When I first came into the Brackenridge, I must admit I had some misconceptions about research. As someone surrounded by STEM research my whole life, with a plan to enter the healthcare field spanning as far back as elementary school, research to me has always meant benchwork. However, after my time this summer I’ve come…
Tag: Biology
Brackenridge Fellowship: My Cohort
What I hope to learn from other Brackenridge recipients Hi everyone, here are my thoughts when it comes to what I would like to learn from my cohort and the rest of my peers in the Brackenridge fellowship. Last summer I participated in another research fellowship which only had students from the biological field….
Brackenridge Introduction – Richard Fang
Introduction Hello everyone! My name is Richard Fang and I am currently a rising sophomore majoring in Molecular Biology and Sociology, with minors and certificates in Chemistry, Computer Science, and Global Health. Something about me is that I traveled to three national parks at the beginning of this summer, and hiked around 30 miles in…
CURF #3: Some of the Mysteries of Plakophilin 2 Revealed
Throughout the semester, I have been trying to purify the region of human plakophilin 2 (hPKP2) that binds to ɑ-T-catenin. There were many challenges, as hPKP2 has proven difficult to purify. The hPKP2 region that is thought to bind to ɑ-T-catenin has been determined to be the N-terminus, between amino acids 1-348. This was discovered…
CURF #3: My Research Journey
Research is challenging, but it is so worth it. Through all the trials and tribulations, but also all the successes, my time during the Spring 2022 Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship has been such a rewarding experience that I am grateful for. As I’ve taken the time to reflect on my CURF experience, I can safely…
CURF #2: Living the Research Dream
I joined the Kwiatkowski lab in January 2020. I learned about his lab from my freshman year FP professor, Patrick Mullen. In a meeting with Patrick, he asked me about my interests, goals, and if I was interested in research. I told him that I wanted to do research but did not know where to…
CURF #2: Overcoming Misconceptions to Become a Researcher
As a freshman, college has been quite the overwhelming experience so far–but in a good way! I’ve been presented with more opportunities than I can take advantage of, and they’ve all come about because I stepped out of my comfort zone to ask people questions. In fact, I found my research mentor, Dr. Zuzana Swigonova,…
CURF Introduction – There’s traffic in your cells too
Hello! My name is Katie Oppenheimer. I am a Junior majoring in microbiology. I’m from Portland, Oregon. Coming from Oregon, I love to spend time in nature, especially backpacking and skiing. I conduct research in the O’Donnell Lab. The O’Donnell lab studies a-arrestins. These protein are adaptors involved in intracellular protein trafficking, acting as a…
CURF Introduction: Touching the Invisible
Hi everyone! My name is Richard and I am a freshman majoring in Biology, minoring in Computer Science, Sociology, and Chemistry, as well as pursuing a certificate in Global Health. A fun fact about me is that I’m an avid tennis player and have even worked as a private tennis coach for two summers! Right…
Reflecting on my CURF Experience: The Journey to Becoming a Researcher
Thinking back on my experiences with CURF, it is undeniable that I have significantly improved my skills as a researcher. Throughout my time in the Brodsky lab, my research has pushed me to learn several new protocols and techniques. Among these, I was given the opportunity to learn various new computational, molecular, and biochemical lab…