Throughout the 8 weeks of the research program, I have the opportunity to listen to research and life stories from many researchers, everyone with an interesting tale to tell. However, the one story that particularly inspires me is the life and research of Dr Susan Alberts whose works with baboons in Kenya are really different from the lab settings I am used to and also really intriguing as well!
What intrigues me about Dr Alberts’ work is the interesting behaviors of the baboons: how the parents take care of their children, how their social interactions affect their lifespan and stress level. It is interesting to know that lack of social interactions can reduce one’s lifespan and this fact is actually applicable to humans as well, to make things more relevant.
However, what piques my curiosity even more is the research itself, how the researchers work on baboons without disturbing nature and the life of the animals, and how they get to live among nature, drink water from wells and cook food using a solar-powered stove. They are unique experiences that it is hard for a molecular biology researcher to experience.
Dr Alberts’ talk really inspires me to try out field research sometime and relives in me the childhood dream to work with animals and nature. It would be interesting and perhaps, life-changing…
