Sophomore Year In Review

The past academic year has been full of many exciting new experiences and opportunities. When the semester began, I was set on becoming a high school biology teacher, aiming to receive a bachelors degree in biology and a masters in education. After an exciting summer working as a camp counselor at the YMCA and interacting with kids and families, I was almost certain I had found my calling as an educator. Then, after taking a general microbiology course that fall, my plans changed. I was taken aback by how much I loved learning about disease mechanisms, immunology, and lab techniques, so I decided to change my major to microbiology. After a very successful fall semester, I decided to reconsider pursuing a health-related career. I had ruled out medicine after doing poorly in one of my general chemistry courses, but that semester I had proven to myself that I have the work ethic, brains, and passion people it takes to become an excellent physician.

 

In taking microbiology, I was also introduced to Dr. Mia Neil, who co-lectured the course. She shared her experiences with me as an educator, researcher, and mother in STEM over lunch provided by the ASC’s “Take Your Professor to Lunch” Program. It was nice getting to connect with her outside of the classroom, and she also told me about her non-profit organization, WHEP Ohio (Women’s Health Education Program), which educates young mothers about their health and the health and well-being of their babies. I was both touched and inspired by how passionate Dr. Mia is about helping these young women and children, so I decided to sign up as a WHEP volunteer, and I’m currently working on starting a student organization in support of WHEP. I’m very excited to participate in WHEP’s monthly workshops and establish a mentor program to connect the moms we serve with students in our student organization.

 

By far the most crucial and defining aspect of this academic year for me was getting involved with research. In January, I met Dr. Rob Baiocchi at one of our scholars events, where he talked to us about his experiences as a physician scientist. I was really intrigued by his talk, and ended up touring his lab with some other scholars members the following week. After getting in touch with one of his graduate students, Fiona Brown, I was able to secure a position in his lab as a research volunteer. Our lab is part of the Comprehensive Cancer Center under the College of Medicine, and we’re focused on EBV-driven lymphomas and drug development. The project I’ve been working on with Fiona deals with developing a novel therapeutic for Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a non-hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma which is common in older men and has a high incidence of relapse due to drug-tolerant persister cells. Since starting in the lab in February, I’ve gained a ton of new skills ranging from sterile technique to writing grant proposals. I’ll be working in the lab full-time this summer as an employee, and I’m hoping to present my work at the Dennman Undergraduate Research Forum and applying for the Pelotonia Fellowship in the fall.

 

 

Career Goals

I am not entirely sure what career path I wish to follow at this point in my academic journey, but I am sure of two things: I love science, and I enjoy helping others and connecting with people. Currently I am torn between pursuing a career in medicine or education, and both of these callings seem to be pulling at me with an equal amount of force. However, I’m certain that in the next four years I will hone in on my career goals and graduate from college ready to make a positive impact on the world.
Part of the reason I am so uncertain of the career path I wish to pursue is that I have already had many wonderful experiences exploring the medical and educational fields. My freshman year of high school, I shadowed my pediatrician at his office and went from patient to patient with him and watched him examine and interact with children. It was really interesting and exciting to be on the other side of a doctor’s appointment! I also volunteered at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Siblings’ Clubhouse for two years in high school. This gave me the opportunity to care for and play with children with siblings who were ill while gaining experience in a hospital setting. I also had an interesting “teaching” opportunity this year in my anatomy and physiology class. My teacher invited his daughter’s third grade class in to talk about adaptations and genetics, and I got to teach a small group of kids about science. It was really exciting to see the curiosity in their eyes and to be able to help them make connections between what we were teaching them and what they already knew. If I were to pursue a career in teaching, however, I would want to teach at either the high school or college level.
Both the educational and medical fields require a great deal of knowledge and leadership, so many of my short-term goals during college will revolve around pursuing academic and leadership opportunities. This semester, my primary goal is to maintain a high grade point average. I plan to achieve this goal by studying hard and gaining a true understanding of concepts instead of just memorizing facts. I also plan on participating in undergraduate research at some point in the next four years, so this semester I’ll be focused on refining my laboratory skills and gaining an understanding of basic lab procedures and concepts. In order to gain leadership experience, I’m considering becoming an ambassador for the neuroscience program and/or bio sci scholars. To prepare for this, I plan on attending as many neuroscience/bio sci events as possible and getting more information about the different board positions I can apply for and what those positions entail. One of my other short term goals was to join a club/organization by the end of the month, and luckily I have already achieved this goal by joining BRAIN (Buckeyes Raising Awareness In Neuroscience). As the name suggests, BRAIN is devoted to supporting people affected by neurological illnesses and raising awareness about neurological illness throughout the community. I’m excited to continue to learn and grow and take the steps that I need to take to determine my long term goals and work towards achieving them.

