The CDB Stem Cell Club was picked up by Cell Stem Cell.
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<2013-7-8>
CDB graduate students and post-docs had an informal discussion session with Prof. Nakauchi.
Students discussing with Prof. Nakauchi
Words of Wisdom
On July 8, I was one of seven CDB graduate students to participate in an informal discussion session with Professor Hiromitsu Nakauchi (The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo), a renowned scientist carrying out pioneering research in the field of regenerative medicine, following his talk at the CDB Seminar. This special opportunity was made possible by Prof. Nakauchi, who proposed the idea, and Dr. Hironobu Fujiwara (RIKEN CDB), who arranged the logistics including the recruitment of students through the CDB Graduate Student Association.
The informal discussion began with the students, many who worked with stem cells, giving short introductions on their research projects and was followed by more in-depth discussions. The opportunity to talk to Prof. Nakauchi in such a close setting had us initially feeling some nervousness, which gradually eased as he created a relaxing mood by mixing lighthearted jokes into the conversation. With the students who worked with stem cells, he shared highly specialized information related to stem cells, and with the others working in other areas, he questioned them on things he did not know. When the topic turned to focus on the skills required in a researcher, Prof. Nakauchi advised us to set a clear goal and avoid carrying out unnecessary experiments. He also emphasized the importance of communication skills, such as for presentations and discussions; this point had us nodding in agreement as we had just seen him deliver a seminar and also interact with us.
We walked away afterwards reflecting on how we could have introduced our research better and also posing questions to others on their research. This was a valuable occasion for us to re-instill the importance of communication skills in a researcher.
Written by Shuji Shimamura (Histogenetic Dynamics)
Translated by Hazuki Hiraga (ORC)
<2013-3-2>
The CDB Stem Cell Club was launched!