By Jessica Khaimova

This article is part of a new series “Astronomy Across the Pond,” in which writer Jessica Khaimova shares her experience as a scientista studying abroad.

While growing up in Brooklyn, two of my main goals were to study astronomy and live in the UK. Well, just last year, I found out that I was selected for a Fulbright postgraduate award to pursue my master’s in astronomy in England. It was a bit of a shock as I had a slim chance of getting it, but I had somehow achieved my dreams.

By Katherine Du

Furiously copying down commands of code in freshman computer science, I felt overwhelmed exploring a field so foreign to me, along with the added on pressure of thinking in the back of my mind that the boys already had years of CS experience before even walking into class. However later in the year, while brainstorming ways to combat the lack of healthcare records when they are urgently needed in the cases of emergencies, I concluded that the optimal solution to solve the problem would include creating a mobile application. That’s when I first became directly aware of the applications of computer science. When it hit me that computer science had the potential to drive positive change on a global scale, I started to nurture my love for the subject. At the same time I was slowly familiarizing myself with programming languages in school, outside of the classroom I was collaborating with a few other teammates to create this mobile application.

By Darren Incorvaia

Last week I had the infinite joy and pleasure of presenting my research at my university’s student colloquium. This was undoubtedly an invaluable experience, and also one that almost killed me. Now that I’ve had time to heal from this traumatic experience, I’d like to present some thoughts:

By Amy Chan

Got a big-name professor coming to town?
 
Paralyzed with adoration, but don’t know what to say?
 
Well, you’re not alone. Many of us find networking difficult—even intimidating—and end up at a loss for words at the most important moments. Here, we ask three senior academic staff a series of questions to find out how they approach new contacts and build professional relationships, with helpful tips straight from the horse’s mouth.
 
(Disclaimer: the responses that follow are personal views and do not necessarily reflect the positions and opinions of the author, the editorial staff, or The Scientista Foundation.) 

By Scott Rhodes

2.5 quintillion bytes of data is generated every day. That’s the equivalent of 3.3 billion copies of Thriller or 6.8 billion episodes of Mad Men. Every day. 
 
Technology clearly dominates daily life. More than just cell phones and laptops, there are now smart refrigerators, watches, GPS systems and more. Big data is everywhere — and it’s not going away anytime soon. Because of this, there’s a growing demand for big data analysts who can interpret the information and glean customer insights. Here are five reasons why students should consider earning big data analytics degrees:

By Ellice Patterson

Dear Baby First Year:
Wow, I don’t recognize you. And, I mean that in the best way possible. You will come so far in your journey through college and will transform into a successful young woman. There’s going to be some hard moments and great moments along the way. Take it all in because that is your college experience: wonderful, trying, and worth it. For the hard moments, here are a few words of advice that I wish I’d known when I was you.

By Ellice Patterson

As someone who took the GRE last month, I understand that the process can be daunting. My emotions ranged from “I’m the Beyoncé of biology, who can easily slay the GRE” to “I have no idea what I’m doing. My life is in shambles. I might as well drop out now and be a sailor.” The emotional roller coaster only ended after I got the scores back and realized that I—indeed—slayed the GRE! If I can do it, you absolutely can too. Here are some tips that really worked for me:

By Julie F. Charbonnier

My first year of graduate school is a hazy memory. I can still see myself in my roach-infested apartment, piles of articles on the floor, as I paced back and forth, sipping on my fifth cup of coffee and panicking about how little I knew about…just about everything. The research project I had proposed had been destroyed during a lab meeting, and my students despised my lecturing style. If this isn’t going to be on the quiz, why do we need to learn it? I couldn’t even get the software I needed to load on my computer. At the time, I was sure that I was failing miserably at graduate school, and I wasn’t exactly enjoying the graduate experience.

By Julie F. Charbonnier

When researching a new topic, you may one day come across a literature review. Or, perhaps you will need to write your own review, as part of a senior thesis project or as a chapter of your dissertation. Either way, you can use literature reviews as an important tool for understanding the research in an unfamiliar field and for developing your own writing skills.

What is a literature review? A literature review is a summary of the current, scientific literature on a particular topic or a specialized critique of an individual article. Literature reviews require you to find, collect, and organize past studies on a scientific topic or question. With this background material in hand, you will identify the emerging ideas in a very specific area, as well as important theories and questions that still need to be answered.

By Courtney Thomas

You spent weeks perfecting each word of your abstract and you finally get the email you have been waiting for:

“Your poster presentation has been accepted in the technical program for the upcoming meeting.”

From preparing data for your poster, to practicing your presentation, to attending the conference itself, there is a lot of hard work that goes into getting ready for any conference.

Here are some tips for preparing to present your first poster: