Hope MartinJunior CMPBIO major First year is a hard time for all incoming college students. Personally, I came into Pitt not totally sure what my career path was going to look like or what I wanted to do with my major. This ended up causing me to me change my major many times before figuring out what I could really see myself doing long term. Although I wish I had figured out my major sooner, I have some suggestions for students who might be in the same boat I was in.
The first most important thing about picking a major path in general is to not be afraid of trying something new! My major now is Computational Biology. Before I had landed on my major, I was intimidated by computer science courses. I felt like I should have taken Computer Science courses in high school and I had missed the chance to get into the field. I could not have been more incorrect! It is never too late to learn something new. In fact, there are even a few 30+ year olds in my classes now who decided to go back to school to get their computer science degrees. If computer science sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend trying out some of the computational biology courses. Maybe take CS0011, which is the introduction programming/computer science course for computational biology majors. The best part about the computational biology major is that it gets half of its requirements from the computer science department and half from the biology department. It is really nice to be a part of two different departments because I meet twice the amount of people and have double the experience since I will be qualified to work in both a scientific research based setting as well as a software engineering based setting coming out of undergrad. Computational biology students who are looking to do more in the computer science field and possibly go into software engineering should definitely take part in the two computer science clubs here at Pitt. The general Computer Science Club gives great lectures to guide students on how to get internships, experience, and jobs out of school. The Women in Computer Science Club offers a nice community for women in the field to get to know and support each other. If you are still looking for a major and Computational Biology does not sound right to you, try some of the different specialized biology classes. While the general Biological Sciences major allows you to build your own elective schedule, a lot of the other specialized biology majors (Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Ecology & Evolution) help guide you to find courses similar to the ones you are most interested in. For example, I really loved my Ecology class and the Ecology & Evolution major has a lot of great required courses around that subject area. There’s nothing wrong with trying out different majors until you find the one you like the best. Just make sure you enjoy your courses and find something you are passionate about!
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Sarah ReillyMICRO Junior Last Summer, I got matched into Dr. Kevin Kohl’s lab for the HHMI Mentor-Mentee Fellowship Program and I have continued doing research in his lab since then. Dr. Kohl obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biology and Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his Doctor of Philosophy in Biology from the University of Utah and continued his post-doctoral research at Vanderbilt University and at Universidad Nacional de San Luis, which is located in Argentina! He came to Pittsburgh in 2017, where he became PI of a lab and an assistant professor in the Biological Sciences Department. Dr. Kohl’s lab focuses on research pertaining to physiological ecology and microbial ecology of the digestive system. As well as how a hosts' ecology and evolutionary history shape their digestive physiology and interactions with their gut microbial communities. Working with Dr. Kohl is and always has been a wonderful experience because of the flexibility in research he offers with the undergraduates and the kindness and support everyone in the lab has shown and continues to show. I chose to interview Dr. Kohl because of the positive influence he has had on me this past year and for students to learn more about the life of a PI and professor at Pitt. Host-microbe interactions are becoming increasingly important in today’s research and if this sounds interesting to you, read some of Dr. Kohl’s, and the graduate student’s papers! (especially since we’re all stuck inside right now- http://www.kevindkohl.com/). How was your spring break and what fun activities did you do?
My spring break was largely spent being able to do lab work. However, I was able to take some relaxing mornings hanging out with my pets (dog Dexter and cat Stella). And then the pandemic hit ;) What classes do you teach and what is your favorite class to teach at Pitt? I teach Environmental Animal Physiology. I love this class because they are such interesting stories to teach. For example, how do birds fly over Mount Everest? How do rodents survive in the desert with no water? I took this class when I was a junior in my undergrad, and I remember then thinking that this would be the class I wanted to teach in the future. What made you interested in the gut microbiome? I started my PhD at the University of Utah just as the microbiome field was growing. It was largely being studied in the human field, with just a few folks applying microbiome science to ecology/evolution. It’s such a fascinating field because there are just so so many unanswered questions. It’s really fun to be working at the forefront of this new research area. When not teaching or being involved in the biology department, what are your other hobbies? I enjoy hiking, camping, and other outdoor activities. Within the last few years, after watching too much Great British Baking Show, I’ve also taken up baking desserts as a hobby. I also really enjoy hosting things (dinner parties, game nights, etc). How did you make your decision to go to graduate school and to pursue a PhD? I entered a research lab when I was a sophomore in college. There I was studying how the digestive physiology of nestling birds is able to respond to the types of food that their parents might bring them (carb-rich seeds vs protein-rich insects). I really enjoyed the entire research process of working on a problem that we didn’t know the answer to. I also tend to be a very curious person, and so I’m constantly thinking of new questions and new connections between different things I’ve learned. Graduate school and a PhD was the perfect way to feed this curiosity and to continue to learn about areas of biology that interested me. What research are you interested in and currently involved in? I am extremely interested in how gut microbes might be driving physiological adaptations in animals. For example, one of my graduate students is looking at how gut microbes help amphibians deal with warm temperatures. We are also studying how different gut microbes help rodents with different feeding strategies (herbivores or insectivores) process their food differently. If you were to give advice to incoming students interested in pursuing a degree in the biology department what would it be? Engage in or take ownership of your classes and other opportunities/experiences. It’s important to not passively move through your degree doing the minimum to get by. Think critically about the content of your classes and ask your professors questions of things you are curious about. Get involved in independent research, outreach, or other opportunities that the department has to offer. What would your advice be for students who are graduating and are unsure of what steps to take next when it comes to going to grad school, med school or the workforce? It is more than appropriate to take time off before jumping in to any of these opportunities! However, do your best to continue building your resume and gaining experiences. These could be internships, joining as seasonal field techs, or jobs at medical institutions. These experiences will help to clarify what you like and don’t like and where you want to go in the future. What made you want to become a PI and run your own lab? I really enjoy research, and I also really enjoy mentoring people. It’s fun to see people’s research projects develop, and to see them grasp the concepts. It’s also nice to be able to work on so many questions that I’m interested in by mentoring other folks through there projects. Essentially, my team of people increases the amount of science I’m able to learn about! What is your favorite part about having undergraduates in your lab? My own undergraduate research experience was extremely formative in where I ended up today. That was shaped by the PI of my lab, who took time to meet and discuss research progress with the undergrads. So, I want to do my part to return that favor. It’s also fun to have undergrads in the lab, especially in the summer. They help to make it a dynamic and fun place to work! Colton BrownSenior BIOSC major and soon-to-be student at Pitt Dental It's almost that time of year: application season!
