“The Brain in Your Hands” (2023-2024)

I have had a lifelong curiosity in chemistry, but as I have identified my research interests more distinctly at NYU, I realized that neural science is a much better fit for me. I developed a strong desire to find out the biological foundation of mental disorders, and that’s when I came across cerebral organoids. For a long time, I looked at it through my scientific lens, until I took the “Writing the Essay” course. I learned that this fascinating scientific advancement has many complex layers that need to be discussed. When most people hear ‘cerebral organoids,’ they instinctively think of their ethical use or imagine a scene from a sci-fi movie. In my essay, I wanted to demonstrate how false accusations about scientific developments can damage a greater community that truly needs this research. There is a chain reaction: the at first seemingly unnoticeable damage can travel through the chain and prevent people from getting efficient help.

Growing up, I always heard that ‘Science is about precision.’ All this time, I believed that it was because of the numbers, one-of-a-kind calculations, and steady formulas. My time with this essay proved that, yes, science is precision, but there is more to it than knowing all the significant figures in a chemistry problem solution. In my essay, I explored how much precise language matters in science. Every adjective, every tiny word can change the way the information is consumed by the public. Language is especially important when humans are at the receiving end of the research. Throughout my drafts, I can see how much my wording has changed–receiving so much feedback from my professor, peers, friends, and Writing Center tutors has helped me to articulate my beliefs clearer for people who are not familiar with my writing style. Draft one: vague ideas scattered all over the paper. Draft two: the ideas became sentences that made sense to me only. Final draft: my essay started to sound comprehensible to people who can’t see my mind, and this is where I learned that communication through precise wording matters. Using words by their exact definitions can help us represent crucial scientific topics in a way that is available to all audiences. Being aware is being educated by sources that use clear diction to minimize misunderstandings.

Luiza Ghazaryan, ’26, studies neural science at the College of Arts and Science and has her heart set on becoming a cardiac surgeon. Among scientific equations and vivid chemical solutions, creative writing courses at NYU have given Luiza the opportunity to discover an interest that brings her serenity. Luiza spent her childhood in her hometown of Etchmiadzin, Armenia, but moved to New York when she was fifteen years old. Having been surrounded by diverse voices, she started writing articles about human rights in healthcare. Luiza’s essay is an intersection of disciplines that light up her frontal cortex: the brain, mental health, chemistry, and the boundless cosmos of writing. Her essay educates about the efficacy of science and how it becomes an integral part of understanding mental health.