Slight Growing Pains


Prior to 20.109, I had not read a research article before. Since then, and largely due to this Journal Club assignment, I am not only able to read them, but I am able to understand most-ish of the material. This is very encouraging! I have very little biology coursework/background, so being in classes or spending time with people who have involved UROP positions and other experience is awesome – and slightly intimidating. Because this assignment required me to communicate the details of a scientific paper, it forced me to understand. It was painful and frustrating, but I feel like I have a strong grasp on the material in the paper, and I am incredibly encouraged!

Journal Club itself seems like a great idea for those who want to conduct their own research, keep with the latest news/progress in the scientific community and socialize with like-minded individuals. I personally enjoyed listening and thinking critically about other research papers. I feel like I am much more equipped to consider the scientific approaches and findings now that I have an understanding through the course. Near the end, thinking of questions for the presenter became more natural and more interesting.

As far as the act of presenting, I learned as I went. Retrospectively, more time should have been spent anticipating questions and preparing additional detail or perfecting delivery. I spent hours trying to make sure that I had whited out any additional figures or information. Although I think that it did make the slides look slightly nicer, my mindset was geared toward submission instead of presentation. In the future, I know to keep in mind that I am presenting to curious individuals instead of graders examining the effectiveness of my white-out abilities and alignment of labels. Overall, I believe that I grew as a reader, presenter and audience member. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to share in a journal club again during my undergraduate.

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