By Stephanie Baringer It is no secret that academia jobs are hard to come by and secure, but that is not the only thing stopping grad students from pursing the lab life. Trainees are more aware than ever of the many ‘alternative’ careers available, and they are realizing that transferable skills from their Ph.D.  enable … Continue reading Bridging Politics and Science: A Career Interview in Science Policy

By Mariam Melkumyan A few months ago, I was shopping at CVS and came across a stand that caught my attention. It was a stand full of brain support supplements with labels including “Brain Armor”, “Brain Fog Capsule”, “Brain Performance”, “All-Day Focus”. Later on, my brother brought up the brain supplement by Qualia, saying that … Continue reading The Hype Behind Supplements for Your Brain

By Indira Purushothaman   In the era of subscription boxes, there’s a little something for everyone. There are more than 11 million “box” subscribers in the United States alone, and that market is growing on a global scale. Receiving a new box delivered to your door each month can be exciting in contrast to recurrent … Continue reading The Science of Subscription Boxes

By Bailey Keller and Angela Snyder Declining mental health among graduate students is a silent epidemic. According to a recent Nature survey of 6,300 PhD students worldwide, ~36% report seeking help for anxiety or depression due to their PhD studies1. Commonly cited reasons for the PhD environment contributing to poor mental health were bullying and … Continue reading The Challenge of Mental Health in Graduate School

By Elizabeth Lesko There’s nothing quite like a global pandemic to pique the public’s interest in medical science. COVID-19 has been a prime example, with individuals around the globe demanding immediate answers to a complicated problem and wondering why scientists don’t seem to have this whole “communicable diseases” concept figured out. The modern media cycle … Continue reading Lessons from Plagues Past

By Ryan Hylton Only one science topic has rivaled the Coronavirus pandemic in recent news cycles: the “Murder Hornet”. Although this nickname is a bit sensational, it does not fall far from the truth. Vespa mandarinia, or the Asian giant hornet, is the largest hornet species in the world and is known for its ability … Continue reading What’s With All the Hype? The “Murder Hornet” Problem Explained

Thank you to everyone who voted for Lions Talk Science’s best blog post of the Spring 2020 semester! The results are all in, and your favorite LTS article from the spring semester was "When the Science Stops: A Series of Interviews" written by Stephanie Baringer. For her winning article, Stephanie will receive a $25 gift card! … Continue reading The Spring 2020 Best Blog Post Votes are In!

By Mariam Melkumyan While certain levels of stress present in our lives is a good thing, sometimes it can be too much. Now is a very stressful time for graduate students; in addition to qualifying and comprehensive exams and dissertations, we are constantly reminded of threats to our health and normal lives due to the … Continue reading What is Going On in Your Brain When You’re Stressed