Graduate / Admission Essay PhD Cell and Developmental Biology [8]

The question is as follows:

Tell us why you are applying to this program. What are future goals?

Recently, while visiting some friends of family, I noticed a child sitting in the corner taking apart some of the toys. I went and sat down next to him and asked why he was taking the toy part, he replied to me, "so that when it breaks I know how to fix it." This experience brought back some vivid memories of my interests, even as a child, in discovering how things worked that continued to motivate both my educational and professional journeys. My thirst for knowledge has lead me down this path towards graduate education and research.

I find many aspects of biology interesting, and, the inter-relatedness of the sub-fields makes it hard to delineate areas of interest. My inquisitive nature and past experiences have led me on an intellectually valuable path which I believe is an excellent preparation for a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology. This is a field of study with vast potentials waiting to be explored. I believe that science should be approached by starting with the smallest "building-blocks" and working up. The design of the program guides the student to think from the ground up all throughout the curriculum. The ability to study both the cellular structures and the physiological properties of the cell immediately gained my attention. Understanding how these components work is fundamental and essential to studying any biologic system.

I am confident that my experience and technical skills provide me with a good scaffold towards a successful career in research. I enjoy the challenges of research in its requirements of both creativity and perseverance. My time as a faculty member has been both an enabling and enriching experience by adding a new dimension to my already accumulated knowledge. Student' inquiries often required me to approach subject matter from a new direction. As a result, I have gained a more developed and thorough understanding of basic biological systems and principals.

Additionally, my time in the Pharmaceutical industry has allowed me to think more analytically and further develop my technical and research skills. I wish to further develop my career in the Pharmaceutical industry by strengthening both my awareness of systems and materials as well as my technical skills. Understanding of cellular systems is crucial to drug discovery and development. I wish to further understand cellular signaling and possibly develop drugs with novel receptor sites. Furthermore, this field of study will allow me to explore avenues in which the industry has little or no interest. I find the possibility of exploring my personal scientific interests to be exciting, challenging and potentially intimidating.

In addition to the field of drug development, I am drawn tostem cell technologies. With the recent and titanic advances in stem cell technologies, the avenues of research are endless. The idea genetically manipulating adult cells to divide into totipotent cells especially intrigues me. The possibility of replacing a diseased organ, with a new organ that contains the same biological properties as the host is both fascinating and potentially fruitful. This process could resolve the practical issue of organ availability but also address the issue of graft rejection.

Graduate study at XXX will give me an opportunity to pursue my interests in cell and developmental biology through both interdisciplinary and clinical approaches. It will also allow me to further forge relationships with students and researchers with diverse educational backgrounds and interests. I am especially interested in the pathobiological area research especially the work being done by Dr. XXX with mitochondrial DNA. This seems to be both a fascinating and under appreciated area of study. I look forward to honing my skills and knowledge through working in the exciting research environment at XXX.