Sharing the fun of research
Today, academic research is my job. I defended my Harvard Ph.D. dissertation in the spring, and now hold a research scholarship at the University of Chicago. For years before I began doctoral studies, however, academic research was my primary extracurricular activity — something I just did for fun. I first discovered my appetite for research through high school summer programs, like the Research Science Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a series of high school science fairs. Following my high school explorations, I conducted research while an undergraduate at Harvard, both during the academic term and through summer research fellowship programs, including the Harvard College Program for Research in Science and Engineering. My research work has been blessed with a wealth of advisers, collaborators, and resources. It has guided my academic life, and has even strengthened my already close-knit family ties. My brother, Paul M. Kominers MIT ’12, and I have...