Artiscence

I've been to the Annual Biomedical Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) three times now, twice as an undergrad and once (so far) as a graduate student and I think this might be my last (maybe).  The ABRCMS is a conference devoted to the leadership training of minority students. It is largely focused on encouraging higher learning, i.e. graduate school, medical school or something akin to those two.  The first time I went to ABRCMS (2008, Florida), I had just started my Junior year in college, I was still undecided on graduate school or medical school, but I knew it would be one or the other. Also, I had just started independent study the summer before and gave a poster presentation of the lab's work. Again, being a junior, I found ABRCMS very appealing. It was in-fact the first large conference I had been to and seeing so many other students (that looked like me) interested in biology and research was amazing to me. ABRCMS promoted minority students involvemen...

Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California eat, walk, see the floating restaurant,  buy some trinkets, shop,  ride the Powell-Hyde cable cars,  go to Ghirardelli Square act like a tourist and take loads of photos,  go to/or take photos of Fisherman's Grotto,  Pompei's Grotto and Alioto's, eat more seafood, try the Dungeness crab and clam chowder, watch the time skip by Realize how late it is getting and say goodbye to Fisherman's Wharf.

It is true. Passing the qualifying exam is no easy feat. The process of studying for the exam is more daunting and challenging than the two hours spent taking the exam itself. So, how do you reduce stress and maximize your studying potential while preparing for the Quals? I have 10 suggestions based on MY personal experience to share with you. 1. Start thinking early 2. Select your committee members ( more info? click here ) 3. Have a "pre-exam meeting" with your committee members ( more info? click here ) 4. Read foundational materials in your field 5. Build your study around your thesis (if your exam is thesis-focused) 6. Read articles, then, read them again 7. Prepare an outline for the written AND oral exam 8. Practice, practice practice 9. Give yourself a break every now and then 10. Take your exam Breathe deeply, introduce yourself and start. It helps if you include a biography slide because spending the first minute or so giving them your academic backgr...

Iya ni wura iye biye Ti a kole fo wo ra.... My mom has always wanted to visit me. But between my schedule and hers, it never happened...until a month and a half ago. Let me step back a bit. I have never been away from my mom for an extended period of time. I've always been home. When my younger brother went off to boarding school and my older siblings went off to university, and my dad came to the U.S., I went to school that's a stone throw away from my house. In those days, when it was just the two of us, we would eat dinner early and watch TV or read or talk. Even when I got into college, I went from home, every day for 4.5 years. So when I started applying for graduate school, I knew I will finally be leaving NY and home. So did my mom. She kept planning to come visit me where ever I ended up. I was in Providence for a year and we made plans for her to come for a weekend but it just never happened. So now when she brought it up again, I decided t...