In his first semester of graduate school, Anastasios A. Mirisis entered the 2016 GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge and won the Audience Choice award. “I had data I could present,” he explained, when asked about his decision to enter the competition. “I thought, this is a good opportunity to share my research with a wider audience.” His research into the formation of long-term memory in the brain and a genetic mechanism possibly involved in Alzheimer’s disease clearly struck a chord with the audience.
As an undergraduate student at NYU, Anastasios studied neuroscience, where he came to appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of the studies, with research stemming from biology, physics, and psychology. Anastasios took a three-year break after completing his undergraduate degree, in which he ran his family’s construction business and supported his brother through college. But his fondness for the academic environment led him back to Arts & Science at NYU, where he reconnected with former professors. He accepted a job offer to manage Dean Carew’s lab, where he witnessed the collaborative relationship among the student researchers, who contributed their expertise to each other’s work. He soon was pursuing a graduate degree of his own with the Department of Biology, enjoying the collaboration of the lab, and continuing his research into the brain to understand the biological basis for memory.
Collaboration is an important pursuit for Anastasios, and a large reason why he came to GSAS, along with the prestige of his department. While participating in the Threesis he came to appreciate anew the importance of this collaboration. Presenting his research for a general audience, Anastasios was confronted by the limitations of their knowledge in his field. When attempting to explain the specifics of his studies in molecular biology, he was challenged to step back from the technical details of his research and see the larger thrust of his work—utilizing biological knowledge to better defend against a heartbreaking disease.
He advises future competitors to make a presentation the audience will enjoy. “And practice, both for specialists and for people outside your field.” Winning the Audience Choice award was particularly exciting for him, as it proved he had succeeded in his goal of reaching a larger audience. “It was very rewarding to convey my subject to the audience and see that they understood and valued my work.” Anastasios has a bright future ahead of him in academia, and he remains committed to his ethos of interdisciplinary collaboration. “The only way for science to move forward as a whole is by integrating all fields of knowledge.”
Watch Anastasios’ Threesis presentation here.
Leave a Reply