I was expecting more of BIOL 355 with this course, looking at varying aspects of cellular biology. Instead, Professor Schivell presented the class with one thing the whole quarter: the insulin signalling pathway. I was at first irritated at the specificity of knowledge, but as the quarter grew on, I realized the importance of the class. We, the students, constructed the pathway from independent research papers showing different aspects of the signal transduction. This summation of knowledge is key in the sciences, not to mention that the general concepts we learned to understand the insulin signalling pathway are applicable to other cellular processes as well. I am very satisfied with the information I obtained and the new ability I have for synthesizing the results of scientific research.
The final project for BIOL 401 was to draw a textbook model of the insulin signalling pathway we studied throughout the quarter. Challenges with this project not only included making sure the information in my figure was correct, but also that I was presenting it in a simple, clear enough way. In the end, I came up with the following figure:
My Journey - The Next Route Over
My biggest takeaway from BIOL 401 came not from any project or assignment, but rather from a relatively brief conversation with my TA, Tim. During one class session, Tim mentioned he was doing an M.D.-Ph.D. dual degree program (also known as a medical scientist training program, or MSTP). I had not heard about these before, but Tim quickly explained that these 7-8 year programs resulted in an M.D. and Ph.D., allowing graduates to become "physician investigators" that are more primed for clinically focuses research. Given that my goals have always been centered around some form of biomedical research, I realized that this would also be a fitting educational path for myself.
I spent the following weeks messing with my schedule. Previously a student focused on a Ph.D. only, I had to move classes around and ensure that I could accomplish all of the pre-med requirements before graduation, many courses which are not needed for the biology or math majors. Writing this near the end of my time as an undergraduate, I can say that I successfully completed these prereqs and have primed myself for the opportunity to take on a more challenging future educations than I initially planned. Should I choose, I can pursue a medical education after graduate school.
Last on the list of courses, a class that made me put more than STEM on my diploma: