Neurons, synapses, dendrites, neurotransmission. I’ve long wanted to understand the foundations of good and poor mental health. As an undergraduate, I worked in a developmental neurobiology lab, trying to clone a Trk C receptor. I didn’t finish my biochemistry double major, due to poor mental health. But I remained passionate about French, studying biochemistry in Montpellier for a year. I am always on the lookout for work in neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry, and psychology. I want to help make the 21st century that of the mind, as Nobel laureate Eric Kandel predicted it would be, after the 20th century of the gene.
Neutrons are part of what powers the nuclear facilities for which I’ve been translating documents over the last 15 years. Nuclear energy is carbon-free. Nuclear fuel can be recycled. And aside from carbon sources of power like coal and gas, it’s currently the only large-scale possibility. Let’s be clear: nuclear power will be with us for some time into the future, even if only by dint of dismantling and cleanup. And France is one of the world leaders in domestic electricity produced by nuclear power plants. “Centrales”—and nuclear energy is still central. I spent over 6 years working on-site with a nuclear prime contractor with projects around the world. I got to pick the brains of engineers and technicians on terminology and the mind-bogglingly complex processes that keep us safe.
More about my technical and academic translations here and here.
Across Beyond 