Transcription of Insights - InT Alumni Interview
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”
Since the founding of In Transcription in 2021, many students passionate about life sciences have joined this community. What were their experiences at InT, and what “dots” have they connected that enabled them to be who they are today? How has InT helped them as they “transcribed” into different roles? In this blog, we interviewed 9 InT members from 9 chapters to share their experiences and insights.
InT@Brandeis
Mike
Junior in Chemical Biology
Mike is a third-year Chemical Biology major at Brandeis University. He began his college journey with a passion for the drug industry, gradually developing a deep interest in cancer-related cellular aging and epigenetics research. While remaining open to other career paths, Mike aspires to a career in academia, driven by his intellectual curiosity and love for exploration.
Mike's involvement with InT began when his friend Vikey decided to establish a new chapter of In Transcription at Brandeis University after meeting an InT core team member at a conference. Mike is dedicated to creating a lab information-sharing system among InT@Brandeis students, aiming to make research experiences more accessible for all members.
Mike’s Advice to Fellow InT Members: "Explore different branches of biology to discover your true passion, and prioritize gaining research experience if you are considering a PhD."
InT@Columbia
Steven
PhD student at Stanford University
Steven is a PhD student at Stanford University developing cancer vaccines in the lab of Howard Chang. During his undergraduate studies, he explored a variety of research areas, ranging from engineering bacteria for treating cancer and single-cell sequencing of pancreatic cancer.
Steven founded In Transcription in 2021 in Shanghai with the vision of creating a sense of community for life science students across different campuses. His most memorable experience with InT was the 2022 summer retreat in New York, where over 30 students from all over the United States gathered together. He envisions InT gaining new energy as alumni move into different cities and careers, fostering strong connections between InT members.
Steven's Advice to Fellow InT Members: "Take more electives in your field of interest to gain a sense of the different areas within your discipline. Learn about and get involved in various research projects."
InT@Cornell
Ray
Graduating senior
Incoming PhD student at Boston University
Ray is a graduating senior from Cornell University, where he double majored in Biological Sciences and Biometry & Statistics, and minored in Computer Science. This fall, he will begin his PhD studies at Boston University. During his undergraduate career, Ray conducted research on various topics in Neuroscience, including memory decision-making, electrophysiology, and computational neuroscience.
As the president of InT@Cornell, he focused on providing more systematic support to InT@Cornell members. He initiated quiz gathering activities to encourage discussions of life science topics. He also organized botanical garden trips and volunteering events designed to guide new members in courses selection and initial research endeavors.
Ray's advice to fellow InT members: "Have a clear vision of what you truly want. Perspectives can vary, and many things can be seen as good or bad depending on your viewpoint."
InT@UCLA
Yijia
Graduating senior
Incoming PhD student at MIT
Yijia is a graduating senior double majoring in Applied Math and Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics. In her undergraduate studies, she explored various research areas related to mathematical modeling and the immune system. This fall, she will be starting her PhD in MIT.
As the founder of InT@UCLA, her vision was to create a closely connected community for Chinese life science students studying at UCLA. She also initiated BioHackathon along with other members in InT@UCLA, aiming to provide project learning opportunities for students to create and connect.
InT@UCB
Fenmiao
Graduating senior
Incoming PhD student at JHU
Fenmiao is a graduating senior at UCB and will be starting a PhD at JHU this fall. She enjoys doing research, especially when she could ask a scientific question, read about relevant papers, and design experiments to investigate the problem. She aspires to work in the biotech industry to work on gene therapy or drug development, but she keeps an open mind on the specific area of research to work on.
Serving as the event and outreach chair in 2022-2023, her most memorable memory with InT@Berkeley was meeting people of same interest and witnessing the growth of the chapter.
Fenmiao's advice to fellow InT members: "Depth of learning is no less important than breath of learning."
InT@UChicago
Tracy
Graduating senior
Incoming PhD at MIT after gap year working full time in a Biotech company
Tracy is a graduating senior in University of Chicago. After graduating, she plan to take a gap year to work in a biotech startup before starting her PhD at MIT. In her undergraduate studies, she explored various career paths, including research in microbiology engineering, business development for startup companies, and consulting for biopharma.
As a cofounder of InT, her vision for InT was to create a platform for students interested in life sciences to explore various career opportunities. She also envisioned InT to be a community where members can get to know each other. She especially enjoyed talking to members from all around the world in online social events.
Tracy’s advice to fellow InT members: During your undergraduate years, boldly pursue whatever you want to do! It's completely fine to change directions especially in your first and second years.
InT@UPenn
Richard
Junior in Neuroscience and Biochemistry
Richard is a Junior at University of Pennsylvania double majoring in Neuroscience and Biochemistry with minors in Healthcare management and Healthcare ethics. He aspires to pursue MD/PhD and become a Neurologist.
As the president of InT@UPenn, Richard envisions InT@UPenn as a platform for life science enthusiasts to turn their project ideas into reality. Some projects that he has supported include inviting a Nobel Prize winner as guest speaker and consulting a project for a hospital. Richard hopes to foster growth for club members through providing funding support and helping with connecting useful resources.
Richard's Advice to Fellow InT Members: "Take it easy and GPA isn't everything. "
InT@JHU
Noah
Master student in Biomedical Engineering
Noah is a master's student studying Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). He is currently working on an entrepreneurial project focused on medical devices. He aspires for his work to leave a valuable legacy in the field of healthcare.
Noah's most memorable experience with InT was a summer retreat in 2022 in New York. It was an opportunity to get to know other people with the same interests in a casual setting. He considers InT to be a great platform for meeting people with diverse perspectives and witnessing each other's growth as they all move toward their own goals.
Noah's Advice to Fellow InT Members: "Take actions to explore various opportunities to help you make a well-informed decision about your future career pathway. "
InT@Jemma
Jemma
Graduating Senior
Incoming PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Emory - Georgia Tech
Jemma is a graduating senior at Emory university double majoring in Biology and Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology. Jemma will be starting her PhD training at joint GT-Emory Biomedical engineering program this fall. In her undergraduate studies, her research experience in vision science, cell biology, and transcriptomic analysis inspired her to approach her interest in neuroscience research from a bioengineering perspective.
As a co-founder and previous president of InT@Emory, she sees InT as a supportive community in which members can freely seek help and rely on each other. Her most memorable experience with InT was the very first social event at InT@Emory, when all members gathered together to get food and shared their interests.
Jemma's advice to fellow InT members: "Focus on what you can control, and don't worry about what you can't. "
We hope that journeys of InT members have inspired you in shaping your undergraduate career and future directions. If you find this content helpful, learn more about our chapters here and join us now! We always look forward to meeting new friends at InT to explore life science and entrepreneurship together.
