Kamron WoodsSenior MICRO major and pre-MD/PhD student Over the summer I had the opportunity to perform basic science research through a Summer Undergraduate Research Award (SURA) through the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. SURA is an interdisciplinary program that provides a stipend for students to conduct independent research with a faculty mentor. Over the course of the summer of 2021, I worked on an ongoing project in Dr. Yvonne Eisele’s laboratory at the Aging Institute. At the Eisele lab, we study an age-related protein misfolding disease called transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR). In brief, ATTR is caused by the misfolding and aggregation of transthyretin (TTR) into insoluble amyloid fibrils that deposit in organs, such as the heart, and tissues around the body. Misfolding can be driven by point mutations in the TTR and an age-related reduction in protein quality. If left untreated the progressive deposition of amyloid fibrils can lead to heart failure and/or polyneuropathy. My project focuses on characterizing several of the point mutations by inducing aggregation using in vitro methods such as low pH, high temperature, and exposure to metal ions. As part of the SURA program, I attended biweekly meetings with other members of the cohort and discussed different aspects of conducting and communicating research. I enjoyed hearing my peers’ perspectives on the topics we discussed and the strategies they used to talk about their projects to an audience that had little to no background knowledge. Our topics were usually based on the short, assigned readings we had to prepare for the meetings, but they were usually interesting. My group was mostly composed of students doing biomedical research and it was comforting to know that we shared many of the same struggles and frustrations with our projects throughout the summer, such as troubleshooting, back-ordered supplies, and getting results we couldn’t explain. My favorite part about the SURA program was being able to spend more time in the lab than I get to during the semester. I highly recommend that any student who is currently in research and looking for ways to continue their work throughout the summer apply for SURA! (Applications for summer 2022 are not yet up but are usually due February - March. Starting these applications is a great side project for winter break!)
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Maia BrownThird year MICRO major and premed student Academics are important, but what is more important is that we take time for ourselves and take care of our mental health. Doing small things for ourselves that remove us from that academic mindset, even for five minutes, can help us in the long run. There are so many ways for people to do this, and different things work for different people. From baking to listening to music, I will walk you through some of the things I do when I get stressed or when I just need a break from academics. One of my go-to things is listening to music. Turning on Spotify on my computer helps my brain know that we are shifting to a different gear and calming down for a bit. During that time, I sometimes journal to decompress my feelings, clean my workspace a bit so it can look and feel refreshed for a new study session. Or sometimes I can just lay down and take a cat nap. Another thing that is helpful is baking. I love to make anything from biscuits to cookies. Feeling accomplished with baking something and getting to eat a sweet treat afterwards is always a reward to me. Especially because I get something done that was not on my “to do” list. If you ever need any recipes, ask family, look online, or reach out! Those are more in-the-moment activities that I like to do when I try and decompress. Other things are planning to go out with my friends and do a variety of stuff. Setting up time to go out and get away from a work or study space is always healthy. From getting lunch to planning an evening movie marathon or going to a sports game, can be so rewarding, especially getting to spend time with friends who I cherish. It’s always fun to go out and do things with the people you love and create memories, even the small ones. Since the wintertime is coming up, maybe schedule a date with your friends to go ice-skating or go walking downtown with some hot chocolate. Or even promise each other to go out and build a snowman when we get the first snow of the season (that is if we are on campus when that happens!). Maybe have a Winter themed potluck, having food and drinks that go along with the season. My all-time favorite is apple cider. Since Pitt is diverse with a lot of amazing and different people who celebrate a lot many holidays, maybe set up a holiday party potluck with food from your culture! Other things to try are taking a walk around campus. A quick stretch of your legs around campus can help clear your mind relatively quickly. Or maybe sit in the quad and drink something warm, as the temperature is starting to drop. Being outside and getting fresh air is, well, refreshing. Maybe take a book to read that you don’t need to read for class. I personally have been re-reading the Percy Jackson series as a nostalgic read. Maybe I will go onto the Maze Runner or Hunger Games next! There are also some simple organization skills that can help you take time away from actively studying or doing work. Like I said before, cleaning your desk quickly to reset your mind is super helpful. Or making a to-do list of what needs to get done first, what needs to get done in the next couple of hours, what needs to get done in the day, and what needs to get done in the week. Breaking down your tasks into smaller lists helps it not seem as overwhelming and can help you relax your mind. I hope these ideas may help you, inspire you, or guide you to taking some time for yourself. We’re almost done with the semester - about to enter this last stretch of schoolwork with projects, papers, and exams. Make sure to take care of yourself and your mental health. Lori HuangBIOSC senior & premed student Last summer, a cell culture internship with Teva Pharmaceuticals was snatched away from me as COVID-19 cases mounted and masks became commonplace. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I frantically applied everywhere I could, even as far as California across the country but alas, it was already the end of April and all the internship positions had been either already filled or canceled. Now what? As I ruminated over what I should do over the next four months, hate crimes against Asian Americans rose as we were blamed for the pandemic. Being Chinese, I have always been aware of the racism that persists in America and have unfortunately been subjected to it myself. However, I had never seen such blatant racism against Asian people at alarmingly rising levels. In fact, there is a whole very extensive Wikipedia article titled “Xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic”. With each new article I read about yet another hate crime, my heart grew heavier. When I received an email from Pitt asking for submissions for “The Art of Diversity Showcase and Competition,” I knew then what I was going to do that summer: create a piece to bring attention to the racism against Asians in America. I wanted to express the isolation and pain felt in the Asian American community at the time, but it was difficult translating the raw feelings into an art piece. I went through many drafts and sketches, each of which I was unhappy with and tossed into a growing mound of crumpled paper. Funnily enough, what became my finished submission popped into my head in the classic place where you get your best ideas: the