Career evolution

I think I am experiencing a career evolution. Well, at least I observed a new role for myself within my career. Currently I am a fifth year graduate student striving toward completing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences... and I still feel much like a student since I believe that I need more training and advice in order to become a better scientific researcher. However, within the past month, it just hit me that I have begun to mentor other students who are also seeking a career in the sciences. I did not realize that I had actually reached a point at which others sought my opinions and advice. I have always wanted to mentor students... I just did not think I would begin to do so this soon. I have no complaints, only joy! Listed below are a couple of tidbits of advice I shared with students.

Seek help when you need it...
I came from a high school that did not adequately prepare me for many college-level courses, which made me sometimes feel a bit nervous about how I would perform relative to my classmates. Since I felt nervous, I sought out help to make sure I did the best I could in those courses by signing up for on-campus tutoring. Some may think tutoring is costly. However, many campuses offer free tutoring, so

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A summer of scientific research and teaching

There has been a lot going on during summer 2008. Over the past five weeks I served as a mentor for undergraduates in a summer research program hosted by my university. In this role, I assisted a small group of students with constructing scientific research posters and offered advice about the graduate school experience.


Just this past week I finished a course that counts toward receiving a certificate in college teaching. I decided to enroll in this certificate program because

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So much to do, too little time...

Where do the hours in the day go?? I began my experiments upon arrival into the lab this morning and before I knew it, it was 2 o’clock and I was not anywhere near finished with the first task on my list of experiments to perform today. Time in the lab just seems to vanish even faster when reading current research articles, having impromptu meetings with colleagues, and attending seminars and vendor fairs are added to the never-ending list of things to do. Each day, I juggle these activities within only eight hours. My time is quite stunted in the lab because I have to pick up my daughter from her after school program by 6pm everyday. And while I am in the lab, I can only focus on

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Introducing Minority Scientist

I am an African-American female working towards a Ph.D. in the biomedical sciences. As I progress through my studies, I find that I constantly seek information to strengthen my future as a scientific researcher. During my inquires, I often encounter information that I know other minorities, including women and underrepresented peoples, in science ranging from jr. high school students to faculty members could find useful. I also receive tidbits of wisdom from other minorities in science who are well-established in the field.

I aim to share this knowledge with you in the hopes that if you cannot use it directly, that you pass it on to other minorities in science who may find the info valuable.

Also, I would really appreciate that you email topics that you are interested in exploring and/or any information you believe to be useful to other minorities in science to Minority.Scientist.

Privacy policy for Minority.Scientist

My intention for this blog is to SHARE information that may be helpful to you.  Therefore I do not mind if you re-post information from my blog elsewhere.  I only ask that if you post anything from this site elsewhere that you provide a link back to http://minority-scientist.blogspot.com. Thanks!