Yesterday an Emeritus Professor in the bio dept passed away. He was highly decorated with memberships in academies and an impressive track record of research. But these aren't the things that affected me... the most important to me was that he paid attention to people around him, no matter who they were.
I didn't know Howard personally, but I've been told stories about him. He used to eat lunch at retirement community restaurant here in Bloomington. (Apparently, he was quite the ladies' man... always flirting with the little old women, but that's beside the point. :) )There was a waiter working there to pay his way through undergrad. Howard got to know him, found out that he was a biology major, and weaseled him a dish-washing position in one of his friends' labs. That waiter was my uncle. He started as a dish-washer in that lab, grew interested in research, and now he's a Principal Scientist at Genentech.
Not only did Howard have a profound effect on my uncle's life and career, but mine too. When my uncle was in grad school here at IU, I came to visit for a job-shadowing school project. My goal was more to hang out with my favorite uncle and get out of school for a whole day, but one day in the lab was all it took and I was hooked. If it wasn't for my uncle, I may not have been exposed to research and careers in science, which I'm so passionate about.
All that to say, be mindful of what you do, of how you live, you never know how far your legacy will stretch or who you may be influencing. The ripple effect extends far past our individual human experiences.
"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58
Showing posts with label relationship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label relationship. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
People vs. Ideas
Along the top of my gmail inbox, there are random things that pop up everyday. Sometimes it's an advertisement, sometimes a CNN or ESPN news clip... a few days ago, it was a quote:
Now, Marie was a pretty smart lady and one heck of a scientist. I keep going back and forth on whether I agree with this quote or not. I do and I don't. Here are a few of my thoughts...
The first thing that pops into my mind is gossip and nosiness. Why is it that as humans we want to know everyone's business? If we took all the energy that we spend worrying about who's dating whom or who made what mistake, and instead fueled it into ideas... innovation, technology, theology, science... then would we make more progress? Possibly.
Another application that is near and dear to my heart is, of course, science. We're researchers. We want to find answers, solutions, ways to make life better for those around us and future generations. However, I think sometimes we think too big to begin with. For instance, we want to develop a vaccine for a virus; this vaccine could save thousands of lives. Great. But it's not beneficial to start there, with the human application. Before we can even begin to figure out how to make an effective vaccine, we need to know how the virus works, how it enters, how it replicates, how it is transmitted. If we don't know this information, not only can we not make an effective vaccine, but we could make the problem a lot worse. For example, Dengue virus has four serotypes. If you get one type of Dengue, you'll get those Dengue fever and probably recover from it, but if in the future you get one of the other three, you'll end up developing Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever which is fatal. So if you get vaccinated for 1 serotype, your basically primed for death if you get one of the other three. It's important that we learn about the details, before we deal with the people. (I'm an advocate of applied science, but I think pure science is just as important.)
Those are two examples in which I agree with Marie, but there's also something to be said for the opposition. What's the point? Why are we here? Last Sunday Pastor Bob spoke about the two greatest commandments. Our first priority: Love God. Our second: Love each other. The second greatest commandment is all about people. We need to put down our agendas, goals, and motives, and just care about each other. Ideas have there place, but people should be more important. I've mentioned this before, but I feel as though this was hammered home to me over break. I was back early, prepared to get a lot accomplished in the lab before the semester began. It was lonely. No one was around, even the lab was pretty vacant. And ironically, I wasn't very productive. Now that everyone's back I feel as though a missing piece has been added back. I tend to get selfish and somewhat self-centered when I'm by myself for too long. It's great to have people to care about and take care of (hello, two) and who care about and take care of me too.
So, Marie, I agree and I disagree. Bottom line, people and ideas are both important, but don't forget to balance it out.
"Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas." --Marie Curie
Now, Marie was a pretty smart lady and one heck of a scientist. I keep going back and forth on whether I agree with this quote or not. I do and I don't. Here are a few of my thoughts...
The first thing that pops into my mind is gossip and nosiness. Why is it that as humans we want to know everyone's business? If we took all the energy that we spend worrying about who's dating whom or who made what mistake, and instead fueled it into ideas... innovation, technology, theology, science... then would we make more progress? Possibly.
Another application that is near and dear to my heart is, of course, science. We're researchers. We want to find answers, solutions, ways to make life better for those around us and future generations. However, I think sometimes we think too big to begin with. For instance, we want to develop a vaccine for a virus; this vaccine could save thousands of lives. Great. But it's not beneficial to start there, with the human application. Before we can even begin to figure out how to make an effective vaccine, we need to know how the virus works, how it enters, how it replicates, how it is transmitted. If we don't know this information, not only can we not make an effective vaccine, but we could make the problem a lot worse. For example, Dengue virus has four serotypes. If you get one type of Dengue, you'll get those Dengue fever and probably recover from it, but if in the future you get one of the other three, you'll end up developing Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever which is fatal. So if you get vaccinated for 1 serotype, your basically primed for death if you get one of the other three. It's important that we learn about the details, before we deal with the people. (I'm an advocate of applied science, but I think pure science is just as important.)