shower. As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, I got to work and completed what went on to eventually win the competition in “Sociocultural Topics,” Viral Blame: This artwork depicts the discrimination that Asians have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are those who believe that China is at fault for the pandemic and have resorted to violence and hate against Asians. Some have also used their words to spread racism, such as referring to COVID-19 as the "Chinese Virus" or "Kung Flu". Such racism has also spread like a virus; hence the name Viral Blame. This artwork was made in Adobe Illustrator and depicts an Asian woman encircled by a COVID-19 virion. The spike proteins have been replaced with pointing fingers to depict the blame that people have placed on Asian people for the pandemic. Maia BrownJunior Microbiology and pre-med student What did I do over the summer? Well, that’s a loaded question. Like many Americans, I was highly anticipating the Summer Olympics. As a big sports fan, I got my team-spirit on and cheered on team USA and as a native Marylander I was cheering on Ledecky big time. Naomi Osaka, who was one of the recent Met Gala Hosts and one of my favorite tennis stars, started the Summer off with an important action on the behalf of her mental health. She put herself first and withdrew from the French Open. It’s important for us all to take those steps back, set boundaries, and take care of our mental health, because when our mental health is not okay, we cannot perform the best we can. The next notable thing to me this summer was on June 19th, or Juneteenth known to many, which was officially made a federal holiday this summer. While I believe that was long past due, now all of America can finally and officially recognize the day that slavery ended in this country. It’s important to reflect on the importance and meaning of June 19th, to see how far our country has come, but to also reflect on the issues African Americans face today. We saw billionaires go to space, the G.O.A.T. of gymnastics withdraw from the team all around in the Olympics, to the various COVID variants arise, this summer was packed full of news, good and bad. Every day we can learn from what is going on not only in our country, but also in the world around us. My summer was occupied with Pitt’s Summer Pre-med Academic Enrichment Program (SPAEP for short). This 7-week program was a virtual, but packed and exciting experience. I took two classes that occupied most of my day. We learned physiology of the body and how it applied to different diseases. We also read and presented on multiple research articles ranging from diabetes to mind-and-body medicine. The diversity of material we learned made me enjoy this intensive experience. The worst thing about the program was doing an at-home glucose test. Drinking a large glass full of simple syrup was not fun, and I can’t imagine how it must be for all the people who must do glucose tests in other settings. However, it was interesting to see how our blood sugar content changed over the course of the day. We then compared it to how other foods affected our blood sugar. I decided to see what a serving of cheese would do because I absolutely love cheese. In the end, and looking back on it, it was a cool and meaningful experience, while also being funny. We also did a research project over the course of this program. So, what did I do mine on? If you’ve taken a microbiology or biochemistry class, maybe you’ve heard of prion diseases. I decided to do my research on Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD for short). This disease is caused by an infectious protein that causes other proteins to misfold, primarily in nervous tissue. This causes a sponge-like pathology in brain tissue and is unfortunately fatal. I decided to look at CJD in populations 65 and older, as well as if they have had neurosurgery. There is a certain type of CJD called iatrogenic CJD that is passed from neurosurgical instruments. I wanted to know if neurosurgery put this population at a higher risk for contracting the disease. During this research, I got familiar with the pubmed.gov database. As Pitt students, we have access to this great resource for looking up millions of research papers. I got to sort through multiple papers to select a handful that would help me do a literature review of my research question. In the end, I did not find a relationship, but going through the process of a literature review and finding and putting research paper’s together for my own questions was incredible. I got to present in front of my peers, as well as our educators of the program (you get lots of practice with presenting things). My summer was filled with my own meaningful experiences, while also taking in the world around me. I hope your summer was great! Tyler WhitfieldComputational Biology Senior and pre-dental student As a senior at Pitt, the most valuable skill that I have learned in college thus far is the ability to effectively study for understanding, rather than for memorization. Like for many other students, the transition into college academics was a tough one for me. In high school, I could simply study the material the night before, regurgitate it on the exam, purge the information from my memory, rinse and repeat. As many of you already know, this technique doesn’t fly in college, especially in STEM classes. While my first semester was a long adjustment period, I am writing this blog post so you can learn from my mistakes and hopefully find a quicker path to academic success. 1. Reading your notes is not enough! If you take one thing from this post, let it be this. I’m sure that you’ve heard this hundreds of times from your professors, but there is a reason for this – it is simply not enough. The BIOSC exams that I have taken over the last three and a half years always test to assess how deeply you understand the material. Reciting the parts of the lac operon is a good start, but you need to learn how to think critically. “What would happen if there was a mutation in the lac operon?” is a much better question to ask yourself when studying as compared to "what is the order of the lac genes?". Not only does this complex example question build upon basic understanding of the content (that you do need to know!), but it also forces you to start thinking like a professor. >> Trying to anticipate what questions could be asked is a very effective way of covering all your bases. 2. Teach your friends. Something that works well for me is to practice teaching the material to friends. Instead of re-reading your notes for hours at a time, get a group of friends together, and try presenting the professor’s slides. Surprisingly, this method will instantly reveal your weak areas. If you are unable to stand up and explain the steps of glycolysis, then you should spend more time on that section specifically. Whether they are biology majors or not, have your peers to ask you questions during your presentations. Often times, they can have different perspectives on the content, and really force you to know your stuff! If you are struggling with the material, I promise that you are not alone. Finding a good study group to actively study with can be the difference between an A and a C. Give it a try! And don't forget to take advantage of UTA, TA, and professor office hours. Even if you don't have questions - just going to listen to other's questions (and maybe even chime in with answers) can be a great way to challenge your understanding . |
Pitt Bio BlogThe Pitt Bio Blog is maintained by the Department of Biological Sciences Advising Office. Posts are authored by our students Archives
January 2022
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