Scientista Presidents' Circle - Meet The President! Laura Paige, Neuroscience Major, BC '12
Meet Laura Paige; Co-Coordinator, Women in Science & Technology; Boston College
Tell us about yourself! I’m a senior at Boston College, completing my B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience and a minor in French. My hometown is West Boylston, MA and I’m the middle of three girls. This year I’m working on my senior thesis, researching false memory formation. My favorite movie is Love Actually and my all-time favorite food is cereal- I could literally eat it forever. How did you decide to get involved in your organization? I was previously an undergraduate volunteer with Women in Science and this year was lucky enough to take it over! Going to an all-girls high school, I was motivated by my driven female-science teachers and I always wondered how that would transcend into the college atmosphere. I was so impressed by the message of WST and the support BC and the science departments here give to our program. What is your favorite organization event? I love the final banquet we put on at the end of the program. It’s a great way for everyone- all of the departments, undergraduates, high school participants, parents, guest speakers, friends- to come together and showcase what we’ve been able to do with the program this year. When you are not being a Scientista, you are most likely… At the gym- running is my outlet for everything! I don’t like coffee so I consider my 6 a.m. gym sessions to be my morning cup of caffeine. Which woman in science inspires you the most? I wouldn’t say there’s one specific woman who inspires me the most, rather one type of woman in science who inspires me the most- the working scientist woman. In my lab, I am surrounded by strong, independent, intelligent, driven woman who amaze me with their knowledge and capabilities. All of whom go home to husbands, boyfriends, kids, and side jobs like tutoring, teaching, even kickboxing! They show me I can do it all. Why do you think organizations such as yours and the Scientista Foundation are important? Organizations like WST are so important to give high school girls (and even undergraduates) a chance to explore what there is out there in the sciences. A lot of our high school participants come from backgrounds and schools where the budget is tight and funding for science experiments is non-existent. The sciences are such a hands-on field that they need to be able to physically try things out to understand what interests them. And even in terms of our undergraduates, it’s surprising to see such hardcore chemistry or biology majors become completely fascinated by what’s available in the social sciences or environmental sciences. The areas are interrelated that it’s important to make those connections between chemistry and psychology or biology and physics. What do you think is the most important scientific research or discovery of today? Am I allowed to say the smartphone? I never had a smartphone until this past summer when I bought an iPhone. It completely revolutionized the way in which I multi-task- it’s taken my micromanaging skills to a whole new level! Comments?
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