Major: Neuroscience

Award: John Camp and Mindy Farber '74 Endowed Award

At 13, after having been enrolled in three summers worth of summer education programs, my parents enrolled me in a Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG) program that set me on my future path. I enrolled in a synaptic plasticity course, in which I was the least knowledgeable student in the classroom. Every day in class I was terrified of being called to answer a question to which I had no clue what the answer was. For our final project we were each assigned a neurological disease, and mine was glioblastoma (GBM). The thought of presenting in front of the class on a topic I had no knowledge of truly frightened me.

However, as I began to delve into the information about GBM and how there was no current effective treatment, I was overcome with this deep-seated need to inform my classmates about the urgent need for us to not only be informed about this disease, but to think of how we can actively help to improve treatment for patients. And in that moment, I realized I wanted to spend my career at the forefront of the fight against GBM. So, I decided to apply and attend Hopkins in large part due to the wide range of research opportunities available to undergraduates. 

My hypothesis was transgenic miR-149-3p expression will reduce the stem cell phenotype and tumor propagating capacity of cells derived from rGBM by targeting multiple putative oncogenes. As I advanced in my project, my hypothesis changed because the results from our experiments supported that miR-590-3p would target more gene targets and cause a greater reduction of the stem cell phenotype. 

Challenges and Gains

I have gained technical skills that include included DNA extraction, RNA purification, cDNA synthesis, Western blotting, qRT-PCR analysis, transfection of cells, culturing of cells, isolating of plasmids, and treating cells with therapeutics. Additionally, I have gained mentorship from Dr. Lopez-Bertoni and others working in the lab regarding different career options and how to further my scientific inquiries.  

The most challenging part of research was learning how to analyze and troubleshoot what may have caused confounding results. Technique wise, I am treating cells with different therapeutics was challenging due to the fact that we use such small doses and so how to best deliver the exact amount was difficult.   

There isn’t something that I never expected to learn. However, something I hadn’t really anticipated getting the chance to do is present the research I have conducted in the lab at as many conferences as I have had the ability to. 

After Graduation Plans

I plan to apply for post-graduate fellowships to obtain a master’s degree in cancer biology. Following this, I intend to attend medical school.