Kannan Jagannathan, Professor of Physics, Amherst College
Investigating the wonders of biology has always been more like unfolding a story for me than tediously studying the subject. The summer before my junior year I took a Molecular Medicine course at Oxford. The teacher, a researcher, taught the class by explaining his many research projects. Each lecture was oddly reminiscent of kindergarten story time, where everyone gathers around the teacher to listen to that day's tale. Even without understanding every detail I found myself tuning in like an eager six year old.
During my junior year of high school I job-shadowed a neonatal nurse. I hadn't expected to have much contact with patients until I was pulled into a room bustling with activity. A baby was about to be delivered. A nurse handed me a pair of gloves and told me to sit down on the spot if I suddenly felt faint. She needn't have worried-I felt incredibly lucky just to be in the room. On top of all this, I was instructed to push on the patient's leg during labor and allowed to hold the newborn. To be part of a successful delivery was more of an honor than I could have ever imagined.
This experience exemplifies the reason why I am drawn to the study of life. Every time I learn something pertaining to biology it contributes to a greater understanding of life. For me, this type of learning is as profound as it gets. It is the insight into how the details of biology pertain to human life that makes the subject so powerful. Unlike any other area of study, the findings of biological studies directly result from the pursuit to promote the welfare of human beings. The beauty of biology lies beyond the facts and figures and in the bigger picture of the workings of life.
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