Posts by Katherine Lelito

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Posts by Katherine Lelito

Summer Plans: Conference Preparations!

May 1, 2012 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to apply to give a talk at the meeting that I am attending this summer. I was thrilled about the idea of giving a talk at an important meeting—no big deal—I’ve given plenty of talks here at the University of Michigan, and besides, it’s my own data. Why do people get so worked up about giving talks anyway? I knew that it would be a great networking opportunity and a chance to get my name out before I graduate and apply for postdoc positions. However, the minute that I…

Published in: Student Voices

Ph.D. Education: What Is It Good For?

March 27, 2012 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

A successful scientist is one that has made significant discoveries in their field. This stems from knowing what questions are worth answering, and knowing what questions can actually be answered in one’s place and time in scientific history. A thorough knowledge of the literature and an ability to come up with an experimental design to find answers is required of scientists. To be able to carry out the research, a scientist must be able to champion their cause in writing and oral presentations, so that audiences are both inspired to invest in the research and are motivated to participate in…

Published in: Student Voices

(re)Discovering My Love of Bugs: Why I Came to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

February 28, 2012 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

Applying to graduate school was an easy decision for me. I had been carrying out research during my undergraduate and master’s programs, and I liked doing research. Although I enjoyed studying entomology and plant biology, I knew there were so many fields that I hadn’t yet explored. Was there a model organism I could love to study more than bugs?? I suffered from severe commitment phobia of the fields and organisms that I knew too well. I was attracted to the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB) program at U-M because it required its incoming students to rotate through labs…

Published in: Student Voices

Winter in Ann Arbor: Nature’s Gift to Graduate Students

February 8, 2012 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

Winters are colder in Michigan- so cold that compared to where I’m from, it’s more often too cold to snow. But, I’m oddly thankful for Nature’s bitter cold winds that keep us graduate students indoors. In winter, we are free from the distractions of tempting outdoor recreation- Frisbee on the quad, dining al fresco on Main St., Art Fair and so on are the pleasures of Ann Arbor for 7 months out of the year. With nothing more exciting to do, we can stop procrastinating and complete those necessary tasks of writing up our research, and applying for grants. With every winter we are here, that is at least four papers we can complete before we graduate. So hunker down at your lab desk, and let the random clanking noises of the forced air heater set you into a writing rhythm.

Published in: Student Voices

Conference Tactics

December 6, 2011 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

This past October, I went to my first big meeting in my field: the Drosophila Neurobiology Conference. I was really excited to meet the micro-celebrities that made up my field: the bigwig PIs, and the so & so et. al’s from the papers that I so often cite at talks and on papers. However, when I got to the conference, I felt completely embarrassed because I didn’t know what these people looked like or who many of the authors between the first and the last. Although we all were wearing name-tags, they hung so low that it was awkward to…

Published in: Student Voices

Faculty Connections: The Intimidators

November 11, 2011 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

I came to the U-M campus as perhaps the most intimidated graduate student to walk across the Diag. I had just finished a degree in the study of insects, and I was now going to work in a molecular biology department!? The professors that I was meeting with were from such a diverse set of complex fields that I knew nothing about! It was as if they were only speaking in gene acronyms and I didn’t know the language! It was only a matter of time until they figured out that they’d accidently accepted me. I found myself maintaining this…

Published in: Student Voices

Balance: On Balancing Work and Home Life

October 6, 2011 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

The key to balancing work and life for graduate students is...hard work – motivated, planned and passionate hard work. For me, this means planning out my week's work – all my experiments, preparations, plus time for reading and writing – then coming into work and getting things done. If you complete most of your daily and weekly goals, you can avoid the guilty feeling that often makes you take work home or come in every weekend. When the work-week is over, you can spend time with your friends and family, and relax knowing that you worked hard. I think that…

Published in: Student Voices

Meet the Bloggers: Katie Lelito

September 8, 2011 | By Katherine Lelito, Ph.D. Student, Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

Welcome to the Rackham Graduate Student blog! I’m Katie and I hope to give you an insider’s perspective of life as a graduate student at the University of Michigan. Currently, I’m studying circadian clock neurons in the Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology department (MCDB). If you’d have asked me when I was little about what I was going to be when I grew up- I would not have said “a researcher in biological science.” In fact, I didn’t even know that it was a legitimate line of work! I grew up in New England, a nature kid- loved to be…

Published in: Student Voices

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