July 2, 2015, Filed Under: 2015, cancer, research, texas4000Letter to Texas 4000 Rider: Isaac Reyes Dear Isaac, The journey you embarked on is something I’m sure you are proud of and have trained endlessly for. I want to say thank you for having the courage to put yourself through this because ultimately you are a reason for hope. Spreading awareness and riding for a cause is one step forward in this battle against cancer. Being in the BME CUReS Cancer program has allowed me the opportunity to grow and develop as an individual. You and I have a goal in mind and ultimately in the end it is to ensure that we are closer to understanding how to defeat cancer. In the moments of your ride when you may be struggling mentally and physically I do hope you remember you’re not in this alone. Your fellow riders are there and those of us in the labs are on your side for support. My journey began with a lab notebook and will end here in a lab notebook and the knowledge I gain will be carried on. Keep on riding and moving forward my friend, there is no obstacle that you can’t overcome in this ride. When you do finish this ride just remember there is more still to be done but your part has made a difference. Your riding motivates me to expand my knowledge of cancer each day I am here for research. I do hope you and those around you stay safe and are all truly aware of the impact that is being made! Lead the way, keep moving forward, leave nobody behind, and stay AWESOME! Sincerely, Matthew Vasquez, PVAMU Isaac Reyes is a UT Austin Mechanical Engineering Student and Texas 4000 rider currently on the Sierra Team!
June 18, 2015, Filed Under: 2015, cancer, graduate school, reflections, researchResearch as a Career & Going to Graduate School I have been asked many times by others regarding the question of post-college plans. At first, I had a vague sense of what I want to do for my future. However, engaging in undergraduate research labs made me realize doing research and performing experiments are actually very fun. It matches my learning styles and fosters me to become an independent learner. I developed important bench techniques, useful notes-taking and critical thinking skills. Moreover, my creative capability and knowledge about science were also expanded. In my opinion, research is process of learning; it is the matter of coming up with a question, applying the known concepts to experiments, and discovering new theories. Through reading the book The Emperor of All Maladies, I was extremely inspired by the never-give-up spirits of all scientists. Although cancer has the worst history out of all diseases, researchers are still trying different approaches to treat and cure it. If it’s not for research, there won’t be any chemotherapies or drugs that are currently saving millions of lives. Research really has a huge impact in the world. Thus it gave me a solid reasoning to go for graduate school to receive more trainings and dedicate my career in science and research. –Zhiying Zhu, CCNY
June 11, 2015, Filed Under: 2015, cancer, research, texas4000Letter to Texas 4000 Rider: Sharwin Khot I thought you might like this picture ☺ ! Dear Sharwin, YOU ARE AWESOME! Thank you for taking on this bike challenge to cure cancer. I hope the weather has been good for you and that your spirits are high. All of us at the BME lab are cheering y’all on everyday. We hope you can feel our love and encouragement for you guys. I can’t even imagine how strenuous your bike ride must be, but please never forget how many people are cheering for y’all. So many lives have been affected by your courageous act of kindness. Not only are you helping to raise money for cancer research, more importantly you are showing how compassionate and caring people can truly be. In a world where media shows the worst of human acts, you are proving that love is still alive! The heart all of y’all have for this cause is felt all around the nation. Before our lab meetings we take time to dedicate our research to someone/something and at least one of us always devotes our week of research to the riders because when we get bogged down with failures we always remember that we have you guys. We get revived every time we get updates from y’all because we know we aren’t alone in the fight against cancer. We the researchers are empowered by you riders and I hope vice versa holds true. We are all one big family that is here to encourage and push one another. I wish you the best of luck in your journey and we are all cheering for y’all! Hook’em horns! Sincerely, Stefani Maris, LSU Sharwin Khot is a UT Austin BME student and Texas 4000 rider currently on the Sierra Team!
