NINDS's Building Up the Nerve

Latest Episodes:

S4E3: Demystifying the Doctoral Application Process Jul 28, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In episode 3, we talk about applying for graduate school, including what you should know about preparing PhD applications, how to choose a program and advisor, and what to expect during a campus visit or during interviews.
Featuring Daniel Colón-Ramos, Associate Professor, Yale University; Taylor McCorkle, PhD student, Drexel University; and Thibaut Pardo-García, Chief Sales Officer and Co-Founder, Microscape, Inc.
Resources

NIH Neuroscience Doctoral Readiness Program (DR. Program): https://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/training-career-development/diversity-awards/nih-neuroscience-doctoral-readiness-program-dr-program
STAR method: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/how-to-use-the-star-interview-response-technique
NIH Blueprint and BRAIN ENDURE program: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/training-career-development/diversity-awards/nih-blueprint-and-brain-initiative-endure
NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) (R25): https://nigms.nih.gov/training/PREP

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E2: Demystifying Postbaccalaureate Research Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In episode 2, we talk about what to do next after your bachelor's degree, specifically focusing on the gap year or years between finishing undergrad and starting a PhD.
And just as a note to our listeners, we do talk about heavier subjects like miscarriage, so we have put chapter markers if you'd like to skip that section.
Featuring Cheyanne Lewis, Doctoral Student, Stanford University; Christian Cazares, Postdoctoral Fellow, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; and Gabriela Gomez, MD, MPH Candidate, Johns Hopkins University.
Resources

Programs:
- Colors of the Brain program, co-founded by Dr. Cazares: https://colorsofthebrain.com/resources/
- NIH Postbacc Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA): https://www.training.nih.gov/programs/postbac_irta
- Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) programs (e.g. at UC Berkeley): https://mcb.berkeley.edu/marc/marc-program-description
Organizations:
- Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS): https://www.sacnas.org/
- ABRCMS: https://abrcms.org/
- Association of Science Communicators: https://www.associationofsciencecommunicators.org/
- Black in Neuro: https://blackinneuro.com/undergraduates
- Científico Latino: https://www.cientificolatino.com/post-bac
"Skill development in graduate education": https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22633484/
"So You Want to Be a Neuroscientist?" by Prof. Ashley Juavinett: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/so-you-want-to-be-a-neuroscientist/9780231190893

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S4E1: Demystifying Undergraduate Research Jun 30, 2023

Show notes

The fourth Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In the first episode of the season, we talk about how to get started in undergraduate research, what undergraduates need to know about types of research opportunities available, how to find a lab, and what makes a successful research experience.
Featuring Michael D.L. Johnson, PhD, Director, National Summer Undergraduate Research Project and Associate Professor, University of Arizona; Hannah D. Nacht, NIH Diversity Fellow and Undergraduate student, Rutgers University and Oregon State University; and Ya’el Courtney, PhD candidate, Harvard University.
Resources

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

Season 4 Trailer Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Season 4 of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve, where we discuss the unwritten rules, or “hidden curriculum,” of scientific research at every career stage. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we’re here to help—it’s our job!
Transcript available at https://ninds.buzzsprout.com/

S3E7: Structural interventions around mentoring Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

In the last episode of the season, we focus on structural interventions around mentoring. Mentorship doesn’t happen in a vacuum—what can program directors, department chairs, and other institutional leaders do to create an environment in which supportive mentorship thrives?

Featuring Sherilynn Black PhD - Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, Duke University; Beronda Montgomery, PhD –Professor of Biology & Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, Grinnell College; and Thomas Schwarz, PhD - Professor, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Resources

Burroughs Welcome fund: https://www.bwfund.org/funding-opportunities/diversity-in-science/
HHMI Gillian Fellowship for Advanced Study: https://www.hhmi.org/science-education/programs/gilliam-fellowships-advanced-study
Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER): https://cimerproject.org/
- NOTE: Create a FREE account in the Portal to access a library of resources, tools, and instructional materials on mentoring
“Lessons from Plants” by Dr. Beronda Montgomery: https://www.berondamontgomery.com/lessonsfromplants/
Montgomery, Beronda L. "Academic leadership: gatekeeping or groundskeeping?." The Journal of Values-Based Leadership 13.2 (2020): 16. http://dx.doi.org/10.22543/0733.132.1316
Culturally Aware Mentorship webinar with Dr. Sherilynn Black and Dr. Angela Byars-Winston: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt38C2l-o2o
Womack, Veronica Y., et al. "Culturally aware mentorship: Lasting impacts of a novel intervention on academic administrators and faculty." PloS one 15.8 (2020): e0236983. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236983
Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) Program (T32): https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/IMSD/

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S3E6: Becoming a mentor Jul 01, 2022

Show notes

In the sixth episode of the season, we focus on moving from mentee to mentor, developing your mentoring philosophy, co-mentoring, and culturally aware mentorship.

