Jumping through hoops

Abstract

Last November I attended a science and medicine conference, held by the Royal College of Physicians, as a representative of my medical school. Listening to speakers at the forefront of their research fields was highly informative, as was reading many of the high quality poster presentations. It was a welcome change to be immersed back in the world of research. Before my four years of undergraduate teaching, I was a post-doctoral researcher at Berkeley university in the United States. Some students read the conference posters with interest but did not feel confident enough to speak to the author. I know from past experience, however, that speaking with the author directly is often the most informative way to digest research findings. In my former life as a scientist, I had the chance to ask questions of some of the most eminent researchers in the world about their findings, and they …