Recent Brackenridge Fellowship seminars have focused on refining significance statements, assessing the appropriateness of jargon in scholarly writing, and authoring translational abstracts for an expansive audience. Clear and accurate communication of research motivations, findings, and significance is necessary to integrate one’s research into a discipline’s broader scholarly tradition, invite scholars to employ other disciplines in…
Author: Michael Sobol
Brackenridge 2: My Cohort
The first few weeks of the Brackenridge Fellowship have been marked by intensive research, interdisciplinary community-building, and beautiful Pittsburgh summer weather. It has been wonderful to meet the other summer fellows–including those in the Health Sciences Research Fellowship and the new SHURE-Grid program–to learn about their backgrounds, research interests, and career goals. While our interests…
Brackenridge 1: Introduction
Hi Everyone! My name is Mike Sobol, and I am a rising senior from Buffalo, NY. I am pursuing dual degrees here at Pitt–a BPhil in Politics & Philosophy and a BS in Neuroscience–as well as minors in Chemistry and Economics. On campus, I’m a teaching assistant for Biochemistry and Honors Organic Chemistry, a leader…
CURF 3: One Project Ends, Another Begins
Throughout the last three months of work on my Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship project, my understanding of bioethics as an interdisciplinary field has expanded remarkably. I began the semester planning to investigate the specific, controversial case of neonatal euthanasia as a microcosm of ethical debate about a right to life and a right to die…
CURF 2: Building Bridges in Research
As a high-schooler passionate about science and pursuing a pre-medical pathway, the University of Pittsburgh seemed like a natural next step in my educational journey. With Pittsburgh’s sprawling healthcare industry, rigorous graduate programs, and growing Honors College, there are abundant opportunities for research. As I had dreamed of before coming to Pitt, I have since…
CURF 1: Beginning with Bioethics and the BPhil in Mind
Hi Everyone! My name is Mike Sobol, and I am a junior from Buffalo, NY (still recovering from the Bills’ playoff performance). I am pursuing dual degrees here at Pitt–a BPhil in Politics & Philosophy and a BS in Neuroscience–as well as minors in Chemistry, Economics, and Physics. On campus, I’m a teaching assistant for…
Wrapping Up the CUTF: Reflecting on a Case Study Semester
With less than two weeks remaining in the Spring 2022 semester, my project mentor, Dr. Scott Nelson, and I are wrapping up the UHC Organic Chemistry II Case Study Supplement and working with students to prepare for their final examination. We are also reflecting on the integration of the Case Study Supplement with the course…
CUTF Learning Through Teaching: Carrying On With the Case Study
As a member of the high school Class of 2020, my transition to college was anything but smooth and typical. I drove through a parking lot for graduation, gave a valedictory address from my living room, and spent my first year at the University of Pittsburgh at home, 212 miles away from the Cathedral of…
Kicking Off the CUTF: Synthesizing Knowledge through Case Study Problem-Solving
Hello all! My name is Mike Sobol, and I am thrilled to be participating in the Spring 2022 Chancellor’s Undergraduate Teaching Fellowship. I am a sophomore in the University Honors College pursuing dual degrees in Neuroscience and Politics & Philosophy. This semester, I am working with Dr. Scott Nelson as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA)…