UT Shield

Texas REU: BME CUReS Cancer

2017

, Filed Under: 2017, austin, cancer, research

Research Dedications

Lab Bench. Credit: Guillermo Beckmann.

Through our stay here at UT Austin, each Friday before going to work on our individual Labs, we dedicate the week to something. This in order to motivate us to continue working to a cure and better understanding of cancer. The idea was borrowed from the Texas 4000, that is an organization that rides 4000 miles to raise funds for cancer research. Cancer has impacted many lives, and everyone has their own individual story and their own reason to want to beat cancer. Everyone, no matter what their dedications and intentions, is invested in trying to defeat this serious threat that kills millions of people everyday world-wide.

Sometimes the dedications don’t have to be in a personal way but it is always something to keep the importance of our research in mind. Sometimes we dedicate to the people that are affected by cancer, and sometimes to the adventures and new thing we will learn that week in our labs and our life. Overall, we have to keep reminding ourselves and everyone that research and fighting against cancer will benefit everyone. As well as it will make us, the researchers, grow personally as a person and build on our skills to become better in our research.

Guillermo Beckmann, University of Texas at El Paso

students standing in front of Austin wall mural
Yahir, Andrew, Gabriel, Bianca, Guillermo, and Octavio.

, Filed Under: 2017, fun, ut austin

Phase 10

Elana, Donna, Shinhyuk, Daria, Ian and Tiara Lewis from the LSAMP REU.

 

students smiling while walking through campus
Elana, Ian, Donna, Tiara, Shinhyuk, and Daria.

I have never seen, heard, or played this amazing game called Phase 10. It is a card game that you play to achieve ten phases first before anyone else in the game. The most stressful rule in this game is that you cannot skip a phase until you complete the phase you are in. For me, I was stuck on phase six for five rounds. It was mentally and physically draining because it was 3 AM, and I could not finish the game.

Like Phase 10, I believe BME CUReS has ten phases for us to complete in order to grow as cancer fighters. The first phase must be to break the awkwardness. Many nights of playing games, talking about politics, and sharing personal anecdotes, I believe we have gotten much closer and breaking down the awkwardness. But the most effective way to break down the awkwardness was going out to Austin and exploring what this vibrant city has to offer.

We went to see the bats fly off the bridge near South Congress. Well, we tried. We went to the Museum of the Weirds on the Sixth Street, but I think it was a bad timing because there were just so many bikers that day. We went out to eat In N Out burgers, and we were not disappointed by its taste and its price. As a person who is from NY, I never had In N Out, so I think this is my favorite memory I have so far from being part of this program.

There are so many more phases for us to complete, and even though we might be stuck on the same phase for weeks, it is good that I won’t be the only one stuck.

Shinhyuk Bang, Syracuse University

students in front of the university tower building
All 2017 BME Summer Scholars.

, Filed Under: 2017

Welcome 2017 Summer Scholars!

all 2017 visiting scholars lined up in front of the UT seal
In front of the UT Austin Seal on the Darrel K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. Left to Right: Hieu Nguyen (mentor), Hunter Joyce (mentor), Dalton Kotilinek, Shinhyuk Bang, Ian Davis, Darla Bentley, Elana Helou, Donna Murillo, Jillian Ortner, Gabriela Perez-Lozano, Krista Nicklaus (mentor), Octavio Cordova Jr, Gabriel Garcia, Guillermo Beckmann, Andrew Rios, Yahir Garay. Photo by Will Goth (mentor).