Research, Reading, and Realizations: My October
Hey!
I was wondering what to call my friend the fish with no eyes, but then I realized it was obvious: fsh.
Welcome back to my newsletter. Hope you had a lovely October.
For those who don't know, I'm Nina Khera. You may have met me during a meeting, or at the latest networking event in Boston. I'm a 17-year-old human longevity researcher who's working on projects in the field of Alzheimer’s, longevity, and brain aging!
This month I’ve continued college, worked on Biotein, and worked on a project focused on Alzheimer’s!
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Biotein
We have signed contracts (spent the past month negotiating with vendors) and are beginning our scientific validation studies, worked on applying to/talking to people about funding opportunities, and consulted advisors re next steps…
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Mindsets and Philosophy
Here are some thoughts I’ve been having!
Sometimes there’s no use in worrying about how you seem if you are acting true to your values (e.g. kindness, thoughtfulness, etc). People who don’t like you are just probably fundamentally incompatible with you. This mindset also makes you act better — e.g. you don’t hold the door for someone very far away because you’re worried about seeming like a nice person; the nicer move is to let them open it themselves so they don’t run over and feel guilty about you holding it open for too long/inconvenience themselves. Just be nice.
Sometimes why doesn’t matter all that much. Who cares why X happens or Y happens if it happens? Yes, maybe dealing with things involves understanding root causes, but who cares why you like the color pink? Maybe it’s because you’ve been conditioned because you’re a girl, but knowing that won’t change your enjoyment for it. Sometimes, we can overthink our interests/lives.
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Knowledge Bytes
Here are some recommendations from the month!
- Great math channel: 3Blue1Brown (his linear algebra series explains things so intuitively and interconnectedly)
- Yummy cookies: Cookie Monstah in Burlington and Needham, MA. SO GOOD! I’m gluten free and they do gluten free like no other.
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Shoutouts
Here are some fun shoutouts:
Thank you to Dr. Wolfe for your advice on Biotein and college + life!
Thank you Dr. Raju for your advice re the Alzheimer’s project and all our ideation sessions!
Thank you to my parents for being supportive and kind during the hectic start to college and to friends like Madhav, Samuel, Sefika, Samay, and others who gave me advice/supported me even when it was hard to schedule calls with me:).
Thank you to everyone reading this. Even if I didn't mention you this month. you probably helped me a lot. Thank you!
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Next Month
In November, I’ll be continuing on college, working on Biotein, coding, and continuing my work on Alzheimer’s!
Reach out to me if you want to talk about human longevity, brain aging, (or just life sciences in general) or anything else honestly!
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-khera-115b5a175/
Personal Website: https://ninakhera.com/
Email: kheranina@gmail.com (or just reply to this email)