CUNY Writing Fellows - Jeff McLean

I moved to the New York City area in 1998 after receiving an undergraduate degree in Biology and Secondary Education from SUNY Fredonia. For the first several years of my career, I taught high school biology at Elmont Memorial Jr/Sr High School just outside of Queens, and began attending Queens College to pursue a graduate degree. I became interested in cellular biology and virology while taking coursework from the talented faculty here at Queens College. After several semesters of jamming evening classes between lesson planning and paper-grading, in 2004 I decided to return to school full time to pursue a Ph.D. in cellular biology and virology.

I am currently a doctoral student in the CUNY Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology program in Dr. Zakeri’s cell death lab at Queens College. My research is focused primarily on Influenza A and Dengue virus manipulation of mammalian cancer-related (cell death) biochemical pathways. The goal of our research is to develop an intricate understanding of the biochemical events triggering Influenza A and Dengue virus manipulation of the life and death of infected cells, with an eye to identifying biochemical targets that may be exploited by novel anti-viral therapeutics.

One of the wonderful aspects of this pursuit is that success requires attention to numerous academic areas. Behind the science is a history that is both colorfully entertaining and enormously important to understand. Behind successful experimental design lies not only hard science and mathematical calculation, but also creativity and the imagination required to develop new approaches to old problems. Once good data is collected, it is utterly meaningless without the thoughtful written expression of what the results mean, and how these fit into the larger scope of the existing scientific literature. In the sciences, as with any other field, it is imperative that students develop the ability to communicate their ideas through written work, so that others may benefit from their expertise.

The core requirements for student success in any field are not based solely on field-specific knowledge. The ability to analyze problems and arrive at successful solutions by applying the knowledge gained in other areas, including mathematics and language skills, is essential. Student-centered writing allows a flexibility of expression that lets students capitalize on their unique strengths, while developing the skills of effective communication within their specialty. This has obvious implications over the course of a career, as specialized knowledge is only as good as a person’s ability to apply it. The ability to write across the curriculum provides each student with the tools to analyze situations and generate solutions based on their own unique skill sets. Simultaneously, it provides a vehicle for subject-oriented retention and application of ideas. I am very excited to be a part of the CUNY Writing Fellows program this year, helping to provide a framework through which students and faculty at Queens College may explore their fields through writing.