Jeff Brodsky, PhD, is familiar with the stereotype, the scientist working alone in the lab.
That’s not been his experience.
In fact, the sense of community, the collegiality, the give-and-take of the research experience, is what first hooked him, back when he was a sophomore at the University of Illinois and a friend told him about a part-time job in an on-campus lab.
“Basically, washing glassware,” Dr. Brodsky said with a chuckle. “But it got me excited and gave me a sense of how the research community felt and worked.
“I found that the lab was a natural fit for what I wanted to do.”
From there, he went on to more involved classes, bigger labs. Graduate school at Harvard University. Postdoctoral work at Berkeley. Today, he is the Avinoff Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.
He also is the newest member of the External Advisory Board for the Nebraska IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (NE-INBRE) Program.
Although he still is new to the board, Dr. Brodsky has 29 years of experience as an academic scientist. During that time, he’s worked with nearly 100 undergraduates in his labs, run training grants, been associated with various granting agencies and provided funds to undergraduate research institutions.
“I think I can bring experience in how to develop ways to get students excited about science,” he said.
He also brings an admiration for the INBRE programs, because, he said, “they specifically target places that may not have the infrastructure or funds to support cutting-edge research and make opportunities available to those students.
“Some of the best graduate students I’ve worked with over the years have been undergraduates in places where they were lucky enough to get the opportunity to do cutting-edge research. Unless we improve the ability of places to make this type of experience accessible to students, we risk losing a large group of potential future researchers. That’s why it’s important to make these opportunities available to as many qualified students as possible.”
Coming into the NE-INBRE program, Dr. Brodsky said he is excited to see what this community of researchers is doing.
“One thing I love about science, you get out of it what you put into it,” he said. “I would love to provide my expertise and experience to make these students’ projects better, to make their experiences more satisfying, and to share my insights into the many wonderful places science can take them.”
He also enjoys working with undergraduate students who – as he did – are just beginning to fall in love with research.
“This can be an exciting but scary tine for them,” he said. “It’s a time where you start to make hard decisions about the future.
“If you have ambition and drive and are curious, there are so many things you can explore.”