Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Returning to the Jackson Laboratory

Posted by Richard Primack

“Practically, the old have no very important advice to give the young. I have lived some thirty years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors."  
-Thoreau, Walden


In 1967, I was a high school student off for a summer of research on mouse genetics at the Jackson Laboratory in idyllic Bar Harbor, Maine. The most amazing part of the program was the chance to meet and interact with intellectually motivated students from around the United States.

Recently, I was invited back to the Jackson Lab after 49 years to talk with a new crop of high school students about my memories of the program, what I have done and am currently doing in my research, and what I had learned over the course of my career and life. Above is a 3 minute version of my talk; keep in the mind the above quote from Thoreau that the wisdom of seniors has little value.

1 comment:

  1. Interesting post. The musical background is distracting.

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