Listening to Professor Alabi and Professor Yapici was very insightful. I think after listening to Professor Alabi talk about how joining a lab in his undergraduate was his favorite part of college I might try some research. I also found Professor Yapici’s story about rats escaping and stealing all the food in her lab pretty funny. I used to think lab work was more for people that were solely focused on academia however after hearing about the two professor’s experiences, it sounds quite interesting. Overall, I found that professors can also be very relatable. Like many kids both Professor Alabi and Professor Yapici were huge soccer fans when they were young. I think sometimes professors may seem like they are super smart and unapproachable. However, they all went through the same experiences as most students when they were younger or during their undergrad. Professors are a resource that all students should take advantage of.

The podcast was really informative for me on how to get the best experience out of my college experience, so it doesn’t go to waste. I really enjoyed it when the guest lectures talked about their pathways to Cornell and how they determined what field they wanted to go to. It reminded me about how different people go through different paths to achieve greatness, no one’s story is ever the same. Also, Chris Alabi mentioned how participating in research transformed his college experience. This inspires me to participate in research because I was initially on the fence about it, but his research experiment was so impactful on him. Some good advice I will take away from Nilay Yapaci is to learn how to manage your time so you are not stressing yourself out and studying last minute for exams.

Listening to the Rose Bud Podcast for how to make the most of my college experience, I was able to relate to a lot of aspects of the guests on the podcast and so it really helped me gain an insight that will be very beneficial to me. Both of the guests were interested in the same majors as I am and really helped me through a lot of confusion that I’ve had with the field. They’ve also given me interesting ideas such as participating in research next semester to really make Cornell feel like a second home to me. Being a transfer student this semester, I really felt like I needed insight on how to better my college experience so it was great to hear what they had to say.

I really enjoyed listening to the conversation with Professor Chris Alabi and Nilay Yapici. It was fascinating to hear the stories on how they ended up at Cornell and their transitions as they came to the United States from other countries. Both professors emphasized the importance of finding mentors in others. Professor Alabi related a story where he probably would not have gone to grad school if it had not been for his mentor during undergrad. He also mentioned the importance of a mentor when transitioning from grad school to becoming on the faculty of an institution. His stories showed the importance of having mentors who believe in you and encourage you to pursue challenges that you might not think you can do. I found it inspiring how he overcame internal obstacles as he called them to get to where he is today. The conversation made me realize the importance of listening to the advice and the guidance of others.

During this podcast, I liked how one of the teachers talked about how important being a teacher’s assistant is. He stated how not only do you get to help and connect with students, you get to better understand the material by teaching it. Since I  am thinking about becoming a teacher’s assistant, this information was valuable to me. Honestly, I want to help struggling students with their work, and if I can get better at the subject while doing it, that confirmed my decision to sign up to be a TA. Additionally, he spoke about how important teachers are in the learning experience. I can definitely relate to this. In high school, if I was struggling in a class, it was welcoming when a caring teacher would sit down with me one on one and made sure I properly understood the material. On the other hand, it was terrible when teachers did not care whether their students understand the material or not. Even if I enjoy and am good at the subject, a good teacher is still crucial to make sure that I am successful inside and outside of the class.

I always love hearing from passionate people, and both Professor Alabi and Professor Yapici are inspiring to hear as they talk about their lives and their work. Professor Yapici described finding her passion for neuroscience while watching a science fiction movie and how she quickly learned as much as she could about the interface between the brain and computers. I always get excited when hearing others talk excitedly about their fields, and hearing about her fascination with neuroscience and Professor Alabi’s deep interest in polymers and biology made me fascinated with these fields as well (even though they are very different from the major I’m studying). The conversation strengthened my desire to take more classes outside my major and take advantage of all the opportunities to do so here at Cornell.

I also really enjoyed some of the more personal moments in the discussion with these professors. Strong mentors were instrumental in getting Professor Alabi to where he is today, and I found it powerful to listen to his story. He described overcoming self-doubt and credits his mentors with helping him to see pathways for himself that he never thought possible. Hearing his experience made me reflect upon the mentors that I’ve had during my life so far, and helped me to think about the importance of forming strong connections with others, both those on pathways ahead of me and others that I can guide along.

And finally, I really connected with the professors when the conversation turned to women in STEM fields. Professor Yapici spoke about being one of the few females in her field, and described that it feels great when you get to reach your goals, but it sometimes feels lonely when you walk into a room and you’re the only woman there. It is really important to celebrate the contributions of everyone to every field, and I really resonated with their conversation there.

While listening to the backstories of Professor Alabi and Professor Yapici during the October Fellow Interview, it came as a shock to me that professors are actually human beings. They like sports, they have families, they prefer having fun while they teach… totally human of them. Of course, I know professors have lives just like we do, but something about the gap between us (students) and them (instructors) makes it hard to picture President Martha Pollack going to the movies or Professor Gries grocery shopping– you know, doing human stuff. Is it just me?

So when I was able to listen in on this fellow interview with two Cornell professors, I finally got a chance to peek into the unknown life of professional educators. It felt like a natural conversation (even though I didn’t have to do any talking, thankfully), learning more about the struggles, successes, and surprises of their uniquely human lives.

