Finishing my presentation at 3 a.m., I finally have a chance to reflect on the journey that brought me to this point. I worked in the Cells and Neuromathematics Group at the Simulation Neuroscience division in the Blue Brain Project, which is a large group of researchers, PhD students, post-docs, and software engineers working together towards building a biologically detailed reconstruction of the mice brain. Although, in retrospect, this was the best lab where I can merge my interests for neuroscience and mathematics, I only began talking to my advisor about a potential project very late. Initially uncertain about what direction my research would take, she provided me with readings in topology and neuroscience, as well as a list of computational tools that our group developed. From there I became familiar with the project and the software that the group is working on; just like many other computational neuroscience researchers, I primarily work on a computer with Python.
Next morning, I began talking about my summer research at the lab to the whole group in a Zoom presentation. My main work was on axon synthesis and validation – that is, checking that our program produces biologically realistic neurons and improving it in case it fails. I talked about my main findings where the synthesized axons have excessive lengths, and demonstrated how the changes in my method fixes the issue. I have always enjoyed the lab’s collaborative environment. I worked with two postdocs on the same problem, yet I was still able to have my independent project. At the same time, members of my lab are all very friendly and we often go for lunch together. It was very interesting to talk to people working as software engineers who were not on a research career path in the lab.
During my time in Switzerland, I have spent most of the time exploring the city of Geneva and taking short trips around the region, since my lab is located at Campus Biotech in the city. Strolling around the lake, visiting Jardin Botanique (botanical garden), or playing chess on the large chess boards at Parc des Bastions (a park) were all fun daily activities. Another advantage of Geneva is its location: I was able to take day trips into France and visit cities such as Lyon just during weekends.
The thing that surprised me the most in Switzerland is its public transportation system. Geneva, although slightly smaller than Pittsburgh, has a much more well-developed network of buses and trams that efficiently connects every corner of the city and beyond. (it goes into France!) Navigating the city was incredibly easy, and I never found myself waiting long for the next ride. Over longer distances, the train system (which is unfortunately, virtually non-existent in most of the US) allowed me to explore the surrounding towns and villages and take trips to Lausanne, Zurich, or other parts of the country.
View over the Rhône in Lyon
Large chess boards in the park
Some buildings at CERN
Walking around the lake/Rhône in Geneva
Zhixin Wang, Carnegie Mellon University
Simulation Neuroscience, Cells and Neuromathematics Group (Blue Brain Project)