Year in Review

My junior year at Ohio State has brought me one step closer towards many of my professional and academic goals while changing others. My year began last May when I traveled to India for a Public Health course. Here, I learned about the public health infrastructure of India firsthand by visiting public health centers, surveying public health practices of communities, and interacting with local patients. In addition to the rigorous coursework, I became more self-sufficient as I learned how to navigate a foreign country and how to communicate across cultural boundaries. Talking with students and professors at Manipal University expanded my worldview and encouraged me to think beyond my own cultural understanding. These conversations set the tone for the rest of the academic year and placed a global emphasis on my career aspirations that changed many of my goals.

Throughout the school year, I began taking more challenging science and genetics coursework, which has complemented my work in the research lab. The problem-solving approach of my genetics coursework has taught me the analytical mindset critical to scientific research. In turn, my work in Dr. Caligiuri’s leukemia cancer research lab has benefitted. We are developing a genetic mouse model to test our leukemia cancer drug in mice and generate preclinical data. Anytime you move genetic material from one species to another, complex issues such as gene regulation, expression, and transcription between species must be considered. Developing this problem solving mindset better equipped me to solve these problems and make progress towards generating a mouse model.

Finally, I presented my research at the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum this spring and placed 3rd in my category. The Denman presented the opportunity for me to design my own research poster and gain experience explaining my scientific research to those without a scientific background. As a researcher, it is critical to be able to communicate your results to the public to gain funding and educate the public to help guide public policies surrounding your work. Drawing on my background as an English minor, I effectively communicated my research to both undergraduate students and scientific professionals and gained experience in a crucial part of scientific research.

As the year comes to a close, I am looking forward to the formative experiences of my senior year that will further develop me into a scientist. I was awarded the Pelatonia Undergraduate Fellowship for my work in the lab, and I am excited to have secured research funding for my project and to finish our genetic mouse model. I also will be conducting thesis work on this same project to graduate with research distinction. In addition to my work in the lab, I also am traveling to Tanzania this summer to study HIV in context and conduct a public health research project on attitudes towards health insurance. My time in India has shown me how effective public health programs can be in promoting the health of large populations, so I will continue to explore how scientific research and public health overlap. In accordance with these goals, I have decided to take a gap year before applying for PhD/MD programs to explore international public health experiences. I will be applying for the Fulbright to conduct public health research as well as other international public health opportunities in this coming year. I am excited to begin wrapping up my experiences at Ohio State and to begin my scientific career.

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

[Artifacts are the items you consider to be representative of your academic interests and achievements. For each entry, include both an artifact and a detailed annotation.  An annotation is a reflective description of the artifact that attempts to communicate its significance.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

About Me

[Your “About Me” is an introduction and should provide insight into who you are as a person and a learner.  This should include a picture of you that is appropriate in a professional/academic context. This information should be continually updated.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio.  Delete these instructions and add your own post.]