We ought to hold more fellow interviews, fellow talent shows, fellow discussions… opportunities to get to know professors on a more personal level. They are times for professors to show off their gifts, reveal their backstories, and give advice to students who really do want to learn more about the person behind the professor.

Going into this event, I was expecting to learn more about neuroscience and chemical engineering as fields.  I had no idea that I would learn more about the professors than about their fields.  It was great learning about their journey to where they are now.  Sometimes it is difficult to remember that our professors were in our shoes once, taking stressful prelims or midterms, pulling the occasional all-nighter, and finding a good mentor to help shape us in our academic careers.  Their stories were really funny and interesting.  The rat story told by Professor Yapici was hilarious, but also convinced me not to work with animals!  Professor Alabi’s advice to find a good mentor will stay with me throughout my entire life.  I found a lot of mentors on my project team, they encourage me to do my best each and every week while also giving me great advice on my projects when I need it.  I am glad that I came out of this event with more knowledge about life than about academic fields of study.

It was great getting to know Professors Nilay Yapici and Chris Alabi this week. I found that I identify a lot with them on a personal and intellectual level. For example, Professor Yapici came to the United States from Turkey, and Professor Alabi is from Nigeria. I immigrated to the United States from the Philippines when I was young, so hearing about some of the challenges of adjusting to a new country resonated with me. I also enjoyed hearing about Professor Yapici’s love of neuroscience. I thought it was really interesting how she was partially inspired to study the brain after watching “The Matrix.” I loved her quote about how the more we learn about the brain, the more we realize we don’t know. Her passion for neuroscience inspires me to want to take a course in neuroscience sometime before I graduate. I also liked hearing about Professor Alabi’s love of engineering and learning. I was also really passionate about math growing up, so I appreciated his energy regarding the subject. What he said about research inspires me to think about doing research for math in the future or going to graduate school.

Getting personal perspectives from Professor Alabi and Professor Yapici was very interesting and refreshing to hear about in the Rose Buzz Fellow Interview. As a student, hearing about a Professor’s research and contributions within their fields is both inspiring and a bit intimidating. I feel that sometimes our professors can seem a bit unapproachable. This further establishes a hierarchical structure between students and their professors, which prevents the ability to make closer, personal connections with them. However, hearing about Professor Alabi’s and Yapici’s background, upbringing, and the struggles that they faced along their career journeys allowed me to see them more as the individuals they are versus the professional titles they hold. It was nice to hear about their experiences and realize that before reaching the place they are today in their careers, they too were once students first discovering their passions and trying to navigate through the hurdles of life. In addition, hearing about their experiences within teaching and the ways they enjoy engaging with their students was interesting as well. When both professors mentioned that they prefer more informal engagement with their students and enjoy more personal conversations, it was comforting to hear. As a fellow student, I really appreciate their clear efforts to make their own students more comfortable and willing to freely discuss and express their ideas. Their comments throughout the interview have encouraged me to step outside my comfort zone and try to create greater connections with my professors and in general authority figures around me that can help guide and mentor me through this time in my life.

I attended the interview of Dr. Yapici and Dr. Alabi this past week. Much of the interview focused on their experiences teaching which I found highly enjoyable. I have always wanted to teach so to hear the inside scoop from two professors at Cornell was very enlightening. One topic that struck me substantially was brought up by Dr. Yapici when she said that she disliked being addressed formally in the classroom. I have had fears about this very thing as I often feel uncomfortable when addressed as “Mr. McGinnity Schneider.” I greatly prefer to be addressed by my first name in any situation but felt that maybe this was odd given no teachers I had ever had shared this preference. I was glad that during this presentation she brought up this point and how it can make the learning environment more inclusive and comfortable for all.

Last Wednesday, I attended the fellow interview with Chris Alabi and Nilay Yapici.  Alabi is a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Yapici is a professor of neurobiology and behavior.  While I personally am not a fan of science, I found myself fascinated by their descriptions of what they research.

I appreciated when Professor Alabi talked about his upbringing and how he never expected to pursue a biological field of study, especially considering that he did not study it extensively previously.  While I like what I am currently studying, Professor Alabi’s words emphasized that an individual always has a hidden passion just waiting to be found.  Thus, it is important to try new things and study new subjects in the hopes of finding that passion.

Professor Yapici also made some interesting points about making the most out of the college experience.  College is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so it is important to use it wisely to build a lasting community, not just for career prospects but also simply for support.  I found myself wanting to get out and meet more unique people in the Cornell community after Professor Yapici talked about the interesting kinds of people are in the college community.

Attending the LWYL Cafe interview with professors Chris Alabi and Nilay Yapici served as both a source of insightful stories and much-needed reminders.

For instance, I was fascinated by Professor Alabi’s path of starting life out as a kid in Nigeria thinking mostly about soccer and how through small steps, one of which involved reading an encyclopedia, he decided to study chemical engineering. And, I enjoyed Professor Yapici’s stories ranging from finding community with the international college community to the challenges of becoming tenured.

By taking a break from my degree program work to hear these stories from professors unrelated to my field, I found myself engaging in thinking more broadly than I had anticipated.

And, when asked to give advice to current students, “Have fun but be persistent and gritty” and “cherish your time in undergrad” served to remind me that college is a special opportunity that when approached with both grit and fun, is certainly something for me to cherish.