a person

In the beginning there was Pa Ma and me. Just like my parents I was a real stylish brat! Then in August

1986 my li'l sis came along. She almost threatened to be born on my birthday, which I wasn't willing to share at 7 years of age, but she finally emerged 6 days later. I remember we named her 10 different names, and just before she turned a year old we unanimously decided on 'Tanvi' - which means 'pretty, delicate and lady-like'. She certainly did live up to her name and has grown up to be one stylish young girl.

Tanvi is an Economics wizard and I believe way brighter than me, coz she hardly studies for any tests yet aces them all. And she has a million friends, is always wearing the latest Indian fashion, and swears to never become as weird as me!

Ma is definitely my favorite person of all time. She is very much a role model. She's an extremely smart doctor and an exceptionally caring and loving woman. And no matter how tough the circumstances she is always smiling, and looking on the bright side. She also makes the best kababs, has the best sense of home decor and Im so glad her love for flowers and greens all over the house has passed on to me. She was recently selected on an expert womens' panel in India that helps women in science/ medicine restart their careers after a period of dormancy. I am extremely proud of my Ma.

I am the apple of my Pa's eyes. Pa loves me a whole lot, and loves to protect me from all the potential evil in the world. Most of the time I want to succeed at challenging things so I can make him proud. He has such an influential persona, is a world-renowned doctor and a man of tremendous wisdom. If I get to be half the amazing human being he is, Ill consider myself very accomplished.

Dhakshin is the special person in my life.

When I first saw him he used to make me weak-kneed because he is simply gorgeous, and everyday I think I got so lucky! But Im not the one to be allured by just good looks :) Dhakshin is extremely intelligent and is sailing through his M.D. Ph.D. training like he is on vacation! He is always so relaxed, he makes me that way too. We argue science for hours on end, even when we are on long nature hikes - so yes that makes him nerdy too. He supports and encourages all that I do, and that helps me take on so much more.

My thesis lab is the best place to work. We are a relatively small group that sees new trainees every few months. In the pic from front left, Matt - our highly qualified programmer who always has a joke up his sleeve; Vladimir - our new visiting scientist who works on Attention Deficit (ADHD) with Lourdes; Ben - a tech. who is fluent in Japanese; Steve (my advisor); Antigona at the head of the table (my junior mentor); Bjorn - visiting undergrad. from Germany whom I am very proud to have supervised; me; Carole - our administrative assistant; and the very photogenic Lourdes, a head-scientist who always defies her age. Missing from the pic is Wayne, post-doc and my very sociable office mate.

At lab I interact most with Steve and Antigona. Its a real privilege to be one of Steve's last graduate students. He was almost contemplating shutting down his lab just before I arrived, but again I got lucky! Simply put, Steve is a genius. Under him Im learning to simplify the most complex findings about the brain. As an advisor he is accessible every single day, and even today after a 40 year career in science, he is still involved in all that happens in the lab from the most rudimentary data collection to all the high-end stuff an advisor does. He has always given me the freedom to explore my own interests, and sometimes, Im surprised by his incredible depth of knowledge even in areas he is not known to be an expert. As a researcher he has almost magical observation skills that he attributes to his ability to visually focus literally within a centimeter of the data and discover the minutest deflections! I'm a cognitive neuroscience fan for life because of Steve.

Antigona is always the savior of my sinking research boat. She makes every challenge look easy. She is such a balanced woman in science. Whatever I'd say in praise of her is too little. I say to my friends, every grad. student needs an Antigona to graduate because without her, my boat would not have found a destination so soon. I hope to be a mentor just like her, to be patient and supportive of my students (and make them appear intelligent when they are talking) as much as she is supportive of me.