There was no judging today, which was a relief for everyone. Instead, we would be splitting up and going on field trips to various research/science related destinations. I went to the Janelia Research Center, which is particularly focused on neuroscience research. Janelia is located about an hour drive away from the Conrad because it’s literally out in the middle of the woods. That’s because it actually used to be called Janelia Farm. On the bus ride there, I sat next to Melody and we talked about a bunch of things, like how much fun Finals Week has been and how beautiful Washingon, DC is. When we finally got to Janelia, we went through a gated entrance before finally proceeding to the absolutely gorgeous campus.
After dropping off our stuff in a room, we were taken on a tour of the building. I learned that it was built on a hill, which is why the “roof” is actually just the top of the mountain. There were a few other things that were special about Janelia, namely the huge amount of funding they receive from the HHMI, which means that the researchers don’t have to waste time writing grants, and the massive windows everywhere which let in lots of natural light and connect the campus to nature. We also got to see a few cool things inside, including a special robot to flip tubes of flies upside down and a 10 million dollar microscope!
After the tour, we got to hear a few presentations from the scientists at Janelia. I don’t know a lot of about neuroscience, so I found them to be very interesting! For example, I learned that flies and mice have a structure in their brain that basically acts as a “compass,” and humans might have one too. I also learned that while scientists are often limited by the resolution of their microscopes, by using a polymer to stretch out the tissue, they can get better images of the brain and other structures. I overall found the research they were doing fascinating and it made me want to learn more about neuroscience.
During lunch, I talked more with one of the presenters, Dr. Virginia Ruetten, about her research. She explained that expansion microscopy is especially useful because otherwise, researchers have to use an electron microscope, in which it is very difficult to highlight certain structures. She also told me about how she originally wanted to be a doctor but then got into computational neuroscience and decided to drop out of medical school and pursue that. It was interesting that a lot of the basic tools and ideas that she used were similar to the ones I used in social science research, albeit with very different assumptions. I hadn’t realized before how interesting the data analysis was in neuroscience. Unfortunately, we eventually had to go back to the hotel, but not before getting a gift bag with a mug and notebook!
At the hotel, we had a bit of downtime before having the gala rehearsal. I usually don’t like rehearsals, but while I wouldn’t say this was the most fun thing I did at STS Finals Week, it was actually kind of entertaining because the woman coordinating it kept on making jokes. Akilan also showed me his speech for the gala and it was absolutely fantastic — I can’t wait for him to deliver it tomorrow. For dinner, we had the Regeneron Spectacular Science Dinner, where we got to eat with scientists from Regeneron and ask their executives some questions. I think the most important thing they emphasized is that Regeneron prioritizes science and innovation over profit. I also talked to one of the employees about biostatistics internships, and she wrote down my name and said she would get back to me if there were openings (no positions were currently open).
After dinner, we went to a separate room where we got to learn more about the technologies they had invented at Regeneron and eat a ton of great desserts. Let’s just say that I will probably be a bit heavier when I return back to San Francisco. I talked to one of their scientists about an antibody that forces the T-cells to kill cancerous cells and to another about a way to cure deafness for children with a certain genetic disorder. There were also a bunch of fun games and activities there.
Finally, I played some Smash with the other finalists before heading back to my room, where I wrote this blog post. I look forward to going to Capitol Hill and the Awards Gala tomorrow, where they will finally announce the top 10!