Applying to dental schools can be daunting; however, you can knock out parts of the application early to lessen the stress come June. The entire application is completed online through the ADEA AADSAS portal. In mid-May, the application portal has a “soft opening” where applicants can begin to fill out the specific sections, but the applications cannot be submitted until June 1st. All schools require applicants to use the ADEA portal. In addition, some schools may have supplemental short answer or essay questions that they will send via email following the submission of your application. As you may already know, applications to any graduate school can be costly. Through the portal, the first school you apply to costs $251, and every school that follows costs $108. Most schools will contact you via email following your submission requesting an additional application fee through their own process. These fees typically range from $50-$150. Depending on your GPA, DAT score, and extracurriculars, most people apply to 8-12 dental schools. If you have not done so already, it is important to have a plan in place to cover these costs as they can quickly add up to a few thousand dollars. The first part of the application is the “Personal Information” section. This section includes demographic, citizenship, parental/guardian, and race/ethnicity information. Following this section is the “Academic History” portion. Here, you will enter information about your DAT scores, high school, and the transcripts/coursework from each college or university that you attended. Acquiring these transcripts takes time because you must send a transcript from any collegiate level school that you took a course through (even in high school). You must acquire a form from your application portal once it opens, and this must be mailed to each school. For Pitt, I walked to Thackeray Hall (can order online) with the printed form to save time. Once the schools receive this form, they must follow the instructions to mail your transcripts to the application company. Personally, I recommend doing this immediately when the application opens because it takes a little over a week for ADEA to receive and verify your coursework from each school. Unfortunately, you have to manually enter in your grades for each course on the application portal, and this is what they verify against the actual transcripts they receive. Although the “Personal Information” and “Academic History” sections are tedious, they do not require much effort. The “Supporting Information” section is where you get to brag about all of your extracurriculars. This is where you will list any dental-related experience/shadowing, volunteering, and work experience. Within the experiences portion, you provide a short description of each item as well as the number of hours you participated in the activity. Furthermore, there are sections for achievements and licenses where you list things such as scholarships, Dean’s List, or a Dental Assistant Certification. Do not be discouraged if you do not have a lot of accolades for these subsections. Another subsection is the evaluations, which are your letters of recommendation. You are allowed to have 4 evaluations attached to your application, which each letter writer can link through an email that you send them from the portal. Depending on each school, the required credentials for letter writers can vary. I suggest obtaining letters from 2 professors who are each from a different science department, 1 dentist, and 1 individual who can portray your leadership and other skills such as a research advisor or mentor. This combination will allow you to apply to a majority of the dental schools; however, you should check the requirements of each school to which you plan to apply. Approach your letter writers early, and inform them that the letter is due in mid-May so that even if they are a few days late with your letter, it will not hurt you when you actually apply on June 1st. The final subsection of “Supporting Information” is the personal statement. With a limit of 4500 characters, the statement is approximately 1 full page of text. The main theme of the purpose statement is “Why Dentistry?” I would suggest starting this before the application cycle approaches and having multiple people edit the statement. In my opinion, this is the most time-consuming piece of the dental school application. The fourth and final section is the “Program Materials” section. Each school can have questions unique to their program within this section. These may include short answer questions or simple demographic questions to determine if you have any prior connections to their school. Oftentimes, you can find the pre-requisite courses for these schools and a brief overview of each school within this section. All in all, If you take anything from this blog post, please take this important piece of advice: APPLY EARLY! I cannot stress this enough. Each day/week that passes makes a significant difference. If you have any questions about the application process or being a Pre-Dent, come pleas shoot me an email! Below is a link to the applications! https://aadsas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login |
Pitt Bio BlogThe Pitt Bio Blog is maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences Advising Office. Posts are authored by our students Archives
January 2022
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