Naturally Obsessed Sparknotes

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Naturally Obsessed is a documentary following the lives of students in a research lab in Columbia University Medical Center working diligently under Dr. Shapiro. The research project that was mainly covered in the documentary was the crystallization and x-ray mappings of the AMPK protein molecule. It was less of a science based documentary though and was more about the emotional aspect of three students and their mentor working and interacting in a lab to get their PhD’s, research never before seen proteins, and live their lives as research students. The protein, though it was not the main point of the documentary, is the main emphasis behind their research so it will be discussed as it was mentioned in the documentary. This protein is called …show more content…

She worked diligently in the lab and had high aspirations. She constantly worked, yet she was very hard on herself whenever she failed. Also, she didn’t quite seem to have the experience as some of her fellow lab students. In one interaction, she was using some machine wrong and someone corrected her, yet apparently she had tried to use the machine many times before and had always made that mistake. This is a real bummer in research because now you don’t know how that affected your earlier works. Yet, she was very diligent and kept working, always aggressively asking questions and seeking advice from those around her. Though Dr. Shapiro was always very kind, she was intimidated by him and didn’t feel comfortable going up to him and asking questions. She didn’t want to look like she needed help, yet she seemed capable of asking questions of her peers. By the end, she dropped out of the PhD program and went on to work as a junior scientist at the Chicago Biotech Company which made her very happy. She “fit much better into that line of work” she …show more content…

He was the most peculiar of the bunch. He has crazy ad untamed curly hair with a big goatee. He was not a student because he had dropped out of school. He was looking for work and research when he found Dr. Shapiro. He told Dr. Shapiro that he wanted work but that Shapiro didn’t want him because of his work ethic and how he acted. He was not responsible and no one would ever recommend him. Yet, Shapiro could see a future in Rob and insisted that he join his research team and work towards his PhD. Throughout the documentary, he came and left many times. He kept on quitting and returning and Shapiro let him come and go as he pleased. He was always ready to welcome him back and continually give him support. Rob wanted to leave but was always drawn back by that natural obsession of discovering new fields of science. He also didn’t want to quit what he had spent so long trying to accomplish. Rob had a wife and was hoping for kids, a PhD, and to stand at the top of the world. He viewed research much like rock climbing. You have to be patient and take your time with each little nook. Otherwise you my fall all the way back down. Yet, eventually, if you keep trying, you will reach the

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