Naturally Obsessed (2009)

Naturally Obsessed: the making of a scientist is a one hour 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 focus of the film, however, is mostly on the human side of doing science. Following the emotional ups and downs of three graduate students (Robert Townley, Kilpatrick Caroll and Gabrielle Cummberley) guided by their professor and laboratory head along the challenging and uncertain journey to the PhD degree, it highlights the qualities that contribute to the making of a scientist, such as persistence, skill in asking the right questions, mastering the needed technology, mentoring and being mentored, collaborating and facing competition.

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