Concrete Foundations

10/10/2022

This week in ISM was an exciting opportunity for me. Through the ISM Business Symposium, I gained invaluable foundations of networking, forging connections, and interview skills. I want to keep improving my communication skills to have more meaningful conversations with my peers.

Furthermore, I had the opportunity to interview three professionals. As an aspiring physician-scientist, it was wonderful to hear about the different directions the MD/Ph.D. degree offers. It was also very insightful to learn about the varying careers they led because of their interests. One of the physician-scientists I interviewed was also a pathologist, which has been a strong interest of mine. A question I am currently researching is about the work-life balance of these professions.

The most challenging part of my week was my assessment. I chose to analyze a research paper analyzing POLE mutations in mice models to gain a better perspective on cancer research. It was difficult to understand the research, but by annotating, refreshing my knowledge, and learning more about the processes described, I truly learned from it.

Next week, I hope to keep interviewing more professionals and pan out my original work ideas. I want to continue honing my interview skills and questions to gain more insight into my future