Naturally Obsessed (2009)

Original title

Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist

Directed by

Richard Rifkind, Carole Rifkind

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows three graduate students in a molecular biology lab as they work toward their PhDs. It shows their struggles and breakthroughs in studying a protein linked to diabetes and obesity.

observationalfocusedpatientinspiringearnestintimatemethodicalreflective

What happens

Naturally Obsessed is a 2009 documentary film that opens a view on the training of scientists and the process of discovery. Shot over three years' time in the molecular biology laboratory of Dr. Lawrence Shapiro of the Columbia University Medical Center, the film chronicles how the tool of X-ray crystallography enables the discovery of the workings of the AMPK protein molecule, revealing a new path towards the treatment of diabetes and obesity. The film focuses on the human side of doing science. It follows the emotional ups and downs of three graduate students (Robert Townley, Kilpatrick Caroll and Gabrielle Cubberley) guided by their professor and laboratory head along the challenging and uncertain journey to the PhD degree. It highlights qualities that contribute to being a scientist, including persistence, asking the right questions, mastering technology, mentoring and being mentored, collaborating, and facing competition. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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