Journey to Student Researcher
As an undergraduate student pursuing a Biology BA degree on a pre-med track, I had the ability to interact with a lot of research opportunities. I started from article focused research and went on to work in a research lab of my own, learning both hard and soft skills along the way. In addition, I was able to again big picture perspective on the importance of encouraging student research to the field of medicine.
1. Research Focused Honors Contract
Cell Biology History Month Posters
While taking my Cell Biology course, I did an honors contract with the professor that consisted of me creating three posters across three months highlighting a researcher that represented said month's history event. Part of the challenge was to ensure that the content connected to topic we were currently learning in the course. This experience helped me develop the ability to process a large amount of information and present it in an understandable and concise manner.
2. Undergraduate Student Research Lab
Biodegradable Thermoplastic Research
I joined a research lab under the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Institute (MURI). We researched different compositions and methods of creating biodegradable plastic. Through this experience, I was able to get a behind the scenes look at the procurement of data. In addition, we got to attend several research conferences
which helped me realize the importance of collaborative learning on a global scale,
Dr. Andres Tovar, Research Mentor
3. Research Focused Capstone Project
Pharmaceutical Drug Price Research
For my biology capstone project, I wanted to create something that related to my future career a physican. I developed a 20 page research paper as well as poster around my findings on why pharmaceutical drug prices in the United States are so high. I also interviewed the founder of the Distributed Drug Discovery (D3) Program on campus as part of my research. A main solution I came across was to encourage student research to reshape the motivation of drug development.
Dr. Katherine Marrs, Capstone Professor
Reflection
Through the various experiences with research in my undergraduate journey, I now proudly consider myself a student researcher. As I progress further in my career, I want to continue developing my skills in this field. I hope to utilize this as both a learning tool and a practical method to contribute to the development of helpful pharmaceutical drugs for my future patients.