My name is Aminat Musah, I am a fifth-year graduate student in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Rutgers University. I work in the lab of Dr. Teresa Wood, where my research focuses on defining the effect of mTOR signaling in oligodendrocyte development. Specifically, my interest lies in the mechanisms underlying mTOR regulation of oligodendrocyte cytoskeleton during differentiation and myelination. Before embarking on my graduate school journey, I attended Delaware State University (DSU) where I attained a bachelor’s degree in Biology. As a student at DSU, I was a Minority Access to Research Career (MARC) Scholar. MARC is a research training program which provides support for underrepresented individuals in biological research. It allowed me the opportunity to attend summer internships in research labs at University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, and California Institute of Technology. These internships, although challenging at the time, armored me with experiences and prepared me for what was to come of graduate school. I received my master’s degree in Neuroscience in the lab of Dr. Adrian Rodriguez-Contreras at City College of New York (CCNY). At CCNY, I worked on determining the environmental cues that facilitate the auditory development in altricial species. I also served as a teaching assistant in an Animal Physiology class, where students learned how plants and animals sustain themselves in their environments. What I especially enjoyed about this class was helping students to acquire skills in experimental design, familiarize themselves with methods of measurement and data analyses, and to sharpen oral and written communication skills. I carried on my interest in research development as a graduate student at Rutgers. At Rutgers, I applied my love of research and research development as a teacher assistant for Discovery Module in a required Introduction to Biomedical Sciences (IBMS) course. I mentored junior graduate students in learning how to develop a research project, hypotheses and aims as well as in designing detailed experiments targeted at answering the proposed questions. At the end of the semester, students presented this research project proposal to an audience of fellow students and faculty members. I have had fulfilling experiences in helping others through research development and science communication, while in the process strengthening my skills and better preparing myself for a successful career path. My career goals are not limited to the realms of bench work, as my aspirations extend far beyond cell culture. One of my career interests is to work as a translational scientist in an industry setting. I want to continue to actively think about science while also being able to interact with the diverse community that our research affects. Alternatively, I would like to explore work as a medical science liaison helping to bridge the gap between bench work and clinical trials. I also have an interest in scientific writing, in terms of breaking down complex scientific information to non-experts. As you’ve probably guessed by now, I love science and I love to serve people, thus I will ultimately pursue a career path which reflects the best of both worlds. Finally, balancing work life and personal life has been a welcome challenge. I look forward to integrating more with the Rutgers family. My experiences here, without a doubt, have been and will continue to be instrumental in achieving my career goals. I am eager to share my experiences with you all and look forward to hearing/reading yours.
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