Barrett Study Session, October 13th

On October 13th, several members from the bio sci scholars program gathered in the lobby of Barrett for a study session. I’m really glad I attended this event, because I had a midterm in my behavioral neuroscience class the next day and was happy to have other people to study and collaborate with. It’s really nice living with people who have similar interests and aspirations as me, because when it comes time to study, we can all get together in a focused and friendly environment and help each other learn and understand the material.

Gene Therapy-Start Up Company Eat and Explore Event

http://myonexustx.com/

Next Tuesday, October 24th, I will be attending an “Eat and Explore” Event where a representative from Myonexus Theraputics, a gene therapy start up company, will be talking about their how their company came to be/what they do. Myonexus is a clinical stage gene therapy company developing treatments for Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. These treatments are being developed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, a leader in gene therapy research. I’m looking forward to this event, because I’ve always been intrigued by gene therapy and I’m eager to hear about the clinical research being done at Children’s Hospital. I’m also excited to get a look at the business behind building a start-up company with clinical purposes.

 

 

Year in Review

As my first semester of college comes to an end, I have a lot of things on which to reflect. When classes started back in August, I felt so unsure about whether or not I’d have a successful first semester. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of my classes, I didn’t know what kind of clubs/activities I wanted to partake in, and I felt a lot of anxiety and pressure about figuring out what career path I wanted to take. I was timid, scared, and overwhelmed. While my first semester hasn’t been a walk in the park, it has definitely been a time of growth, learning, and self-discovery. I’ve been successful in my classes, and I feel like I’ve truly absorbed and attained a lot of new and interesting information. My behavioral neuroscience class has shown me that no matter what career path I chose, I’m definitely in the right major. I have really enjoyed learning about the interworking’s of the brain, and I’m excited to discover more about neuroscience and the possible career paths I could take. I’ve also really enjoyed general chemistry! I remember being so worried about the class at the beginning of the semester because I didn’t have a very solid chemistry background, and I had heard a lot about it being a “weed out” class. However, after putting in a lot of time and effort to the class, I feel like I’ve gained a really solid understanding of chemistry and developed laboratory techniques that will come in handy as I pursue undergraduate research opportunities. Overall, I’ve had a really successful first semester, and I’m excited to continue to pursue my interests, both in and out of the classroom!

G.O.A.L.S.

College is the best time to gain new experiences, expand your knowledge, and try new things. It is important to me that when I graduate, I’ve grown as a leader, as a thinker, and as a person in general. Having a set of “GOALS” in mind will help me hone in on the things I wish to accomplish during my time in college and plan out how I’m going to accomplish them. G.O.A.L.S. is an acronym developed by the Honors and Scholars Program that stands for Global Engagement, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. Partaking in each of these things at some point during my time as an undergraduate at OSU will help me graduate as a well rounded individual who is ready to take on the world! This page is dedicated to me planning out how I wish to fulfill each of these categories and reflecting on the experiences I’ve gained by doing so.

 

Global Engagement- I’m torn between studying French or Spanish as an undergrad. I took three years of Spanish in high school and really enjoyed learning how to speak the language and discovering new things about the culture. I’d also really like to visit a Spain or Central America during my time as an undergrad, either through a study abroad program or a service initiative. That being said, I’ve recently become really interested in French culture and would like to learn how to speak the language. One of my all time favorite composers is Claude Debussy, and my favorite artist is Claude Monet. Both of these artists were visionaries of the impressionist era and a lot of their works reflect the same ideas. I’m interested in learning more about this era, so I’m hoping I can take an art/music history class about it as a part of my music minor.

