Naturally Obsessed Reflections

Today in class we watched Naturally Obsessed: the Making of a Scientist.  This movie follows Dr. Lawrence Shapiro and a group of his graduate students Rob, Gabe, and Kil.  This research group’s task it to try to create a module of the AMPK protein using larger protein crystals.  Through years of research, Rob finally made a breakthrough and successfully modeled the protein, landing him in Science Magazine and earning him his doctorate.  Gabe eventually pursued another science career in Chicago and Kil eventually earned his PhD.

Picture found at
 http://oxford.bside.com/2010/films/naturallyobsessed_oxford2010

            Although the movie itself was very informative in the AMPK proteins, the stress was placed on the emotions and struggles these scientists as well as others go through by choosing a research career.  It took this group of individual’s years of repeated failures to finally find a protein crystal they were looking for.  The sheer mystery behind this research is expressed when other scientists were trying pickle juice in their experiment.  One must almost go into the lab knowing you are going to fail to be able to do the same repeated steps with no idea of what may be the problem, run your trial, and get nothing back.  As the movie is titled, you would almost have to be ‘naturally obsessed’ to have the drive to continue to do this type of research.  And not every scientist has this obsession.  Gabe proves this by dropping out of her graduate class to pursue other goals.  And who can blame her really?  The salary that these researchers made was only $24,000 a year.  Here that is not much, but in New York that is next to nothing.  And because you don’t know when you will finally earn the coveted doctorate, you have no idea when or even if you will ever improve your salary.  And like what they said in the movie, they could quit right now and pursue another science career that makes upwards of $100-200,000.  What makes them stay?  Kil said it’s the urge or the passion to find the answers to a question you have worked so hard to achieve.  Kil and his fiancé even parted ways because of the amount of focus and determination that Kil needed in this career.  As our professor stated, this is not the norm in research in that researchers go years into their studies without a single success.  Nevertheless, reading from How to Succeed in Science: A Concise Guide for Young Biomedical Scientists there is very little room in a researcher’s life.  The paper stated that only one other love can co-exist with research and not much more.

            Comparing my research to that of the research in the movie had similarities and differences.  One of the interesting things is that I recognized many of the instruments the scientists were using with only a few weeks of lab experience.  I took a small My work also deals with proteins.  However, my research as of now is on such a small scale compared to the work that they were trying to do.  The work they were doing took years (hopefully mine does not) with results that could alter how we fight obesity and diabetes.  I also didn’t have the absolute success or failures that these researchers shared.  I had my first gel fail and my Dicty cells did not want to move the first time I recorded their movement.  However, I had recent success in keeping the Dicty cells motile and happy and recorded some pretty neat videos.  And hopefully I will get a successful gel tomorrow.  In my opinion, it would take more courage and perseverance than brains when it comes to research of that magnitude and length.

Works cited

Rifkind, R (Producer). (2009). Natural obsessed: the making of a scientist [Television series episode]. (Executive producer), New York:   ParnassusWorks.

Tewdell, JW. How to succeed in science: a concise guide for young biomedical scientists. Nat      Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2008 May;9(5):413-6.