Those are two examples in which I agree with Marie, but there's also something to be said for the opposition. What's the point? Why are we here? Last Sunday Pastor Bob spoke about the two greatest commandments. Our first priority: Love God. Our second: Love each other. The second greatest commandment is all about people. We need to put down our agendas, goals, and motives, and just care about each other. Ideas have there place, but people should be more important. I've mentioned this before, but I feel as though this was hammered home to me over break. I was back early, prepared to get a lot accomplished in the lab before the semester began. It was lonely. No one was around, even the lab was pretty vacant. And ironically, I wasn't very productive. Now that everyone's back I feel as though a missing piece has been added back. I tend to get selfish and somewhat self-centered when I'm by myself for too long. It's great to have people to care about and take care of (hello, two) and who care about and take care of me too.
So, Marie, I agree and I disagree. Bottom line, people and ideas are both important, but don't forget to balance it out.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
My hobbies? Ummm...
I was asked a few days ago what my hobbies are. I sat there and racked my brain, eventually coming up with an answer although I had not participated in said hobby for quite some time. I came home and asked my roommate, who knows me about as well as I do, what my hobbies were. She paused and looked at me strangely... "Uhhhh... I don't know..." After considering it for a few more minutes, we came to the conclusion that I do not have hobbies... at least not in the traditional definition of a hobby.
Everything I enjoy doing somehow involves science, God, my friends, and nature--all of which could also be classified under school/work, church activities, and just spending time with friends. I don't think most people classify school/work/church as hobbies. My definition of hobbies: things that I enjoy doing that are not obligations. Granted school and work are both obligations, but I really enjoy my job which is centered around science and Kendal and I have sciencey conversations all the time at home (recent topics have been craniofacial duplication and how the rabies vaccine works.) I have now come to the conclusion that my main hobby is getting to know people, which honestly seems kind of strange since I tend to think of myself as more as an introvert than an extrovert. Whenever I have spare time, I'm usually spending it with a friend in some way, shape, or form. Given the choice (and pleasant weather), I would prefer spending that time outside--so I guess that's where the nature part comes in. If I can spend some time with a person, we have a good conversation, a few laughs, I learn something about you, you learn something about me--then I'm a pretty satisfied person :)
That said, just to give you an idea of hobbies that I have enjoyed in the past, but don't necessarily do on a regular basis: playing the alto sax, swing dancing, showing sheep, gardening, spending time outside (doesn't happen as often as I would like).
Everything I enjoy doing somehow involves science, God, my friends, and nature--all of which could also be classified under school/work, church activities, and just spending time with friends. I don't think most people classify school/work/church as hobbies. My definition of hobbies: things that I enjoy doing that are not obligations. Granted school and work are both obligations, but I really enjoy my job which is centered around science and Kendal and I have sciencey conversations all the time at home (recent topics have been craniofacial duplication and how the rabies vaccine works.) I have now come to the conclusion that my main hobby is getting to know people, which honestly seems kind of strange since I tend to think of myself as more as an introvert than an extrovert. Whenever I have spare time, I'm usually spending it with a friend in some way, shape, or form. Given the choice (and pleasant weather), I would prefer spending that time outside--so I guess that's where the nature part comes in. If I can spend some time with a person, we have a good conversation, a few laughs, I learn something about you, you learn something about me--then I'm a pretty satisfied person :)
That said, just to give you an idea of hobbies that I have enjoyed in the past, but don't necessarily do on a regular basis: playing the alto sax, swing dancing, showing sheep, gardening, spending time outside (doesn't happen as often as I would like).
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Hanging in the Balance
It has just come to my attention lately how much our world is dependent upon balance. On Sunday, Pastor Bob spoke about the need for a balance between individualism and fellowship. Erring too far on one side or the other can drastically alter the equilibrium that we need. To be too focused on the individual causes self-centeredness and a lack of community, among other things. While focusing too much on fellowship removes the personal aspect of a relationship with the Father.
The Bible shows us examples of both of these activities. In Acts, time was devoted to fellowship--for believers to be in each others' company.
