Summer: A time for self-reflection

A shot of downtown Manhattan from the World Trade Center (40th floor).

So it's been almost 2 weeks since my last post. Things have been chugging along quite nicely in the lab and I feel like my research experience has helped me to re-evaluate my current career trajectory. As my mom can attest, I spent about the first 2 weeks here freaking out about what exactly I want to do with my life. I've always made the assumption that I would go on to a PhD program, work as a postdoc, and eventually become a research professor. But truth is, life is never so easily mapped out. I've had multiple occasions here at Einstein where I realized that there are a plethora of places I could end up and still be happy.

Our visit to the WTC was thanks to a panel the SURP program took us to, regarding MD/PhD programs.

The trick is knowing what I love to do. I love to learn new things (hence why research excites me so much). I love teaching things I've picked up to others (thus, my preference for gaining some kind of position as an instructor). I love neuroscience (and I plan on never leaving the field!).

During my time in NYC, I've certainly been trying lots of
new, delicious foods! Here is a picture from Max Brenners
(a chocolate restaurant) where I had a S'mores Sunday.

But these three passions can all be met by a variety of jobs and opportunities. That's what this summer is teaching me to see- that I have so many possibilities ahead of me and I should evaluate all of them before making any assumptions about the right path for me.

All this being said, I still am DEFINITELY getting a PhD. I don't think I could be happy without becoming an expert in my field and having all the experiences associated with doing your own research experiment. So, I will continue to peruse graduate school applications during my lunch break and enjoy every opportunity here in the 'Empire State.'

The Manhattan skyline from rooftop...

...before the grand fireworks from the Hudson River.

And let's not forget, I've gotten to see some old friends from ATX!

PS- My old roomie, Kelsey, met the folks from Radiolab to which I must admit I am eternally jealous. If they ever need a correspondent in Texas, I'll gladly work for them for free! Just saying....

And to make my 4th of July weekend complete, a
wonderful trip out to Bear Mountain for lovely hiking!

Scientific Integrity

When friends find out that I'm interested in neuroscience, one of the first reactions I get is a question along the lines of "I saw a news article that said ____, but I thought the news was saying the exact opposite thing a year ago! What gives?" Their reaction is usually due to some short blurb about a new discovery in science or psychology that later is disproven by another study. For the general public, this is a frustrating cycle and seems to prove science as generally unreliable.

While I understand the sentiment, I believe the public doesn't understand the pressure of academia going on behind the scenes. With the national government continuing to cut funding for research, the already competitive field of academia becomes an even harder environment to survive. Researchers are reminded by their department heads that their funding is dependent on releasing newsworthy, dramatic results on a consistent basis. With all the pressure to publish, and publish big, it's hardly surprising that papers from big journals like Science or Nature get retracted. Just look at this listing of big names and big discoveries that were later retracted because of bad science.

And these are just the ones that were caught. Before a paper is published, it is reviewed by a panel of peers. But these reviewers don't get any official reward for playing editor and often do not look closely into the data analyses. And even if they did, the reviewers can't necessarily spot data that has just plain been made-up! And when these faulty papers get published, their repercussions can last for decades. Just look at what this one paper on autism and vaccines did to public health policy in the UK and US.

So, how do we combat scientific fraud? How do we make sure our scientists are publishing their true findings, without massaging the data? There's no simple answer to these tough questions. But I know that as my career in cognitive neuroscience continues, I will remember the damage false findings can create and keep my papers clean of such scientific fraud.

Oh, and yes- I have done more than just ponder the ethical issues facing researchers today. In fact, I've been up to quite a lot! Here's a short photo-list of the past week's high-lights:

The summer program I'm in took me to see Motown on Broadway!

I spent a day by myself in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a
sculpture of Eros, god of love.

The skyline from atop the Met Art Museum

Just chilling with my homie at the Met

The armor exhibit at the Met

An Asian carving of a lion- can't remember from which region.

Had dinner with my roomie from back home and got
gelato for dessert!

We "SURP-ers" had a grill out on friday with plenty of food and good company.

