These past few weeks, I’ve truly enjoyed hearing all of the faculty seminars. I love learning about their research and how they had different backgrounds and paths yet all ended up here at Duke. In terms of research, it probably comes as no surprise that I really enjoyed Dr. Williams’ talk on aerobic fitness and neurogenesis because I love neuroscience, and I’m probably going to major in it. I actually took Neuro101 with her as my professor, and it was interesting learning about the research she does. Normally, when you think of exercise, you think of your muscles getting stronger, from your arms and legs to your core. However, normally people don’t think about exercise affecting their brain. Dr. Williams’ research shows that exercise/aerobic capacity does in fact affect the brain. A higher aerobic capacity and more exercise leads to increased neuron proliferation or survival in different parts of the brain. Now I’m starting to regret all those times this summer I’ve debated whether to go to the gym or stay in and watch Netflix and chosen Netflix.
Beyond my choices this summer on whether or not to exercise, there’s also many choices that I’ll face in the future in regards to my career path. There isn’t one particular talk that stood out to me regarding their career path, but that’s only because they have all shown me how diverse the path can be and how it can change. From being the director of the Duke Lemur Center to working in industry or academia to receiving dual degrees, everyone eventually ended up doing what they love. Of course, the road there isn’t easy and takes a lot of hard work, but I’m ready to put in that hard work and hopefully, end up doing what I love too.
