Talent

Again, waiting for the M2: The guy next to reading a copy of an article from Cell (I have to check that journal out sometimes since every one seems to be reading it here).

I can't help it. There's something I just can't let go. Something (a research problem) I've been thinking about for more than a year now. Now suddenly it strikes me again. I can't leave it. I think about the studies I will be doing while at Harvard. And yes, it fits. If I'm right about my idea this hypothesis also fits. I grap my iPhone. The wireless data connection is ridiculously slow. Sometime's just slow, other times nothing is getting through but today it's working. I go on PubMed (where you search for previously published research) and look it up. No one has looked into it yet. One group has been close to getting it there, but still, they don't take it far enough. The sun is shining on the city as we cross the Harvard Bridge. It’s nice.

Is the environment at Harvard and in the Boston/Cambridge area really that great for researchers? Yes, it’s extremely stimulating – and it’s different here. It’s all over. Everywhere you go, who ever you talk to. There is such a high density of smart people. This is both stimulating and fascinating. The guy playing his guitar in the subway station is talented. No problem making it most places in the world. The same goes for the guy playing the cello in the park. Brilliant. I recently started running on Wednesday and Sunday with Harvard on the Move. I meet world-class professors, postdocs, other students and fellows and everyone has their own geeky thing. Just ask, so what are you doing, and most will talk passionately about their research. I for one being competitive find it extremely motivating. When everyone has this kind of talent it’s not about being good but about being the best – the best you can be.