Double Helix

In case you were wondering...
That's me with Dr. James Watson, the man who was part of the dynamic duo (Watson and Crick) that discovered the structure of DNA and kicked off one of the biggest revolutions in the world of science: genetics! And yes, he's a Nobel Prize Winner, the author of many famous scientific articles and books, and the founder of the Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which is where I was interviewing for a Ph.D. program this past weekend. During this 4-day interview process, in which I interviewed with 15 faculty members (who were incredible scientists!), I got an opportunity to speak with Dr. Watson himself. And it was a great honor. It was my first ever interview for a Ph.D. program so I was definitely nervous, but it actually turned out very well. I learned a lot about the program there, and I hope that I helped them to learn a lot about me and who I am as a student and a scientist.
When I first learned about DNA in grade school, that's when I decided I wanted to be a scientist (a geneticist to be exact)... a goal that was sparked by the man I shook hands with last Saturday.
I hope that one day I can spark that same curiosity and desire to learn in others. I guess we'll have to see...

~Bianca