Comments on: Math, Molecules, and Woman http://www.otherlobe.com/2010/01/math-molecules-and-woman/ A Blog About Experiential Education, Social Media, and the Brain... Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:02:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Rimma http://www.otherlobe.com/2010/01/math-molecules-and-woman/comment-page-1/#comment-679 Rimma Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:54:59 +0000 http://www.otherlobe.com/?p=300#comment-679 Hi Swapna and Jessica, It was nice to read about your success stories, it's really great to hear from other women in science! First, I wanted to comment on Swapna's response: I agree that a very big (and sometimes overlooked) advantage of coop is the ability to find out what you don't want to do. It is always important to realize that maybe the road you've been planning to go down might not truly be the road for you. The flexibility of coops (being able to leave after 6 months) really provides the right atmosphere to explore your options and help you find a career you will love. Jessica, thanks for bringing up the undergraduate research experience you had. I think exposing a student to the academic world during her undergraduate career really helps her get a taste of what it is truly like to be a woman in the sciences - and as we all know, it takes a bit of getting used to. -Rimma Hi Swapna and Jessica,

It was nice to read about your success stories, it’s really great to hear from other women in science! First, I wanted to comment on Swapna’s response: I agree that a very big (and sometimes overlooked) advantage of coop is the ability to find out what you don’t want to do. It is always important to realize that maybe the road you’ve been planning to go down might not truly be the road for you. The flexibility of coops (being able to leave after 6 months) really provides the right atmosphere to explore your options and help you find a career you will love. Jessica, thanks for bringing up the undergraduate research experience you had. I think exposing a student to the academic world during her undergraduate career really helps her get a taste of what it is truly like to be a woman in the sciences - and as we all know, it takes a bit of getting used to.

-Rimma

]]> By: Jim Stellar http://www.otherlobe.com/2010/01/math-molecules-and-woman/comment-page-1/#comment-667 Jim Stellar Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:44:59 +0000 http://www.otherlobe.com/?p=300#comment-667 Jessica, Swapna, Thanks for your comments. I will leave the a more personal response to comments on women in the sciences and in the professions to Rimma. I just wanted to reiterate here that experiences and especially successful ones can dissolve that invisible box that we so easily put around ourselves from our socialization history. The killer for me is that so often we do not even see it. This is how society kept women or other groups down for thousands of years. Sometimes otherlobe processing is not helpful. -Jim Jessica, Swapna,
Thanks for your comments. I will leave the a more personal response to comments on women in the sciences and in the professions to Rimma. I just wanted to reiterate here that experiences and especially successful ones can dissolve that invisible box that we so easily put around ourselves from our socialization history. The killer for me is that so often we do not even see it. This is how society kept women or other groups down for thousands of years. Sometimes otherlobe processing is not helpful.
-Jim

]]> By: jessica http://www.otherlobe.com/2010/01/math-molecules-and-woman/comment-page-1/#comment-664 jessica Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:47:24 +0000 http://www.otherlobe.com/?p=300#comment-664 I have always known that I wanted to go to medical school based on my interest in the sciences. Although, secretly I love math, physics and doing research too! Thankfully, I was able to do research within the bio department at NU and with LSMAP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) for a year. After graduation I did an internship at the University of Pennsylvania working with a doctor on her published clinical trials research. I honestly can say that all of these experiences solidified my drive to enter med school and to be where I am now. Although the journey was a bit tough, I do wish there were more direction in higher education to develop and test programs that maximize the ability to actually do something you are passionate about in life. So, kudos to women who love the sciences! I have always known that I wanted to go to medical school based on my interest in the sciences. Although, secretly I love math, physics and doing research too! Thankfully, I was able to do research within the bio department at NU and with LSMAP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) for a year. After graduation I did an internship at the University of Pennsylvania working with a doctor on her published clinical trials research. I honestly can say that all of these experiences solidified my drive to enter med school and to be where I am now. Although the journey was a bit tough, I do wish there were more direction in higher education to develop and test programs that maximize the ability to actually do something you are passionate about in life. So, kudos to women who love the sciences!

]]> By: Swapna Rao http://www.otherlobe.com/2010/01/math-molecules-and-woman/comment-page-1/#comment-661 Swapna Rao Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:04:43 +0000 http://www.otherlobe.com/?p=300#comment-661 This is an important interview for female students interested in the hard sciences. As a fellow graduate from Northeastern, I can definitely relate to the importance and impact 'coop' had on me, perhaps even more so than academic instruction. Getting practice in various job situations really helped boost my confidence and learn skills not directly related to my major - skills that even more important, like dealing with different kinds of people, interacting with bosses, becoming more organized, etc. Coop helped me steer away from a career I thought I 'should' do towards one I actually wanted to do from my heart. Although the road was winding, I am so appreciative of it all. This is an important interview for female students interested in the hard sciences. As a fellow graduate from Northeastern, I can definitely relate to the importance and impact ‘coop’ had on me, perhaps even more so than academic instruction. Getting practice in various job situations really helped boost my confidence and learn skills not directly related to my major - skills that even more important, like dealing with different kinds of people, interacting with bosses, becoming more organized, etc. Coop helped me steer away from a career I thought I ’should’ do towards one I actually wanted to do from my heart. Although the road was winding, I am so appreciative of it all.

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