A trip to Coney Island sunday was perfect!

As you can see, the weather was a bit cool and misty, but that meant no
lines for any of the rides!

Auditory Stream Segregation

It's only been a week of research and adventure, but already I feel quite settled into my new home here at Albert Einstein College. And even better, I find I have already made progress on my work in the lab and feel that I am really learning a whole new skill set.

For example, how do you first distinguish
between sounds in a loud environment
like the NYC streets?

But I suppose I should start with the basics of what my lab is currently researching. As you may recall, I said in my last blog that Dr. Sussman is interested in auditory processing. But to be more specific than that, her lab is focused on unraveling the process called stream segregation. The simplest way to explain stream segregation is through example. Imagine yourself walking into a crowded area with people and noise all around. When you first enter, it all seems like one big cacophony but after some time, your brain distinguishes between sources and 'dials down' the ones that are deemed unimportant. Thus, in a crowded restaurant you can still focus on the conversation at hand and not be distracted by surrounding background noise.

With this general premise, the Sussman lab has run multiple experiments trying to tease apart how we recognize novel sounds and respond to them. Since most of these experiments have been completed, I have been focused on transforming this data into something easier to understand. AKA, I've been learning how to make pretty figures of ERPs and voltage maps. It sounds simple, but learning to use the software has been a fun challenge. And hopefully, some of my work will make it's way into a publication at the end of this all!

Here are some of the voltage maps I've made so far.

Oh, and yes, I've still been exploring NYC and all it has to offer (which is a lot!). So far this week, I haven't hardly been home before midnight because I've been off on some adventure. Whether that be a CollegeHumor live comedy show or a trip to the beach, it's been busy yet thrilling. I expect this next week will bring new challenges as well as explorations!

CollegeHumor live for $5- what a deal!

Beach adventure! What perfect weather!

First Bite of the Big Apple

As I said in my last post, I'm finally here in New York. I've never even been to the east coast before (besides a short weekend in Boston for Taekwondo), so it's been a completely new experience for me. And I'm not going to lie, my first day in 'the city' had me feeling gape-mouthed like a total tourist. Thank god I had my fellow SURP-ers to explore with this weekend and get a feel for the city.

We went into FAO Schwartz toy store- overwhelming! 

As soon as I saw the Rockefeller Plaza, the theme
song to 30 Rock popped into my head and
wouldn't leave! 

More Rockefeller..

This was at Times Square... I think. I was
engrossed in a conversation about research
at this point.

This was at Union Square and I don't know
what it is but I thought it looked cool.

I'm dying to try out the CitiBike project they
just started where you can rent a bike for a day!

This was taken from the High-line. It's
essentially an old train line that has been
converted into a garden walk that goes
over the city streets.

More High-line. It was so beautiful and
peaceful! I definitely plan to return!

Just to give you a taste, we walked from the lower part of Central Park to Union Square to the High-line and some beyond that. To tell the truth, I'm not exactly completely sure where-all we went. It was an over-whelming first day, followed by a second Sunday adventure across the Brooklyn Bridge. I haven't walked this much since back-packing when I was back in high school! I know I should have been expecting the city to be this huge, but it really hasn't hit me until finally walking the streets. I can't believe I get to spend the whole summer doing research and exploring Manhattan.

From the pier on Fulton Street.

Longhorn in Manhattan!

Freedom Tower near Ground Zero

The Brooklyn Bridge! 

I'm finally getting the hang of panoramic shots on my phone.

Oh yeah, research. That's the reason I'm here- right? Well, so far I haven't really gotten started with my actual research project. I've been assigned to Dr. Elyse Sussman's lab for the next eight weeks to continue my experience in EEG. In fact, it turned out to be the perfect match! I've spent the majority of the past year running participants on EEg, but now I get to try the other side of the coin and do actual data analyses. Based on the information I've been given so far, I will be processing an EEG data set and look for specific ERP components. It will be interesting to do work related to the auditory system instead of sleep (of which I am more familiar). But as things stand now, I've only been reading up on the subject and hope to start the real work this week!

Taken from Brooklyn.