Featuring Ruben Dagda, PhD - Associate Professor, University of Nevada, Reno; Kathryn Graves - Psychology PhD Candidate, Yale University; and Jasmine Quynh Le - Neuroscience PhD Candidate, Brandeis University.

Resources

myIDP ScienceCareers for drafting an Individual Development Plan: https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/
Posse Foundation: https://www.possefoundation.org/
NIH Blueprint D-SPAN Award (F99/K00): https://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/training/nih-blueprint-d-span-award-f99k00
National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN): https://nrmnet.net/
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS): https://www.sacnas.org/
ABRCMS: https://abrcms.org/
Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses by L. Dee Fink

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S3E5: Transitioning out of a mentoring relationship Jun 17, 2022

Show notes

In the fifth episode of the season, we focus on transitioning out of a mentoring relationship. Even good mentoring relationships can run their course or become ineffective as time goes on. This episode is a conversation about navigating rough patches in mentoring relationships and knowing when and how to move on.

Featuring Ismail Ahmed, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, New York University School of Medicine; Imogen Hurley, PhD, Director, Office of Postdoctoral Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Sharon Mina Noh, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, Irvine.

Resources

Sharon references her NSF award. That was the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program: https://www.nsfgrfp.org/
Imogen referenced that every university should have an Ombuds or Ombudsman Office. For example, the UW-Madison Ombuds office states “The Ombuds Office is a safe place where UW-Madison employees can seek guidance regarding workplace concerns at any time, without fear of reprisal, and at no cost to them. Ombuds provide faculty and staff with a confidential place to collaboratively explore complaints, clarify issues, and consider options and resources to address their concerns. Ombuds are impartial and non-aligned, working to promote fairness in the workplace.” - https://ombuds.wisc.edu/

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S3E4: Adaptive mentoring Jun 03, 2022

Show notes

The third Season of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Building Up the Nerve podcast helps you strengthen your mentoring relationships with tools and advice from both trainees and faculty. We know that navigating your career can be daunting, but we're here to help—it's our job!
In the fourth episode of the season, we focus on adaptive and resilient mentoring. While this is an evergreen topic, the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have tested the limits of our mentoring relationships. In this episode, we discuss how mentors and mentees can navigate these challenges.
Featuring Theanne Griffith, PhD, Assistant Professor, UC Davis, Sarah Kucenas, PhD, Professor of Biology, University of Virginia, and Raele Robison, PhD, CCC-SLP, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Resources

Aron, Arthur, et al. "The experimental generation of interpersonal closeness: A procedure and some preliminary findings." Personality and social psychology bulletin 23.4 (1997): 363-377. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0146167297234003
“Building Trust Through Skillful Self-Disclosure” by Lynn Offermann and Lisa Rosh: https://hbr.org/2012/06/instantaneous-intimacy-skillfu
"How the Unknown Led to Certainty for PhD Student and PH Patient Raele Robison" by Raele Robison: https://phassociation.org/unknown-led-certainty-phd-student-ph-patient-raele-robison/

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S3E3: How to work with a mentor May 20, 2022

Show notes

In the third episode of the season, we are talking with mentor mentee pairs about how they develop productive relationships, including aligning their expectations and working through challenges.

Featuring Avital Rodal, PhD - Associate Professor of Biology, Brandeis University; Matthew Pescosolido, PhD – Postdoctoral Fellow, Brandeis University; Kay Tye, PhD – Professor, Salk Institute for Biological Studies; and Austin Coley, PhD - Postdoctoral Associate, Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Resources

Resources and examples for writing a lab manual:
- “How to…write a lab handbook” from The Biologist: https://thebiologist.rsb.org.uk/biologist-features/how-to-write-a-lab-handbook
- Lab Manual Resources from OSF: https://osf.io/2xn6z/wiki/Other%20lab%20manual%20resources/
- “Redesigning our lab practices” by Ari Benjamin: http://kordinglab.com/2019/12/20/lab-redesign.html
- Dr. Rodal’s Lab Manual: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gUtWSk7CqV3syAenEc11rnz4H5-yvU65b48NM46n-Vs/edit
myIDP ScienceCareers for drafting an Individual Development Plan: https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/
Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research (CIMER) has numerous FREE resources for mentors and mentees, including creating a mentoring compact (login required): https://cimerproject.org/
Season 2 of Building Up the Nerve takes you through the components of a grant application with successful awardees: https://ninds.buzzsprout.com/

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

S3E2: How to find a mentor May 06, 2022

Show notes

Featuring Shawn Bates, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at California State University, Chico; Yesenia Garcia, Neuroscience PhD Student, Emory University; and Kaela Singleton, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Emory University School of Medicine.

Resources

Broadening the Representation of Academic Investigators in NeuroScience (BRAINS): https://brains.uw.edu/
Summer Program in Neuroscience, Excellence and Success (SPINES): https://www.mbl.edu/education/advanced-research-training-courses/course-offerings/summer-program-neuroscience-excellence-and-success
Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP): https://www.sfn.org/nsp

This episode has been edited since its original publication.

Transcript available at http://ninds.buzzsprout.com/.

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