Author: Sarah Foust

  • ChatGPT is Changing the Way We Do Science

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    I started relying on ChatGPT in 2022, when my PI bought a premium account for the lab. I had used the free version in the past, but for $20 a month we gained early access to the latest models and never had to wait for server availability. It didn’t take very long for me to…

  • Foundation Models in Medicine: Revolution or Hype?

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    The allure of foundation models in medicine is undeniable. Foundation models are large-scale machine learning models trained on broad data at scale and designed to be adaptable to a wide range of downstream tasks. In natural language processing and computer vision, they’ve demonstrated remarkable capabilities. GPT-4, for instance, can generate human-like text responses, and models…

  • The Moment I Became a Scientist Was When I Realized That I Should Stay at the Table

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    I was born and raised in a remote small town in southwest China where transportation was inaccessible, and the economy was underdeveloped. People made a living by planting rice and corn or working as migrant laborers. My hometown of Baiquan, situated on a plateau, was surrounded by towering mountains with no end in sight. From…

  • Avery-McCarty-McLeod experiments: The 80th anniversary of identifying DNA as the molecular basis of heredity

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    The simple but bold 68th Street entrance to the Rockefeller campus was erected in honor of the man who in many ways embodies the scientific and social spirit of the institute. The inscription on one of the piers guarding the entrance reads, and is a homage to the seminal work done over many decades by…

  • Science Saturday: Where Curiosity Meets Community

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    On September 28, the tenth annual Science Saturday STEM festival brought together students, educators, volunteers, and families for a day to celebrate the wonders of science. Hosted by Rockefeller University’s RockEDU Science Outreach department, the festival again demonstrated how science can be a powerful connector across generations, disciplines, and communities. With over 800 attendees, the…

  • Rockefeller Postdocs Vote to Unionize

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    Just before 7 p.m. on September 19, a small crowd of postdocs began gathering outside Founder’s Hall. A few sported stickers proclaiming “I Voted Union Yes!” The air was warm and the nervous excitement palpable as the group began to move toward the building, where the vote count for Rockefeller’s postdoc union election was about…

  • Rockefeller Reimagines the First-Year Curriculum

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    In late August, the newest graduate student cohort arrived at Rockefeller University. But most did not set foot in a laboratory until October. Instead, they played the role of an “experimental group” in a reimagined first-year curriculum running throughout September. Prior first-year programming at Rockefeller continued until winter, running in parallel with laboratory rotations and…

  • Healing The Mind and Body: Insights into Complementary and Alternative Healthcare

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    As one of the world’s leading biomedical research communities, members of the Tri-I appreciate the volume and rigor of research done to seek and support new medical advances. In the U.S., overall life expectancy and survival rates of many diseases have steadily increased thanks to modern medicine. Paradoxically, the general well-being and healthspan of these…

  • Eliminating Toxic Aluminum Waste: The Promise of Plasma Hydrogen Reduction

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    Aluminum production now has a greener way to deal with its waste. Aluminum is one of the most produced metals in the world. Lightweight and durable, it is a versatile material that can be used to create a wide variety of items, from electric cars to reusable lunch boxes. Aluminum has long been championed as…

  • Choreographing the Mind: Dancing Scientists Decode the Neurobiology of Dance

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      Feet struck the floor in a percussive staccato. Hands clapped in syncopation with a drumbeat. Wrists flicked. Fingers snapped.   It might sound like a scene from a dimly lit Spanish flamenco club, where the scent of tapas and sangria mingles in the air. But in reality, it was a neuroscience lecture/performance featuring Rockefeller’s…

  • A scientific speaker’s guide to losing your audience

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    Let’s face it, scientific talks are the most annoying part of a researcher’s job. Talks are an unwelcome interruption to the real work — the actual doing — of science. We are constantly being forced to explain, again and again, what our research means and why it’s important — as if that was not painfully…

  • Pets of Tri-I: Our Furry Friends’ Summer Shenanigans

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    As summer heats up, it’s the perfect time to grab a cool drink, find a cozy spot, and enjoy these charming insights into the lives of the pets from our community. Whether you’re a cat lover or a dog enthusiast, we believe in giving equal representation to both paws and claws. So, in the spirit…