Meet Brooke N. Dulka from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee! Brooke is a postdoctoral research fellow in Fred Helmstetter’s lab. She joined us this week at the virtual edition of our Scientific Writing Retreat and shared sage advice applicable to almost any virtual professional function: Even though “it’s not an in-person event…that doesn’t mean that you won’t have meaningful interactions with people that have the potential to shape the course of your future.”

Tell us about your research.
My research is focused on the molecular mechanisms of memory. Specifically, I am interested in the plasticity that occurs at synapses during the destabilization of a memory.

How did you decide to focus on this area/project?
I studied stress in graduate school, but I have been interested in memory for a long time. This particular project is interesting because strategies that modulate memory destabilization processes (or reconsolidation) hold the promise of weakening the fear memories that underlie traumatic stress disorders.

What and/or who is the inspiration behind your scientific journey?
I have always been interested in science, but for a long time I thought I would be a clinician. I even worked in a few clinical psychology labs as an undergrad and volunteered on a 24-hour crisis hotline. But the more I interacted with people who had experienced trauma, the more I realized that I wanted to understand the biology of these experiences and how disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder could be treated more effectively. After I graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Kent State University, I joined the neuroscience lab of Dr. Aaron Jasnow, and it was there that I fell in love with brain research and really began my scientific journey.

What impact do you hope to make through your work?
Science is incremental, not everyone is going to make a big discovery, but that’s okay! It is my hope that my research will lay a solid foundation of knowledge which future scientists will use to answer even more critical questions.

What do you love most about being a researcher?
I love that being a researcher lets me be both curious and creative.

What drew you to apply to this course?
I applied to this course because I love writing, and I want to be the best writer that I can be. It is only by improving our communication skills that we, as scientists, can better reach the people who need science the most – the public.

What is your key takeaway from the Course; and how do you plan to apply it to your work?
“There is no good ‘scientific writing’ – there is only good writing.” I think it is important to remember that scientific writing, at its core, is no different than any other type of writing.

What feedback or advice would you share with someone considering to participate in this course?
Do it! This course is a great way to sharpen your writing tools and meet some really cool people.

What’s the most memorable thing that happened during the Course?
One of most memorable moments for me was when Quincey Justman said, “Science communication draws the line between what is known and what is unknown.”

Thank you to Brooke for being this week's featured visitor. To meet other featured researchers - and discover the wide range of science that takes part in a CSHL meeting or course - go here.

Images provided by Brooke N. Dulka