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Who is Thomas Herzig?
Tom Herzig was born in Houston, Texas, on December 20, 1962. During
high school he got interested in science. The school he went to had great
math and science courses and, most importantly, good teachers who knew how
to teach science so that students wanted to learn more. Once he learned
about science and then worked in a laboratory, he knew that was what he
wanted to do for his career.
Research Wins Out Over Medicine
Tom went to college and studied biology at Southwestern University in
Georgetown, TX. He decided on that college because it was known for
training the best students in the sciences. Tom thought then that he
wanted to be a doctor and Southwestern University had a great record for
its students going to medical school. While in college, Tom took several
courses and laboratories that were on physiology or how the body works. He
also got the chance to think of some experiments and actually get to do
them in a laboratory. He graduated in 1984 and got a job working in a
laboratory. He really liked doing research and especially his own research
and so he decided that he would go back to school to study physiology
rather than go to medical school. Tom then went to the University of Texas
Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas to get a PhD or doctoral
degree. While he was there he mostly studied physiology, although his
degree was not in physiology but in pharmacology (the study of drugs and
how they work).
Joining the Military
Dr. Herzig continued studying physiology and doing research as a
postdoctoral fellow (after doctoral degree). This allowed him to learn other ways to do his research and
to begin working out what research he would do in the future. Many
postdoctoral fellows then find jobs at universities where they teach
college students and do research. When Dr. Herzig was looking for his job,
the US Navy came to see him about working for them as an officer doing
research instead of working at a university. Because he was interested in
studying problems that deal more with exercise and how the body responds
to different environments (applied research), he decided to join the Navy.
Lt. Herzig does many of the same things Dr. Herzig at a university would
have done, like research, teach students, and serve on committees.
However, because he is in the Navy, he also does things that are very
different.
Dr. Herzig became an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, which trains
students to become military doctors. In that position, his time was divided
among teaching, starting new courses, research, and other duties, like
committees and traveling overseas to meetings. He also was asked to serve
the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Research and Technology
Organization as the Executive Secretary for their group that studies
injuries that come about because of radiation.
He recently moved to the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory,
which has three main areas of research: 1) submarine medical and survival
systems, which deals with escape and rescue, as well as on-board medical
issues; 2) diving and environmental simulation, which is involved in
underwater hearing; and 3) human activity, which is studying ways to make
submariners work better.
Lt. Herzig believes that he made the right decision for himself by
joining the US Navy. He also thinks it could be the right decision for
many others who like himself are interested in doing research on applied
physiology.
Human Performance Research
The research that Dr. Herzig does involves studying how the heart
responds to exercise. His
laboratory looks at what effect vitamins or other additions to a
person’s diet have on how well they perform an activity, such as
swimming or running. He also studies whether the what you drink (water vs.
Gatorade) makes a difference in how well you swim.
In addition to his research, Dr. Herzig also teaches medical students.
He is also busy helping to start a new program for students who want to
study applied human biology.
Dr. Herzig continues to study himself. Right now he is studying for a
Masters degree in Project Management at George Washington University in
Washington, DC.
A Varied Life
On his own time, Tom enjoys golf as a favorite hobby, along with
running and cycling. Aside
from sports, he also enjoys going to the symphony and the opera and
visiting various art museums. One reason he likes his job so much is that
he gets to travel overseas a lot. Whenever he travels, Tom tries to use
that time to learn more about the history, buildings, and culture of other
people.
Advice for students
Dr. Herzig says that he would tell any student interested in science to
try to find people already doing research and ask them about it. Learn as
much as you can in school so that when you have an opportunity to actually
visit a laboratory or work in one over a summer break, you will better
understand why the research is being done.
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