Dr Julie Bakker's Lecture: My Response -- ZOU Qingyang

This Monday I listened to a meaningful lecture given by Julie Bakker called Sex differences in brain and behavior: Insights from mice and humans. Based on her studies in mice and humans, Bakker argues that sex differences arise from interactions between hormones, genes, and developmental processes, rather than from social influences alone. These biological factors help organize the brain in ways that influence behaviour later in life. 

This was the first time I attended a lecture in New Zealand. The ceremony before the lecture made me feel fresh and interesting; Also, Bakker's speach was quite understandable with a clear logic. Although there were some professional terms, it wasn's that challenging to keep up with her thanks to her excellent slides and some vocabularies I had memorized before. 

Bakker's lecture demonstrates that scientists can have a profound impact on society. By studying how biological processes influence brain development and behaviour, researchers can improve understanding of issues such as mental health, gender identity, and developmental disorders. While I find scientific research interesting and important and I trully respect researchers' contributions, becoming a scientist is not necessarily my primary career goal, cuz my research capabilities are limited and I don't have a strong interest in this area currently. Maybe I will be interested in science in the future, who knows haha.