The Six Thousand

Shelley Batts is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at the University of Michigan. She studies hair cell regeneration in the cochlea, and is just embarking on that quixotic quest called 'thesis.' She lies awake at night pondering how science intersects with politics, culture, policy, money, medicine, and religion in an attempt to be more than just a niche scientist sitting in the oh-so-lovely ivory tower. She writes: "Follow me and my parrot on the quest to get funded, get a PhD, and stay sane." Her blog is Retrospectacle. She also has a Wikipedia entry.