Episode 2

Road to the Ph.D.

Streaming on all major podcasting platforms

Road to the Ph.D.

This month's discussion centers around our stories while deciding to pursue a Ph.D. We share our experiences and recommendations throughout the process of applying to graduate programs such as who to ask to write your letters of recommendation, writing personal statements and diversity statements, and how to effectively communicate your skills and abilities. Then we discuss our differing experiences with the interview process, as well as, what to consider when announcing your acceptance (and celebrating your success). This segment is exclusively our experience and the advice we were given during our application progress. What worked for us, could be useful for you.

Science News

Emily and Emily discuss exciting news in science!

They hold a Journal Club style discussion about the controversial paper suggesting Tyrannosaurus rex is actually three distinct species and using Transcranial-Magnetic Stimulation to treat severe depression.


Tyrannosaurus rex Discussion:

Paul, G.S., Persons, W.S. & Van Raalte, J. The Tyrant Lizard King, Queen and Emperor: Multiple Lines of Morphological and Stratigraphic Evidence Support Subtle Evolution and Probable Speciation Within the North American Genus Tyrannosaurus. Evol Biol (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-022-09561-5


https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/science/tyrannosaurus-rex-species.html

https://www.science.org/content/article/tyrannosaurus-rex-should-be-split-three-species-controversial-study-suggests

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-propose-that-the-t-rex-was-actually-three-different-species-180979663/


TMS for Depression Discussion:

George MS, Lisanby SH, Avery D, et al. Daily Left Prefrontal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder: A Sham-Controlled Randomized Trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(5):507–516. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.46


https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/10/depression-treatment.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/transcranial-magnetic-stimulation/care-at-mayo-clinic/pcc-20384627

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/specialty_areas/brain_stimulation/tms/faq_tms.html

https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2019.19070720


A moment from a scientist

Odalis discusses the importance of citation management software. Below are some citation management softwares mentioned in the episode:

Mendeley

Zortero

Readcube

Endnote

Refworks

Next episode

In our next episode, the podcast discusses the history and importance of ethics in conducting and reporting research across multiple fields.

Hosts this month

Alex Knopps, Odalis Garcia, Emily Johnson, Emily Hackerson, and Rachel Delaney