn more about science and themselves in the process!

Spring, Summer 2007

Dasha Glazer	Grad Student, Genetics Russ Altman Lab Research interest: Protein Dynamics	My experience at the museum was positive and challenging. I think that it is important for the scientific community to interact with general public and present their findings in simple terms. The internship program at The Tech provides a unique opportunity for students to see the scientific world from the perspective of those who are less involved in it, if at all, and gain skills to communicate scientific ideas and experiments outside of Stanford. The program's flexibility provides every participant many opportunities to contribute ideas as to what the program has to offer now and what it will become in the future. As part of this program, I helped adults and children of all ages perform experiments that introduced them to DNA, genes, proteins, cells, forensics and medicine. I also helped develop a new experiment that teaches about components of tasting, genes and taste buds. It was rewarding to see happy and interested faces of the museum visitors as they mastered complicated and elegant methods and ideas that biologists face on a daily basis. The length of the program was just right to become comfortable with relating scientific ideas to the general public and to develop an interest in pursuing similar types of volunteer work in the future.
Monica Rodriguez	Grad Student, Genetics Bruce Baker Lab Research interest: Drosophila sex determination	Such a rewarding experience! I had so much fun working at The Tech and learned a lot in the process. Watching children and parents take a real interest in science and come away with a better understanding of genetics is energizing and rewarding. I loved the challenge of explaining scientific concepts to people of all ages and backgrounds. The writing I did for the museum has definitely improved by ability to effectively communicate scientific ideas in a simple, succinct, and engaging manner. This experience has also given me an insight on just how much the general public understands about science and the issues they find most fascinating.

Summer, Fall 2007

Nanibaa' Garrison	Grad Student, Genetics Greg Barsh Lab Research interest: Genetics of human pigmentation	The best part of working at The Tech was watching kids’ eyes light up when they get excited about science. The kids were the ones who reminded me of why I pursued science in the first place. While some kids left inspired to become a scientist and cure cancer, other kids left with a shy smile after solving a simple genetics mystery. The energy and curiosity the kids brought was invigorating! During my Tech experience, I also discovered an interest in writing genetics articles for the public. By use of analogies, and with Barry’s help, I was able to break down complex genetics concepts into simpler, more meaningful ideas. This whole experience was very rewarding and a ton of fun.
Lucy Southworth	Grad Student, Genetics Stuart Kim Lab Research interest: Gene expression changes in mammalian aging
Ruth Tennen	Grad Student, Cancer Biology Steve Artandi Lab Research interest: Telomerase regulation in cancer and stem cells	Working at The Tech for two quarters was the most amazing experience I’ve had in grad school! When experiments weren’t working in lab, I knew that I’d get to spend every Friday morning with a bunch of super enthusiastic kids (and adults) who couldn’t wait to get their hands on a pipette. The ultimate reward? Hearing the kids explain to their parents and teachers that they were learning how to make medicine in bacteria, or helping solve a crime using DNA evidence, or staining their cheek cells and looking at the nucleus—things that I didn’t learn about until college. I loved answering all sorts of creative Ask-a-Geneticist questions, from the genetics of Tourette Syndrome to the existence of human chimeras to why people sneeze when they look into the sun. And writing Genetics in the News articles was an incredible experience—with Barry’s help, we were able to transform complicated, jargon-filled scientific articles into super exciting stories that (we hope!) will make people excited about scientific research. And although our main goal at the Tech was to spark kids’ (and adults’) enthusiasm and understanding of science, the past two quarters have re-inspired me to make teaching and writing about science a huge part of my future.

Fall 2007, Winter 2008

Colleen Brady	Grad Student, Cancer Biology Laura Attardi Lab Research interest: Transactivation-deficient p53 Mutants	I always loved science museums as a kid, but I never had the chance to experience a museum quite like The Tech. I would have loved it there! My experience at The Tech truly added a new element to my graduate career. The program taught me valuable communication skills in an entirely different way than TAing a Stanford course would. I learned so much by interacting with museum visitors and leading them through fun and engaging scientific experiments. By working with people outside of academia, I had to learn how to break down complicated concepts into easy-to-understand pieces. The best part was teaching elementary school students about DNA, proteins, and cells—things that I never learned about until college! The kids really understood the science, too. Every time someone walked away from the exhibit with a smiling face, I felt a sense of accomplishment.
Katie Cunningham	Grad Student, Biological Sciences Bill Burkholder Lab Research interest: Structure and function of a bacterial cell-cycle checkpoint	Working at The Tech was a fantastic opportunity to teach the public about science! The Tech exhibits provide a great, hands-on way to teach and think about science, and the experience is a unique way for graduate students to get involved in the community. I learned a lot about human genetics by answering the Ask a Geneticist questions. Helping out each week on the museum floor and writing about science really improved my ability to describe science in ways that are easy to understand. One of the neatest aspects of working at The Tech was contributing to the museum by helping to design a new exhibit. My Tech experience was also a great reminder of the responsibility that we have as scientists to educate the public about what we do.