Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program
The Spring Quarter 2012, Honors offered an undergraduate mentorship research program that paired students up with a mentor looking for help in conducting research. I decided to apply to learn more about what the program had to offer and to earn the opportunity to partake in undergraduate research.
Through a Q&A session with all the research labs and a series of interviews with various research mentors and I was paired with Lauren Haar, M.S, and Michael Tranter, Ph.D in the Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, overseen by the Principal Investigator, Keith Jones, Ph.D. Although I had the opportunity to work on several different projects and collaborate with many different researchers working in the lab, I primarily worked with Lauren on her research in genetic cardio-protective effects of high fat diets in mice. Throughout the quarter I learned the basics of research including qRT-PCR, mRNA isolation, western blots, pipetting, and making buffer solutions. I also was AALAC/IACUC certified through UC and was trained to work directly with the test animals. By the end of quarter, I had worked closely enough with a neighboring lab under Jack Rubinstein's, M.D instruction and earned a publication regarding the research of the drug, Probenecid, as a cardio-protective solution to treat ischemic heart disease.
At the end of the quarter I chose to stay on board and extend my research experience to full-time work over the Summer 2012. I submitted a proposal, earned a living stipend and continued to work, grow, and learn. The summer culminated in an annual SURF poster symposium where I presented all my research in front of a panel of judges and other undergraduate students. I continued to work part-time through the following Fall semester as well until I left Cincinnati for co-op.
Please feel free and explore all the various tabs to see all that I did!
Through a Q&A session with all the research labs and a series of interviews with various research mentors and I was paired with Lauren Haar, M.S, and Michael Tranter, Ph.D in the Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, overseen by the Principal Investigator, Keith Jones, Ph.D. Although I had the opportunity to work on several different projects and collaborate with many different researchers working in the lab, I primarily worked with Lauren on her research in genetic cardio-protective effects of high fat diets in mice. Throughout the quarter I learned the basics of research including qRT-PCR, mRNA isolation, western blots, pipetting, and making buffer solutions. I also was AALAC/IACUC certified through UC and was trained to work directly with the test animals. By the end of quarter, I had worked closely enough with a neighboring lab under Jack Rubinstein's, M.D instruction and earned a publication regarding the research of the drug, Probenecid, as a cardio-protective solution to treat ischemic heart disease.
At the end of the quarter I chose to stay on board and extend my research experience to full-time work over the Summer 2012. I submitted a proposal, earned a living stipend and continued to work, grow, and learn. The summer culminated in an annual SURF poster symposium where I presented all my research in front of a panel of judges and other undergraduate students. I continued to work part-time through the following Fall semester as well until I left Cincinnati for co-op.
Please feel free and explore all the various tabs to see all that I did!