Tuesday, 1 September 2015

My Major

My major is Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB), but I usually say biology because everyone understands that easier. 

 In this post I will talk about what people learn in this major, what jobs people go for with this major, why I'm interested in MCB, as well as current leaders and academic journals. Hopefully at the end of this post Molecular and Cellular Biology will make a little more sense to you. 
"Atom, Science, Chemistry, Biology, Research, Education." ClkerFreeVectorImages. 2012 via pixabay. CCO Public Domain License. 
1. Students in MCB learn about biology at a molecular and cellular level (as indicated by the name). This includes looking at human body functions and understanding the cellular processes behind them. This also includes studying plants and animals and the cellular processes involved in sustaining their life. 

 2. Many students continue their education and go on to medical school after they complete their MCB degree. Other careers include research, forensics, biotechnology, agriculture, education, and product development. 

 3. I am interested inMCB because I want to have a career in research. I want to be the stereotypical scientist in a white coat and goggles working in lab. I want to research neurological diseases, diseases that cause deterioration of the brain, because there are no cures for any of these diseases. My grandma has been diagnosed with Parkinson's and dementia, two of many neurological diseases, and she is my inspiration and why I'm passionate about this field. 

 4. The leading centers in medical research are National Institutes of Health, John Hopkins, and Mayo Clinic. 
  • National Institutes of Health are an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They are also the primary government agency that is responsible for biomedical and health related research. 
  • John Hopkins includes the their medical school as well as their hospital. They are  known for being the birthplace of medical traditions and specialties. They are most known for being ranked the best hospital in the United States. 
  • Mayo Clinic is a non-profit organization with headquarters in Minnesota. Their research facilities are in Minnesota as well as smaller hospitals and clinics throughout the United States.  They pride themselves in paying doctors a fixed salary so doctors have an incentive to provide the best care to each patient.

5. Here are three top scholarly journals under the field of MCB.

Reflection:

It was great to read Jenny's My Major post and Tyler's My Discipline post because both fields of education and computer science are very different from biology. Even though our majors differed, our interests in our perspective fields are driven by the same thing, passion. This showed me that in order to like the field you are studying and soon to be working in, you have to be excited about it. I was impressed by all of the experience Jenny already has working in a classroom and I hope to gain a lot of experience working in labs during my four years at UA. I am also fascinated by computer science because it is so crucial in a world driven by technology. I would love to find a general education or elective course to learn the basics of computer science at UA. 

Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. Jenny Bello1 September 2015 at 17:07

    I think it is really awesome that one of the reasons you want to go into this field is because you know someone personally that struggles with a neurological disorder. I also found it interesting to read about all the different options that one can do with a degree in MCB; I never knew there were so many to choose from!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown1 September 2015 at 21:40

    Like Jenny, I think it is amazing why you are studying Molecular and Cellular Biology. My grandma also suffered from dementia so I know how it feels to be in your shoes. Additionally, because I am from Washington, D.C., my grandma was a patient at Johns Hopkins hospital and they took tremendous care of her while she was there. It really is the best! I am really interested in what you will be learning over the next few years and hope to hear more about it as we move further into the semester!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Annelise Dutcher4 September 2015 at 17:40

    Wow, I think it is so impressive that you are so passionate about MCB. I am far from science minded, so people like you put me in awe. Thanks to you, we are just going to keep on advancing in the medical world and improving in how we are able to help others. I also think it's awesome that your grandma is your inspiration and one of the reasons you are so passionate about this area of study.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)