As a Pre-medical Student, I have many experiences with research and creative thinking through my sciences classes. In my Biology 1114 lab, we completed a research project called SEA-PHAGES. SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science) is a semester long, discovery-based undergraduate research course. The lab focuses on the investigation of the diverse bacteriophage genome and the exploration of the dynamic mechanisms that produce and sustain the bacteriophage population. In the course, the bacteriophage genome was characterized via the isolation, purification, and application of phages from environmental samples using a specific host, Arthrobacter sp. By doing this, we were able to extract and carefully analyze the genetic material of these organisms. The SEA-PHAGES program equips students with a variety of microbiology techniques and aims to increase undergraduate interest in the biological sciences through research.
In the Fall of 2020, I will begin my undergraduate research within the Kopp Laboratory at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The Kopp laboratory focuses on the impact host-pathogen interactions have on chronic respiratory diseases, specifically cystic fibrosis (CF), as well as lung diseases related to sickle cell. As an undergraduate researcher in this lab, my responsibility will be to not only develop and perform my independent research on the role of macrophage health and non-genetic influences on Cystic Fibrosis outcomes but to collect appropriate information for statistical analysis of the research at large. Through this experience, I not only hope to enrich my experiences of original inquiry, but develop myself professional and learn more about the research aspect of medicine.