Stanford at The Tech: Student Testimonials
2007-2008 Participants
Fall 2006, Winter 2007
Leremy Colf
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Grad Student, Genetics Stuart Kim Lab Research interest: Gene expression changes in mammalian aging |
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Ruth Tennen
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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
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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
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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. |
Winter, Spring 2008
Jason Hoyt
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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
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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
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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 |
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Jose Morillo |
Grad Student, Developmental Biology Margaret Fuller Lab Research interest: Epigenetics of stem cell identity and function |
Summer, Fall 2008
George Wang |
Grad Student, Biological Sciences Kang Shen Lab Research interest: Nervous System Development |
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Jamie Conklin |
Grad Student, Genetics Julien Sage Lab Research interest: Control of embryonic stem cells |
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Sandeep Ravindran |
Grad Student, Microbiology & Immunology John Boothroyd Lab Research interest: Protein secretion mechanisms of the parasite Toxoplasma |
2003-2006 Participants
Fall 2003, Winter 2004
Dan Ginsburg
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Associate Professor, Genetics Mike Cherry Lab Research interest: Genome databases |
Winter 2005
Karen Fitch
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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. |
This project was supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Center For Research Resources, National Institutes of Health. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.
