Ice cream season is here! Let’s hope you have enough money for your favorite flavors. But have you ever thought about getting paid to eat ice cream?

The idea isn’t pie in the sky. It’s how American Derek Spors, 32, makes his living. Although he simply calls himself a product developer at Ben and Jerry’s, an ice-cream company based in Vermont. His job is something delicious.

So how did he become an ice-cream expert in the first place? Spors received a degree in food science from the University of Wisconsin. However, some research and development staff in the company come from culinary (厨师的) backgrounds.

This makes for a good mix. People with a food science background and those with a culinary background both know a lot about food, but the things they know are different. “In studying food science, you learn about food functionality, but you don’t really learn how to make it taste good.” Spors said. “To the consumer, it’s all about the taste.”

Great tastes are exactly what Spors spends his days inventing and perfecting.

So how is a new product developed? According to Spors, the process has to begin with a new idea for a flavor. Next comes the formulation (配方) of “base” mixes. This lays the foundation (基础) for new flavors, which involves complex science. On top of all these chemical experiments, the mix has to taste good.

Being an ice-cream inventor does have its own rewards-who wouldn’t want a chance to create a new ice cream flavor? For Spors, it’s terrific to know his work makes others happy when he goes to the grocery store and sees someone buy ice cream he developed.

Social media are a powerful tool, and the go-green movement is becoming popular in the social media world. A new Facebook app is exercising this power to help people get back to work or even land their dream job.【小题1】

With an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent in January 2010,there were nearly 15 million Americans out of work of whom 6.3 million had been jobless for 27 or more weeks. It is likely that these people have used the most traditional methods to find a job. 【小题2】As you can see, the name of the app is Hire My Friend, not Hire Me【小题3】One of the most important parts of getting a job is who you know. Reach out to your network of friends and you will find more opportunities than applying for a job in a newspaper advertisement. As a writer, I know that networking is the key to opening doors and getting new opportunities.

When you place the Hire My Friend app on your Facebook page, you can present your friend's job-related facts and then this information is shown through a live feed post(实时发布).【小题4】In addition to the app itself, the Hire My Friend Facebook page has lots of useful resources for those who want to find a job. One tab(标签) has the latest jobs that are being posted on Twitter, another powerful social media tool.【小题5】The developer of the app encourages people never to give up. If you know of someone who is out of work, I encourage you to try the Hire My Friend app.

Ten years ago, after 2 years as a postdoc(博士后), I found myself wondering whether I should take a different road. Up to that point, I had stuck to a pretty traditional path investigating cancer genetics, but I was losing interest in the research. At the same time, federal funding had flattened, which added to my dissatisfaction. 【小题1】. Then came the hard part: identifying a new career that would nurture my passion for science and allow me to make an impact with my work.

As I was considering my options, I found inspiration in my first graduate school research tutor, whose work reminded me that scientists’ efforts away from the bench can be incredibly powerful. But I still didn’t know exactly what I should do. 【小题2】 A colleague mentioned that a professor at a nearby 2-year college was training students to produce monoclonal antibodies for labs on campus. I was impressed that the professor and taken on this type of ambitious project with relatively inexperienced students. Curious to find out more, I set up a meeting with John and was struck by his sincerity and the way be prioritized student training above grants, publications, and personal ambition. I could also see his passion for teaching, which reminded me of the dream to become a high school biology teacher.

【小题3】 I found a faculty position and joined John at the same quiet junior college. Now, I effectively hold two positions: classroom instructor and research co-adviser of 15 inexperienced but eager undergraduates. Both roles give me a chance to help students transform themselves, which is enormously rewarding.

【小题4】 It is discouraging when others see both my students and me as less worthy because we are not at universities. We sometimes struggle to get access to federal funding, scientific conferences, and other resources and opportunities. My pay is below the standard at 4-year research institutions, even though my teaching workload is greater. But my occasional frustration is relieved by the thought of the students, who I have helped train.

Looking back at these 10 years, I realize how much my work on this campus has helped me grow, both as an academic and a tutor. I’m grateful that I stepped away from a traditional career path and found a way to serve both the student and research communities in my own way, modest though it may be.