I have always been an advocate for collaboration and this fellowship has created a space to allow me to further appreciate working with others. Working across disciplines is extremely beneficial for a few reasons. First, it can expand your perspective and give you new ideas for your own research. When discussing with students who are not familiar with your area of study, they may ask questions or bring up points you may not have considered. It’s very easy to fixate on one component of your research and you may lose sight of other aspects of it, so hearing a new opinion is never a bad thing. Second, it can spark your interest in other topics and help you explore another path you may not have considered, research and career wise. Third, it improves your communication skills because you are forced to learn how to explain your research. And then it explain it again. And then again. Rewording it in simpler terms for those who are not familiar with it solidifies your own understanding and in turn your ability to convey your knowledge. 

I have noticed a few general similarities between my work and other students. There are quite a few neuroscience majors, including myself, but the research topics are diverse. A lot of us are working towards discovering more about certain diseases and further exploring mechanisms our body uses to function. Granted, this is the health sciences research fellowship so that makes sense! However, every single project is using – for the most part – different techniques. There are lab techniques I’ve heard of but never had to use and there are students using them every day, and vice versa. Because I work with microfluidic devices in every experiment I forget that they are relatively novel and not many people have heard of them. Outside of my own research, one topic that stood out to me (although I’m not sure of the specifics) is about improving the outcomes of women recovering from uterine surgery. 

What I hope to learn from other students is a question I’ve been asked a lot throughout this fellowship and my genuine answer to that is “whatever I can”. I am going into this experience with an open mind and eager to hear about others’ research as well as their experience to get where they currently are and where they plan to go. So far, I’ve heard about a few different career paths that have led me to do my own internet deep dive about other healthcare related jobs to explore my options. It’s also a great way to just gain knowledge about new research. Reading research journal articles is great but hearing from someone in the lab who is doing the work is even better! Overall, I am a huge fan of interdisciplinary communication and am excited to see what else I learn throughout the rest of the summer!