Tom Jones

2/4/15
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Caltech biology program
Provide a brief statement of your scientific and professional interests and objectives. Include a
description of your past accomplishments that are not evident from the examination of other documents
submitted. Report, if applicable, on any research in progress. The statement must be written by the
applicant in English. It must not be written in another language and translated for the applicant by
another person.
The field of Systems Biology is comprehensive. It cannot be strictly characterized as the study of one
particular organism or group of organisms. To apply dynamical systems mathematics correctly requires
not only a sharp analytical mind, but also a creative one. I believe I am uniquely qualified for Systems
Biology doctoral research at the California Institute of technology. Coming from a single mother
household I have had to learn how to carve out opportunities for myself rather than wait for them to fall
in my lap. My goal is to obtain a doctorate degree and become a researcher and professor at a
university. I am applying to the biological sciences department because I believe that studying the
behavior of animals is the simplest way understand the application of higher level mathematics to
biological systems.
As a community college student at Citrus College I had the opportunity to take part in the
Supplemental Instruction program as a chemistry session leader. I have had a passion for teaching from
a young age. In the SI program I learned some of the necessary skills to teach peers and communicate
complicated ideas in a digestible way. I focused on teaching both the relevant facts of the subject and
its history. I believe that students retain information more readily if they can understand the context in
which a concept was discovered or developed. After one session discussing the history of quantum
mechanics and the argumentative relationship between Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein, one student
commented that I gave her shivers. Her performance in the class improved as she became more
interested in the subject. It was immensely satisfying to see this positive influence due in small part to
my tutelage. I also tutored students independently in chemistry, biology, and math. This experience
makes me a good candidate for graduate work involving instruction, and helped me to prepare for my
career goal of teaching in a university.
In my first semester as a transfer student at CSUF I endeavored to join a lab as quickly as I could. I
volunteered with Dr. Merri Casem doing research on Latrodectus geometricus and Latrodectus
Hesperus, commonly known as the black widow spider and brown widow spider respectively. I have an
interest in ethology, so Dr. Casem assigned me to study freshly hatched Latrodectus and sibling
cannibalism. In Dr. Casem's lab I learned the fundamentals of conducting research on animals in a lab.
I followed a generation of infant spiders and recorded various metrics about them to find the causes of
sibling cannibalism.
I have many interests in multiple disciplines. I eschew specialization of study and value integrated
study of many fields. Not every topic is worth the time or money of an institution, though it may be a

beneficial addition to the knowledge base of science. With that in mind, several of my peers and I have
begun doing research on our own. We are in the process of conducting a study of Darkling beetles in
the San Gabriel Valley (genus eleodes) on the defensive behavior of the beetles. We are attempting to
measure whether there is individual variance in the defensive behaviors, and whether behavior changes
as the season progresses. Having no experience with experimental methods for field studies, my peers
and I had to pore over publications for similar studies and extract useful methods on our own.
My main interest is modeling the evolutionary history of animal and human behavior with emphasis on
applying advanced mathematical tools to find the logic behind how behaviors and ideas change and
flow between generations. This research has huge implications for our understanding of evolution and
behavior. The topic is multi-disciplinary and demands a blend of creativity and critical thinking which I
am uniquely qualified for. As my research history demonstrates, I find value in studying many different
topics and identifying the similarities between biological, sociological, and mechanical systems.
I feel the systems biology program at Caltech is uniquely applicable to my research goals. I have read
some of Dr. John Doyles research, his work on robustness and control has the kind of holistic approach
that resonates with my philosophy. I have gained the necessary experience to do instruction, lab
research, and field research. More importantly, I have an independent attitude which enables me to
accomplish my goals in unique and unconventional ways. I learn quickly and adapt to new situations
well, which I feel is more important than experience alone. Most scientists are interested in doing big
research, shifting of paradigms, and I am no exception. However, I understand the use and virtue of
small science, experimentation done at low cost with relatively low socio-political impact, but in
sufficient quantity to truly expand the horizons of knowledge in a big way. I do not focus exclusively
on high profile topics; I am in favor of taking small inching steps toward a more complete picture of
the universe we live in.