This summer, I took a road trip that ran through South Carolina and decided to stop by Sumter, a little town where I had lived for a few years as a preteen. Of Sumter’s 40,000 residents, 20.6% live below the poverty line, with a median household income of $38,562. Although the poverty rate in Baltimore […]
Water Conservation, Research and Life in Cape Town, South Africa
Posted by | A Day in the LifeI went to Cape Town, South Africa, to perform predissertation research on water management. I returned home with a transformed attitude toward personal water conservation. Soon after I landed in Cape Town in mid-June, I heard the catchy phrase: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” In case you are […]
Their DNA Will Remember: The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Detention
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchOne of the hottest topics debated in the 2020 presidential race so far has been immigration reform. There has been widespread outrage centered on the separation of families and the horrible conditions and long stays in detention centers along our southern borders. Detainees hope they’ll be released as soon as possible, but for the children […]
Insights from the Rock Health Enterprise Insights Series
Posted by | Events and HappeningsThe explosion of digital health interventions has prompted significant investment. As the industry has begun to mature, substantial effort has been made to create an efficient, two-sided market — with startups on one side as sources of innovation, and enterprises on the other as drivers of large-scale impact. To get a sense of current trends […]
The Dengue Vaccine Controversy Explained
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchDengue, a virus endemic to Latin America and Southeast Asia, infects about 400 million people and causes about 25,000 deaths each year by dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). To date there is no cure for dengue, and its toll hits hardest in areas with poorly developed medical systems. Due to the deadly consequences of this virus, […]
The ‘GRExit’: Cause and Effect
Posted by | Perspectives in ResearchWithin the past few years, a growing number of biomedical Ph.D. programs across the country have been ditching the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as an admissions requirement and moving toward a more holistic approach. With arguably little information about each applicant to use for admissions decisions, admissions committees rely on GRE scores as part of […]
Do’s and Don’ts for Preparing for Your Thesis Committee Meeting: Part 2
Posted by | A Day in the LifeFrom planning the date to structuring your presentation, these tips from current and former Ph.D. students can guide you through the process and help you prepare for a productive meeting that will set you up for a successful year. This post is part two of two, focusing on how to execute a successful meeting presentation. […]
The Great Baltimore Ice Cream Crawl: Living in the Golden Age of Frozen Dairy
Posted by | A Day in the LifeNothing spells summer in Baltimore like the smell of hot asphalt, the sulfurous haze of backyard fireworks and the sweet siren’s call of a faraway ice cream truck. But if the weather’s heating up and you’re feeling down, take a day to get outside, explore the city and experience its thriving frozen dairy dessert scene […]
Reflections on Pride Month As a Gay Scientist
Posted by | A Day in the LifeMost days, I just think of myself as a scientist. But in honor of Pride Month, I am embracing my identity as not just any scientist but specifically a gay scientist by reflecting on the struggles I’ve faced as a gay student and the challenges LGBTQ+ scientists face today. It’s easy to minimize the difficulties […]
Do’s and Don’ts for Preparing for Your Thesis Committee Meeting
Posted by | A Day in the LifeEvery year, after passing the dreaded preliminary oral exam, Ph.D. students are required to meet with their thesis advisory committee (TAC) to assess their progress and plan future work. These meetings can be incredibly valuable, and they provide important check-ins during the sometimes chaotic day-to-day lab work. While preparing for my last TAC meeting, I […]