career paths of others if they want to achieve success in the scientific field, a medical researcher said yesterday.

But they must also understand that a larger barrier to success presents itself daily and takes the shape of "negative thoughts''. Before success can be obtained these thoughts must be overcome.

Dr. Malcolm Brock, a former Bermuda College student and Rhodes Scholar who is a surgical resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, shared these views with The Royal Gazette yesterday.

Corange Ltd. flew him back to Bermuda to be part of the celebrations surrounding the first anniversary of their $1 million dollar donation to the Bermuda College's life sciences department.

He will speak to high school and Bermuda College students today along with Dr.

Kent Simmons, an environmental scientist at the Bermuda Biological Station, and Dr. Terry-Lynne Emery a gynaecologist at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

All three speakers will address the theme of Bermudians in science and are expected to share their personal and professional perspectives.

"I want to impart the idea that anything is possible,'' Dr. Brock said.

His own life is a testament to the philosophy of hard work and perseverance.

After completing the first year of a science degree at Bermuda College, Dr.

Brock earned a BA in molecular biology from Princeton University and a Master of Letters in Japanese studies at Oxford.

He graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1991 and is currently conducting research at the university's hospital into how to prevent neurological complications during heart surgery.

Dr. Brock, who is fluent in Japanese, also wrote a book called "Biotechnology in Japan'' in 1989.

One of the first things any Bermudian student must expunge from their minds Dr. Brock said is the belief that Bermuda was small and without opportunities to succeed.

"That is simply false,'' he said. "Growing up in Bermuda was a big positive step for me. When I went away I was well equipped and able to learn. Bermudian students must think big.

"I want to give Bermudian students the motivation to think big. If they apply themselves and put their minds into it they can do it.'' Dr. Brock said he will give students concrete steps to counteract the flood of negativism that currently exists.

He said students must focus on those things that are within their control.

"The mind is a thought factory,'' he continued. "Why keep negative thoughts there? In medicine I see people trying to commit suicide because they have taken one small negative point and blown it up to ridiculous proportions.'' Dr. Brock said the pure sciences were a perfect foundation for the social sciences like economics because they deal in "immutable truths'' which can be translated and used in other fields.

"If you are fluent in the hard sciences,'' he said, "it makes social sciences easier to understand.'' Dr. Brock said he intended to challenge his audience to look at themselves ten years from now and he will ask them where they wanted to be.

He said he will encourage students to watch other people and learn from their mistakes. This will lead to greater efficiency because they will not repeat the errors.

"I am here to tell them the path I took and the tricks I learned along the way,'' he added. "There is a system for everything.'' Dr. Brock's talk with the students will take place at the Bermuda College's New Hall from 3 to 5 p.m.

He will deliver a lecture entitled "Fixing the body: Where Does Modern Medicine Go From Here?'' tomorrow at the College at 7.30 p.m.

Dr. Malcolm Brock