Molecularist

I listen to NOVA's Science NOW podcasts. These are nice snippets of info, taken from NOVA's shows. Many of these snippets are also from Neil deGrasse Tyson, the head of the Museum of Natural History in NYC, and an amazing speaker. 

The last episode I listened to was the Q&A session Tyson held at a monthly Science Pub, sponsored by the Oregon Museum of Science. 

Event info: Portland Science Pub
In this podcast, Neil deGrasse Tyson visits Portland, Oregon, to participate in a monthly event called the “Science Pub.” Sponsored by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, the “Pub” invites researchers to talk about their work, answer audience questions, and have a beer. It's a science conversation done Oregon style. The original event lasted over two hours, but we trimmed the Q&A down to about 30 minutes.
[link to mp3 of the event] 

One of the questions raised was around the teachers that have made the most impact on you. Tyson showed that for most of us (expect for some strange dude who was an outlier) we have about five teachers who we remember best. 

Of course, I'm thinking of my scientific career. And a few come readily to mind (these are folks who changed my thinking or I quote to this day). Now's a good time to thank some of them. 

– Ms Strickland – My high school teacher. She not only introduced chemistry to me, but taught me many useful techniques that I used all throughout my science career. As my children start doing more serious science, I find myself teaching the things Ms Strickland taught me.

– Jim Garbe – Ok, not formally a teacher, but he was a grad student I worked closely with when I was a tech at MIT. He not only taught me a boatload of science and technique, but bathed me in the culture of science and being a scientist.

– Craig T Martin – My PhD advisor. He taught me TRUE molecular biology, feeding into my love of tinkering with molecules. He also taught me a lot on writing papers, and how to keep science fun. (He's recently been made head of the Chemistry Dept at UMass. Go, Craig!)

– Gary Silverman – My PI when I was a fellow. He taught me a lot about the business of academic research, such as running a lab, mentoring students, and grant writing. 

I suppose I remember each of these as each provided support, information, and direction for each layer of being a scientist. From the basic introduction to the culture to the business, these folks were invested in making me a great scientist. 

Thanks. 

So, who are the teachers who you remember and contributed the most to who you are today?

Image from Chicago 2016 Photos