By Jennifer Casiano A year ago, I started my journey to a PhD. Full of excitement and memories, this year was filled with challenging experiences and self-growth. Since the beginning of the summer to now, I’ve been constantly reflecting on what I would have done differently, problems that I heard from friends, and the variety of experiences of this year. Starting a doctoral degree is a life-changing decision with more personal compensation and fulfillment than pitfalls. The majority of people who pursue a research career do so because we love what we do.

Towards the end of April, earlier this year, I had the opportunity to take part in a science advocacy day on Capitol Hill organized by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). I stumbled across this opportunity as part of an iJOBS event email and decided to apply simply on a whim. If the outcome was in my favor, it would be a great experience to add to my tool belt in my exploration of the policy career field. Fortunately for me, I was accepted!

By: Yang Chen

By: Zakiya Qualls

By: Maria Qadri

In honor of our recent two-year anniversary, we’re going to get a little meta today and talk about what goes on backstage here at the iJOBS blog. If you’ve ever asked, “how do they find the time to write?” read on!

For the past few years, I have been exploring my interests in science policy. I first participated in iJOBS Phase I programs and specifically engaged in policy-driven workshops hosted by iJOBS and the Eagleton Institute. During these workshops, I was introduced not only to current issues that drive health policy, but also to the transition of a policy from its initiation to its implementation at the federal level. The experience that I gained from the Phase I programs influenced my decision to pursue a career within science policy.

Without fail, every four years, the Summer Olympics craze gets me hooked. I am pulled in by the backstories of these impressive athletes--hearing about their struggles, their tenacity, and their climb to success. I am invigorated by those adrenaline-inducing track-and-field finishes, and those breath-taking, record-breaking swim races.

Last week we briefly overviewed the Interdisciplinary Job Opportunities for Biomedical Scientists (iJOBS) program in its first two years of training biomedical graduate students and postdocs to be successful in a variety of non-academic careers. The NIH BEST grant funds five years of the development for the iJOBS program and expects the program to be self-sustainable after the grant period.

  My name is Eileen Oni, and I’m a sixth year PhD candidate in the Cell and Developmental Biology program at Rutgers University. I am a Central Jersey native (Yes, it does exist!), residing in South Brunswick Township. I began my academic journey under the simple notion of better understanding the development of living organisms, which drove me to pursue a higher degree in the sciences; more specifically within cell biology research.

In September 2014, the NIH Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) Initiative awarded Rutgers University with a grant to initialize and establish the Rutgers Interdisciplinary Job Opportunities for Biomedical Scientists (iJOBS) program, which aims to better prepare biomedical students and postdocs for nonacademic careers. As we reach the two year mark, let’s take a brief review of the successes and challenges so far, and then follow up with a sneak preview of what is coming ahead.