A Leap of Faith

Starting my journey into neuroscience was a leap of faith, as I had no prior experience or knowledge of the field, and my topic vastly differs from my ISM I topic of obstetrics and gynecology. Regardless of these challenges, I still persevered as I completed my first career assessment and investigated the intricacies of the scope of the field on a larger scale. Foremost, despite my incorrect presumption that the duties and functions of obstetrician-gynecologists and neurologists differ greatly, I was pleasantly surprised by their similarities. Both fields are deeply rooted in interpreting emotions and complex thought processes in stressful situations. Just as an OB/GYN must empathize with her patients as they are undergoing the most drastic mental, emotional, and physical transformations of their life during gestation, a neurologist must also be able to analyze patients' responses to certain stimuli, such as trauma, and ongoing conditions, like Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease. Furthermore, I was fascinated by how advancements in technology, such as mathematical computer brain models and imaging technologies, have reconstructed the way neurologists skillfully interpret the brain, and how these technologies are expected to advance in the next five decades to finally map the entire human brain and gain greater insight into unsolvable topics, like how different diseases change the molecular composition of the brain. Moreover, I feel as though I was successful in my work as I rigorously annotated a complicated, yet interesting article that contained field-specific vocabulary that required some additional research. Although performing this additional research was time-consuming, it was ultimately beneficial as I was able to learn valuable terminology that may be used in discussions with my mentor. I was also successful in managing my time and submitting the assignment punctually, as well as adhering to the guidelines and requirements of the task at hand, which I believe is in an instrumental skill to have not only in ISM, but also in my future endeavors in my work and social life. Following this success, I hope to continue to explore further into a topic that I found interesting: the molecular and genetic changes in the brain behind depression. I believe this will serve as an excellent jumping-off point for article assessments, and if the topic fascinates me, then I may consider it for my Original Work project. I also need to begin cold-calling and emailing professionals in my field to set up interviews, but a great advantage I am privileged with this year as a virtual ISM student is that I have access to mentors from across the globe. There is a plethora of resources for me to learn from, and I am excited to venture into the future to see who I can discuss my passions with and construct a feasible and compelling final project with.