Between first and second semester, there is a 3-week period starting the second week of January known as Intersession where Hopkins students can take one or two-credit classes pass/fail.
This year, I enrolled in a one-credit class called the Stories of People, Science, and Medicine. Over winter break, our class had to read The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, so the course was designed to bring physicians from the medical campus in to lead discussions about cancer research and treatment.
The course’s lead instructor was Dr. Peter Agre, a Nobel laureate who discovered aquaporins (protein channels that allow water to rapidly diffuse in/out of cells).
It was incredible listening to Dr. Agre’s stories, especially how he found aquaporins. I was also able to speak several times after class with Dr. Agre, and he’s very humble and wise.
Attending Hopkins has allowed me to meet and network with individuals, like Dr, Agre, who are world leaders in their respective fields, and I believe these connections will serve me well in the future.
KH
