The CUTF semester is coming to a close! This semester has taught me so much, especially about how hard our teachers work to help further our learning. I have spent countless hours designing my model, let alone printing and gluing together all 40 sets of the model, on top of writing the in-class activity that…
Tag: Fall 2023
ABCD is not quite as easy as ABC
I expected to face roadblocks and challenges when I signed up to be involved with research, but it doesn’t make them any less sensitive when you are faced with them. The primary project I intended to work on this semester has been stymied for the past few months. I have been analyzing data related to…
My CURF: “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”
As someone who has just completed their fifth semester of undergraduate research, I think it goes without saying that the experience is invaluable for gaining a stronger grasp of and learning how to push the frontiers of knowledge in your research field. Not only does this give you a leg up on the competition when…
CURF 3 – The Project Will Continue
Hello everyone! As CURF comes to an end, I wanted to send a message of appreciation to the college for assisting with research. In this post, I will talk about how my understanding of research changed throughout the semester and what resources I used. I will also be addressing what occurred in my research and…
Transporting Lipids Further
As I spearheaded my project through the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship, I have not only developed a new set of skills, but also learned to acknowledge and reconcile with my own limitations. Moving from broad topics in my previous research like atherosclerosis and thyroid carcinoma to a focused subject like apolipoproteinC-III (apoC-III), my approach to…
CURF3: my CURF reflection
Hello everyone! I had made significant progress in my research project this semester, and have learned many valuable experiences that helped me in conducting my research. In this last post, I will discuss my understanding of research, difficulties I faced during research, and reflect how my experiences in CURF helped me in becoming a experienced…
Almost (not really) finished!
Early this semester, my research mentor Dr. Swigonova explained to me the process for creating the 3D digital protein model that would eventually be 3D printed for use in teaching settings. I don’t consider myself the most competent user of technology but I was pretty confident that I could manage this new software, called Chimera….
CURF Final Post
As the semester comes to an end, so does my time as an Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Fellow. I would like to take this moment to reflect on the transformative experiences that have shaped my understanding of the research process this semester. Throughout this journey, two qualities have emerged as fundamentals to being a researcher in…
CURF 3: This Semester’s Reflections
To summarize the work of my CURF fellowship, the inception of my research project began with the observation that the proteins TERT and STAT5 physically and functionally interact to increase the expression of pro-calcification genes in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease (CAVD). This insight revealed a novel pathway by which calcification develops in valvular disease and…
Community Research in Fayette County
Last weekend, our ACRI cohort traveled to Fayette County to explore community assets in Connellsville and Uniontown. We were able to meet with incredibly engaged community members, all of which were passionate about both the businesses they ran and the individuals that their businesses supported. The CBA, sustainability, urban studies and political science groups spent…