Mac Supports Future Scientists
Profiles in Success: Molecular Sciences Institute
Berkeley, CA — When Dr. Roger Brent walks by the room where his summer interns hang out, he can usually predict what he’ll hear. The president and director of the Molecular Sciences Institute (MSI) says that most days he picks up on the sound of … laughter. Whether each year’s crop of future scientists is sharing a private joke, or they’re just excited about the new MacBook notebook computers they’re given, Brent isn’t entirely sure. What he is convinced of is that the Mac notebooks give MSI’s interns an enormous advantage in their academic and professional careers.
To discover how ensembles of biological components work together to create complex biological systems, MSI combines genomic experimentation with sophisticated computer modeling. The Institute is also committed to training, motivating, and mentoring future genomic scientists to take on these tasks. Thus, each year MSI hosts eight-week Genomics Sciences Summer Internships for high school juniors and seniors (particularly from underrepresented ethnic minorities), giving them an exceptional opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a genomics laboratory.
Making a Difference in Students’ Lives
Competition for the internships is fierce, with over 100 students vying for one of the five slots available each year. Along with high grades in math and science, students need the recommendation of a school counselor or teacher. But Leonore Reiser, MSI’s director of outreach, says the most important requirement is intangible.
“The selection largely relies on interest and enthusiasm for the sciences, and what we perceive as the students’ potential to do great things,” Reiser notes. “Also, it’s important for us to offer an opportunity to students who haven’t necessarily had access to the same set of resources that students in more affluent communities might have had. We select people with the belief that we can make a difference in their lives.”
Mac OS X Ideal for Science Applications
A crucial part of making that difference lies in MSI’s tradition of giving each student a Mac notebook. Brent says this act alone can completely change an intern’s future. “In most years,” says Brent, “four of the five interns will be the first in their families who will be going to a university. They’re all of high intellectual caliber; we want them to do terrifically once they get to college. Providing them with an Apple notebook affects their ability to read, write, think, and communicate. And it’s not just for science: Working with a computer prepares them for their adult life, since nearly every job will require them to have computer skills.
“Most of us are confirmed Mac users,” Brent adds. “Mac OS X is great for us, because many of our computer modeling applications run on Linux. In the past scientists might have had a Windows machine and a Linux box. Here people are much more likely to be using a Mac, and then just going to the UNIX layer underneath whenever they need to. We’re very happy with the BSD UNIX that’s in Mac OS X, since many of our special-purpose scientific apps immediately run on the platform with no tweaking.”
Next Page: Mac Notebooks Accelerate Computer Proficiency
