When and Why Did You Decide to Pursue a Career in Science

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Biological Sciences:

“I entered college with an undeclared major. My freshman year I took Introduction to Biology, and fell in love. I thought the working of biological systems was a fantastic and complex puzzle, and I wanted to help work it out.” – Endocrinologist, Name withheld

“I always knew I would be a scientist. . . . I was attracted by the continual sense of sleuthing, and by the fact that nothing in science ever gets old. I like the sense of discovery, and adventure: the idea that I could explore uncharted territory and at the same time, perhaps ultimately benefit the lives of either humans or animals.” - D. Clark, Ph.D. Candidate in Physical Anthropology, emphasis on Nutritional Biology

“[I decided to pursue a career in science] when studying animal adaptations in sophomore high school biology class. I was attracted to the idea of solving a riddle, of investigating a scientific mystery. . . . I liked proposing an original hypothesis that could be tested and revised after getting conclusions; it is like being on a journey with a friend and you're not quite sure where you're going to end up. Sometimes, you end up really making a difference -- and feeling like you just won a trip to Tahiti, and sometimes at the end of all that hard work, it ends up in the trash -- like you were on a sinking boat, but that is the nature of science, you never know where you're going to end up.” - Stacie Clark, Veterinary Molecular Biology

“As I progressed through secondary and high school, I took a strong interest in biology and was lucky enough to have great teachers and mentors in science. My high school biology teacher recognized my love for the sciences and encouraged me to go to student-oriented science meetings where I met prominent scientists like Dr. James Watson, the Nobel prize-winning author of The Double Helix. At the beginning of my undergraduate career, there was no doubt in my mind that I would pursue biology as a major. In fact, my University's biology department was so large, that I was able to study my long loved subject of genetics. Graduating with a degree in genetics, I turned my head to that ever-present question: Should I pursue medicine or science? Inevitably, I decided to pursue science as a career. I have always enjoyed constant learning and science is one of the few fields where you can question, and then pursue answers, on your own. You can understand new things and expand your knowledge of subjects constantly. I was attracted to the field of genetics and molecular and cellular biology because of the field's diversity. You can learn something new about anything when you understand some molecular biology.” - Marie Mei Lee, Graduate Student in Molecular and Cellular Biology

Medical Science:

“When I was very young, even before school, I was fascinated with all living things and always tried to catch animals and grow plants. I wanted to 'do research' and discover new things with living creatures. I always wanted to know ‘why and how,’ ever since my first real science course in sixth grade.” - Medical Researcher, Name withheld

“[I decided to pursue a career in science] working in a hospital as a nurse's aide in high school, having an ill dad, working at Evanston Health Dept. Public Health lab (with a woman mentor), and taking bacteriology in college with a wonderful woman professor/mentor. I was fascinated by hospitals, by the way bodies worked and didn't work, and I was intrigued by infectious disease classes. I wanted to “see” anatomy and to understand pathology.” - Susan Rose, Bioethicist

“I was always going to be a veterinarian, and I got there! Only later, I found my passion for cancer biology and a desire to try to ‘make a difference.’ I was always a horse lover and really wanted to work with them. As I got older and saw more of life, I gradually found myself wanting to make a difference for people as well as animals. Now I use my training to find new medicines for both people and animals so they can live longer and better lives!” - Gail Colbern, Research Scientist with a pharmaceutical company

Physical Sciences:

“I decided to pursue a career in science in high school. My grandfather and uncle were both engineers and I knew that science was a field that paid well and provided interesting work. I became interested in chemistry in tenth grade with a wonderful teacher, Mr. Bernardo. I excelled at chemistry and it seemed like a logical choice.” - Christina Schwerdtfeger, Chemist

Veterinary Science:

“I decided to become a veterinarian when I was in the fifth grade and an article about animal abuse in general, and about research in particular, was published in Life Magazine. We had a ‘Career Day’ that year and I made a poster using the Life Magazine photos and declared I would attend Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine. Since I wanted to be a veterinarian, I knew I needed to concentrate on sciences and math to be able to get into vet school. My love of animals attracted me to my career. I wanted my life to be spent working with animals in some way on a daily basis.” – Veterinarian, Name withheld

“I quite honestly never had plans for anything else but a career in science, specifically veterinary medicine. My earliest memories include the intrigue and curiosity that brought me to where I am today. Science is about discovery, solving problems, life . . . it is a tool with which to make the world a better place, or perhaps to understand the world such that we might adapt to it instead of changing it to fit us. I have always known I was put on this earth to help animals. I naturally gravitated toward veterinary medicine without conscious thought. Once a veterinarian, I found a specific field, surgery, that allowed me to work within my personality (a ‘doer,’ active with my hands, artistic, etc.).” - Lara Marie Rasmussen, Veterinary Surgery