Real Talk about NUTalk
By Shannon Jones, Marine Biology, 2016
Last Thursday night saw Raytheon Theater full of students, faculty, and even members of the Boston community gathered for an unusual event — NU Talk 2016, a TED-style event hosted by Northeastern’s Biology Club. The event began with introductions by Ollie Cervantes, the Vice President of the Biology Club, and Dr. Tilly, the Dean of the College of Science, and featured talks from twelve different Northeastern students. These speakers included representatives from clubs and organizations on campus, including NUSci. The event was designed to encourage collaboration between branches of science, and topics ranged from student research in the human gut microbiome to the oral health of Native Americans, and from stress in developing brains to scientific research.
As Sam Kaplan, a fourth year Biochemistry major, said, “It isn’t every day that a group of thinkers converges to discuss challenges and progress in such a multidisciplinary array of fields.” Kaplan, along with Kristan Teichert, spoke about outreach in STEM education on behalf of PHEONX (the Post High School Educational Outreach Network) and NEPTUN (Northeastern Program for Teaching by Undergraduates). “The actively engaged (and sizeable) audience made it a pleasure to speak at the event.” Kaplan wasn’t kidding about the size of the crowd — some event attendees were even sitting on the floor and standing in the hall. Speakers had only seven minutes apiece to inform the audience of their topic, but that didn’t stop the presentations from being entertaining, and even requiring audience participation at some points. For instance, Luke Kyungmin Shin, a fifth year Biology and Mathematics major, began his presentation on the oral health of Native Americans by posing the following conundrum: “I will tell you why [oral health] is important. Raise your hand if you don’t have a mouth.”
Other presenters took a more environmentally-focused tack. “I was hoping to convey how science is a technical understanding of how the natural world works; it’s a way to help society connect to the big picture ideas of what’s happening outside of human consciousness, not a median for academic haughtiness,” said Meg Munkacsy, a fourth year Marine Biology major. Munkascy is on of the Vice Presidents of the Marine Biology Club, and presented about sustainability in oyster farming. “I think this event, and events like this, are so important to continue to express how dynamic science is and how accessible it can be.”
The event was a success by any definition. “NU Talk was a glimpse into the passions of Northeastern students, and I really enjoyed learning about what interests my peers,” said Teresa McCarthy, a Marine Biology major who attended the event. “I would go again next year if I wasn’t graduating!”
All photos courtesy of NUTalk.
