“Explain It Like I’m Five”: Graduate student-led elevator pitches paving the future of radiology
Graduate Student Update | Nicole Beaubien, Communications Intern
The annual International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) meeting and exhibition presents the latest research, innovations, and applications in magnetic resonance imaging as they relate to science. This year in Toronto, a secret session at the ISMRM meeting led by four Northwestern PhD students mentored by Department of Radiology faculty strove to make research findings more accessible for the newest generation of aspiring scientists: secondary students. In this session, “Explain it Like I’m Five,” various radiologists and scientists practiced summarizing their information for a lay audience by presenting elevator pitches to the students in a fun-spirited competition.
As a part of Northwestern’s PhD program, these four students are already working towards revolutionizing the field of magnetic resonance imaging. Vu, Hemmerling, and Zvolanek are all researching alongside radiology faculty mentors. Vu, a biomedical engineering major, works in Dr. Laleh Golestani Rad’s lab improving MRI safety with active brain implants. Hemmerling, also a BME major, works with Dr. Molly Bright studying spinal cord function MRI in relation to physiological noise suppression with bipolar gradients. Zvolanek, also a BME major, was also mentored by Dr. Bright researching cerebrovascular MRI among pediatric patients. Meanwhile, Joshi, a BME major with a background in robotics, was mentored by Dr. Jules Dewald and Dr. Carson Ingo in Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences. Her research hones in on using diffusion MRI in human movement science, particularly that of arm muscles in patients of hemiparetic stroke. The group hopes that this secret session will continue in ISMRM conferences to come, though their impending graduation dates mean that next exhibition might be the last where all four students will be together. Thankfully, they are optimistic about the future of the panel, and will pass it on to a new cohort of T32 trainees.
Jasmine Vu, Kristina Zvolanek, Kim Hemmerling, and Divya Joshi are all currently completing their PhDs and have received training via the Training Program in MRI, a NIBIB T32 program within BME and the Department of Radiology. This program, led by Dr. Michael Markl, inspired these students to do an outreach activity to get connected with the MRI community at an international level. According to Zvolanek, her pediatric research also sparked an interest in doing this event with kids. The group highlighted the importance of firsthand experience for students. More personal involvement with professionals in the MRI field helps motivate kids to consider career paths within radiology. This particular cohort of students are part of a science club at their secondary school in Toronto, so it was especially important to them to learn from the experience of conferences and get a glimpse into the life of a PhD. Despite the youth of the students, Joshi added, it is valuable to “plant the seed in their minds” and have them considering career possibilities early on.
The Read | Volume 6 | Page 11
Department of Radiology
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