Acts 2:41-43
41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
Matthew 18:20
20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
This one is easy, right? Who doesn't like getting together to enjoy the company of their brothers and sisters in Christ? Sure, it seems simple, but sometimes we have to rethink our priorities. Our busy schedules get in the way and we don't set aside time to just be with each other. I've found my time with my Christian siblings to be priceless. They excite me and encourage me--not necessarily through words, but by just being there, walking together through life.
We also see examples of being alone with God. Jesus, himself, did this.
Mark 1:35
35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 14:36
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
I think it is also important (as always) to look at the context here. In the verses just before each of these, Jesus was surrounded by people. In chapter 1, (the night before 1:35) the whole town of Capernaum was at his doorstep, bringing their sick to be healed. In Mark 14:36, the Last Supper had just occurred and Jesus had spent the evening preparing his disciples for his death. Remember how confused they were? Have you ever tried to teach someone and they just weren't getting it? Scripture doesn't show Jesus getting frustrated with them, but at the very least I am sure he must have been exhausted. The common theme here is making sure you're in communion with God--that you're plugged into the vine. It can be really easy to pour ourselves out whether it's with church activities, Cgroups, service projects, or day-to-day conversations with others. But while you're pouring yourself out... are you going to God for a refill? I've found this to be a big problem in my life. My quiet times have never been as steady as they should be (and as I would like them to be.) Work in progress...
So let's shift gears a bit. I've been noticing a lot of "balance" in my studies lately too. Science is full of it, and I've never taken the time until recently to really appreciate that. I'm taking a class called "Preventing Cancer" (disclaimer: the class is total crap; I don't recommend it) and we've been doing individual research on different topics all semester. One of the topics I am looking at this week is estrogen and breast cancer. Balance is incredibly important when talking about hormones. For example, estrogen is involved in the development and regulation of... feminine characteristics (I won't go into all the details here.) Too little estrogen and you end up with developmental problems. Too much estrogen and it ends up "feeding" cancerous cells. It's all about being Goldilocks here--gotta get it "just right." I could come up with other examples as well, but we'll leave it at that. This whole idea of equilibrium and balance is just like seeing God staring at me through the scientific data. I'm sure there's some "sciencey, evolutionary" explanation out there that someone has come up with. But I think if you look closely it just screams creation. Amazing... Do you see why I love science?
The Bible shows us examples of both of these activities. In Acts, time was devoted to fellowship--for believers to be in each others' company.
Acts 2:41-43
41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
Matthew 18:20
20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.
This one is easy, right? Who doesn't like getting together to enjoy the company of their brothers and sisters in Christ? Sure, it seems simple, but sometimes we have to rethink our priorities. Our busy schedules get in the way and we don't set aside time to just be with each other. I've found my time with my Christian siblings to be priceless. They excite me and encourage me--not necessarily through words, but by just being there, walking together through life.
We also see examples of being alone with God. Jesus, himself, did this.
Mark 1:35
35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 14:36
36Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
I think it is also important (as always) to look at the context here. In the verses just before each of these, Jesus was surrounded by people. In chapter 1, (the night before 1:35) the whole town of Capernaum was at his doorstep, bringing their sick to be healed. In Mark 14:36, the Last Supper had just occurred and Jesus had spent the evening preparing his disciples for his death. Remember how confused they were? Have you ever tried to teach someone and they just weren't getting it? Scripture doesn't show Jesus getting frustrated with them, but at the very least I am sure he must have been exhausted. The common theme here is making sure you're in communion with God--that you're plugged into the vine. It can be really easy to pour ourselves out whether it's with church activities, Cgroups, service projects, or day-to-day conversations with others. But while you're pouring yourself out... are you going to God for a refill? I've found this to be a big problem in my life. My quiet times have never been as steady as they should be (and as I would like them to be.) Work in progress...
So let's shift gears a bit. I've been noticing a lot of "balance" in my studies lately too. Science is full of it, and I've never taken the time until recently to really appreciate that. I'm taking a class called "Preventing Cancer" (disclaimer: the class is total crap; I don't recommend it) and we've been doing individual research on different topics all semester. One of the topics I am looking at this week is estrogen and breast cancer. Balance is incredibly important when talking about hormones. For example, estrogen is involved in the development and regulation of... feminine characteristics (I won't go into all the details here.) Too little estrogen and you end up with developmental problems. Too much estrogen and it ends up "feeding" cancerous cells. It's all about being Goldilocks here--gotta get it "just right." I could come up with other examples as well, but we'll leave it at that. This whole idea of equilibrium and balance is just like seeing God staring at me through the scientific data. I'm sure there's some "sciencey, evolutionary" explanation out there that someone has come up with. But I think if you look closely it just screams creation. Amazing... Do you see why I love science?
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