Rian Morgan-Howell was introduced to biotech from an industry background before applying to the Graduate School. She decided to become a teaching assistant (TA) for the Foundations of Biomedical Research, also known as the Core Course, after taking the course in her first year. Morgan-Howell believes her time as a TA gave her the opportunity to approach biotech from a more academia-based standpoint, giving her a well-rounded understanding of the biotech industry.

How would you describe your teaching assistant (TA) experience at the GSBS?

It was great! I loved the opportunity to get to know the incoming class, as well as the chance to talk to the course coordinators and learn more about how the course comes together and all of the work that goes into it behind the scenes. It’s amazing to see just how many moving pieces there are and how much effort the course coordinators put in to make sure that the incoming students get the absolute most from the experience.

Were you able to hone any skills during this opportunity?

I definitely got to practice my public speaking! Usually before class started, on Fridays especially, I had the opportunity to talk to the students as they all got settled in. This eventually transitioned to me spouting off random “fun facts” and getting to know the first-year students.

Why did you decide to become a TA?

我来自行业背景，在加入GSB之前，我在Biotech工作了几年。因此，我从来没有真正有机会看到生物技术学术界的职业对我来说是什么样的。我一直以为自己毕业后自己回到了行业，但是我希望有机会将我的脚趾浸入方程式的教学方面，以确保我满足个人职业需求的正确方向。

您会告诉其他关于成为TA的GSB学生的学生？

If your schedule has the freedom, I would definitely do it! If you are aware of what you would like to get out of the experience as you enter it, there are plenty of opportunities to grow from being a TA. You just have to be willing to take the initiative to get from it what you want!

Is there anything you would like to tell first-year students starting Core Course?

The course coordinators definitely deserve a lot of credit. Between dealing with stressed out first-year students and juggling the schedules of a million different faculty members, it’s a lot harder than it seemed during my first year. So remember to appreciate them and all of the hard work that they put in to make sure your transition into grad school is as seamless as possible!