Think Alike?: A Neuronline Podcast
Sep 30, 2026 · 26 min · 13 segments
In this episode of Think Alike, recorded at Neuroscience 2025 in San Diego, mentor Vernon A. Ruffin, PhD and mentee Kyla Wright explore the power of early research exposure and building a strong…
Vernon A. RuffinHostKyla WrightGuest
When students come into the institution, I tell them to focus on three things that will make them successful beyond college.
And it was evident that Kyla had the ability to manage her time, that she was motivated, and that she was able to communicate.
So she's very busy outside of class, but she still finds time for her future.
And I think that's noteworthy that, you know, you can look beyond the immediate things to what is down the road and position yourself strategically to be successful in both things.
So after meeting, I wanted to introduce her to the research that I was doing, slowly though, because I was really doing pH physiology research in the brain.
And at an institution where it's mostly an undergraduate population, I realized it was difficult as students move from semester to semester to retain the students because of all of the other extracurricular activities.
So I made it a mission within the first semester of meeting Kyla to introduce her quickly to these different things.
And she's also received an award, the Young Professional Award, and she's been able to meet other professionals so that as she develops academically, it can easily be infused to application or hands-on experiences.
Why did you consistently come after class? Was it because I set it up so that right after class you would be able to walk with me to the lab and that's more so holding you more or less accountable because now I'm able to see you?
a misregulation throughout college i think it's important that i get my foot on the ground early and since that is an opponent value i hold myself to it was easy for me to just come straight after class and sit and talk about my future career and things involving it
yeah i think one of the good things about kyla is that she actually does hold herself accountable and doesn't wait for somebody to chase behind her and make her do what she knows that she's supposed to do.
So as an independent, researcher, those are the qualities that you want a student to have, to be able to function independently.
Another thing that I think was strategic was that after Kyla's class, when she would return up to the lab with me, there was a more senior class there doing laboratory techniques.
And so in theory, Kyla was being introduced to these different techniques, but to be able to see upperclassmen doing the actual techniques, I think really drove the point home.
It also allowed her to see the dynamics as students go from year to year, how they adjust to get ready for professional careers.
When students come into the institution, I tell them to focus on three things that will make them successful beyond college.
And it was evident that Kyla had the ability to manage her time, that she was motivated, and that she was able to communicate.
So she's very busy outside of class, but she still finds time for her future.
And I think that's noteworthy that, you know, you can look beyond the immediate things to what is down the road and position yourself strategically to be successful in both things.
So after meeting, I wanted to introduce her to the research that I was doing, slowly though, because I was really doing pH physiology research in the brain.
And at an institution where it's mostly an undergraduate population, I realized it was difficult as students move from semester to semester to retain the students because of all of the other extracurricular activities.
So I made it a mission within the first semester of meeting Kyla to introduce her quickly to these different things.
And she's also received an award, the Young Professional Award, and she's been able to meet other professionals so that as she develops academically, it can easily be infused to application or hands-on experiences.
Why did you consistently come after class? Was it because I set it up so that right after class you would be able to walk with me to the lab and that's more so holding you more or less accountable because now I'm able to see you?
a misregulation throughout college i think it's important that i get my foot on the ground early and since that is an opponent value i hold myself to it was easy for me to just come straight after class and sit and talk about my future career and things involving it
yeah i think one of the good things about kyla is that she actually does hold herself accountable and doesn't wait for somebody to chase behind her and make her do what she knows that she's supposed to do.
So as an independent, researcher, those are the qualities that you want a student to have, to be able to function independently.
Another thing that I think was strategic was that after Kyla's class, when she would return up to the lab with me, there was a more senior class there doing laboratory techniques.
And so in theory, Kyla was being introduced to these different techniques, but to be able to see upperclassmen doing the actual techniques, I think really drove the point home.
It also allowed her to see the dynamics as students go from year to year, how they adjust to get ready for professional careers.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.