|
Alumni HighlightsName: Jarred Younger '98 What have you recently achieved in your career or life that you¹re especially proud of: I’m really excited about my new position at Stanford’s School of Medicine. I've begun this summer, conducting neuroimaging research on chronic pain patients and testing new therapies for pain. The position is a product of much work: running clinical studies, writing scientific papers, and securing grant funding for research. I am filling a unique position between the areas of psychology and medical science and that adaptability has contributed to my success. I think the field of medicine needs a good dose of psychology, and I’m glad to be able to bridge that gap. Undoubtedly, though, my best work is still ahead of me. In what ways did your MC experience prepare you for your current vocation/fulfilling your dreams: Without a doubt, the broad liberal arts curriculum at MC is now serving me well. I learned that each discipline has its own unique language, and its own way of solving problems. I also learned that merging fields in creative ways can lead to better approaches to complex issues. In my work, interdisciplinary teams are key, so I must know how to speak many different academic languages, pulling together researchers from various fields. I also have to wear many hats, and be able to speak well, present in front of all types of audiences, sell ideas, write clearly, understand statistics and research design, manage large teams of research assistants, motivate young researchers, solve problems, and keep up with my field of psychology, as well as knowing the basics from the other sciences. I have always been ahead in this game because I came out of MC having plenty of experience with speaking, writing, leading, and conducting psychological research. As a result of all that early training, I am now the person that can bring all the parts together to run a very successful research program. Thing you love most about what you do now: For me, it’s all about discovery – the excitement of hunting a new therapy that could potentially help a large number of people. I feel that I am doing something very important here. There’s also a great deal of freedom and flexibility for me to pursue the things that are most exciting to me. Favorite course at MC: My first experience at college was the Freshman Orientation/Seminar. Dave Powell '66 was asking us to tackle all these complex, real-life problems, like where to put all the nuclear waste so it wouldn’t harm people 1000 years from now. The format was so incredibly different from my memorize-this-information high school classes. A number of people with totally different perspectives, working together to solve a problem – I loved it. Of course, many great classes in the psychology department and other departments continued this theme, but Dave’s class was my first so it really stands out in my mind. One thing you’ll never forget about MC: No fair – giving just one is too hard. It’s important to know when to break the rules, so I’m going to give a few instead. I’ll never forget trying to make beef jerky for the first time with Mark Fugate '98, and making it halfway to my first class that morning before getting really sick. I stumbled into the CCM in the center of campus and fell on the couch. Everyone there took care of me for the whole day and into the evening. It was very nice knowing I had a safe place to go when I needed help. I’ll never forget being awe-struck by Dr. Bonham’s magic on the piano, and afterwards checking the doors of the FAC music hall every night, hoping they were unlocked so I could sneak in and play the grand piano. I’ll never forget climbing The Alpine Tower and acting all tough even though I was scared out of my mind, and then seeing it every morning from my window at Copeland – taunting me and daring me to try it again. I’ll never forget being an RA and having to constantly defuse the booby traps my clever residents were setting for me. I’ll never forget the heated student senate debates and Josh Goocey’s '98 great ‘Feast of Fools’ idea – how great it was that our professors were willing to meet with students after hours just to chat. And I’ll never forget how fun it was to have 15 people crammed into one residence hall room to watch whatever movie someone happened to rent. MAJOR RESEARCH AND TEACHING RESOURCES
|
Life After MC Recent Graduate/Career Data
Building Community & Staying SharpOpportunities for service and community-based learning such as practica and tutoring at Tennessee School for the Deaf, internships at nonprofit community and interpreting agencies, and through the nonprofit leadership, American Humanics program. Michael Rickman ’04 (SLI/ASL) and Marie Nemerov ’05 (Psychology) were charter students and officers in this program. The Child Development class cooperates with the New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center on Mayfest, an annual fundraiser for the center, by providing developmentally-appropriate activities for children. The Culturally Diverse & Exceptional Children’s class provides services for the local Special Olympics. |