 

Original Inquiry– I’m definitely interested in partaking in research during my time as an undergrad. I’m very much intrigued with how the brain interprets and processes music and I’m curious about the potential therapeutic effects it can have for people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s/dementia. I also would like to create a musical representation of biological/chemical processes as a way to bridge the gap between art and science (see Song of the Stars in Artifacts).

 

Academic Enrichment-Anthony D’Angelo once said, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” I’m so excited to expand my knowledge about the world and deepen my understanding of science during my time at Ohio State. I plan on applying for honors once I establish a high enough GPA, which I’ve been working very hard at this semester. It takes dedication and perseverance to succeed in classes like general chemistry and behavioral neuroscience, but these are subjects that I find really interesting, and the work that I’ve been putting into understanding these topics now is sure to pay off in the long run.

 

Leadership Development–  As a freshman, there have been many times that I’ve felt overwhelmed and distressed about being a STEM major at such a big university. I’m so grateful for the ambassadors in BioSci and Neuroscience that have reached out to me and made me feel welcomed and accepted at OSU. It’s so reassuring having upperclassmen who have been in my shoes talk about their experiences and let me know that I’m not alone. I want to be able to be that person for the next set of freshman who feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Ambassador applications usually happen in the spring, so I’ve been working on keeping my grades up and attending events this semester so that 1) it’s clear that I’m dedicated to my academics, 2) I have plenty of experiences to talk about, and 3) I can see how other ambassadors do things so I’ll be prepared for the position.

 

Service Engagement– Giving back to the community is one of the most important and fulfilling things in life. In high school, I volunteered at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Sibling’s Clubhouse and really enjoyed my experiences there. I had to take a year off from volunteering my senior year due to family circumstances, but I look forward to beginning to volunteer there again sometime in the next month or so.

Career

Resume

This is my current curriculum vitae. Right now it still contains a lot of my achievements from high school, but that will change as I gain more leadership and research experiences in college. Thanks for taking the time to check it out!

Connecting Science and *the Arts*

I attended a TED Talk at in March of 2016 where Dr. Paul Sutter talked about his project “Song of the Stars”, where he partnered up with Seven Dance Company in order to represent “stories of the stars above” with contemporary dance. In the beginning of his TED talk, he discussed the idea that science and art are not separate things; they go hand in hand, and when they’re brought together, they can deepen and enrich a person’s understanding and appreciation for the world around them. This idea was enlightening and inspiring to me, and it made me ponder how I could combine my love for science and art. I’d like to explore the idea of teaching/explaining concepts of chemistry and biology with musical representations. For example, a future goal of mine is to compose a piece of music using different notes/chords to represent each molecule in a chemical reaction or biological process. I’m already minoring in music, so I’m hoping that once I take some music theory classes I can create a piece of music that is both an accurate representation of chemistry/biology and is enjoyable.

About Me

Hello! My name is Claire Hinterschied, and I’m a freshman here at Ohio State. I’m from Grove City, Ohio, which is a suburb just south of Columbus. I’m majoring in neuroscience and minoring in music, and I’m excited to be part of the Biological Sciences Scholars Program! I look forward to getting involved on campus and giving back to the community through volunteer work this year. As of right now, I plan on pursuing a career in either medicine or teaching, and at some point I’d like to participate in undergraduate research. I’m interested in how the brain processes music and I’d like to explore the possibilities of teaching and relaying information about biology and chemistry through musical connections and representations.

I graduated from Grove City High School in June of 2017. In high school, I played the trumpet in my school’s marching band, concert band, and orchestra. I also sang in my school’s choir and participated in OMEA All-State Band for two years. Music has always been a big part of my life, and I’m interested in participating in some ensembles here at Ohio State as well as getting involved with the Music Cognition Lab, which explores how the brain interprets music. I also volunteered at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Siblings’ Clubhouse. I cared for and interacted with the siblings of patients in the hospital, which was both a very humbling and eye-opening experience.

I chose to be part of the Biological Sciences Scholars Program in order to enrich my educational experiences at Ohio State. I want to grow both in and outside of the classroom. Bio Sci allows me to do this by allowing me to make connections with peers who share similar interests as me and providing me with ample opportunities to get involved/volunteer in the community.