fun

Sadly, we have come to an end to our summer REU program. Throughout this 10-week research intensive program we were able to take part and contribute to a cancer research lab using an engineering approach. I was part of the Functional Optical Imaging Lab with Dr. Dunn and was able to have a sense of how a real lab functions. I am very thankful to Samuel Mihelic, my mentor, for having the patience to help and guide me through my summer research project. My summer project was based on analyzing the morphology of the neurovascular network through two photon imaging over time. I was able to gather statistical analysis of the vascular changes and present these findings with the other REU scholars.

This past Wednesday, 08/04/2021, all the REU Scholars presented their posters that will soon be seen in the BMES conference in Orlando. This gave us a chance to understand each other’s project and the different research approaches that each scholar took.

All the scholars can agree that we are excited to go the BMES Conference in Orlando and finally meet everyone in person. We still have two months to prepare, but we all know time flies fast. So, for now we can just say “See ya later and Hook ’em Horns”!

Final Professional Development Seminar Zoom

Diana Lopez-Valdez | The University of Texas at El Paso

As the summer comes to an end, I will cherish the experience I was granted and the people I was able to meet. For me, these ten weeks were really rewarding. From working on a research project looking at a new way to deliver therapeutics to cancer cells to exploring everything Austin has to offer, it’s been 10 weeks of adventure. Looking back at my research, I was truly amazed to see how much I was able to get done. From the very first day in lab it was full speed ahead, and through all the mistakes and the long, weird hours, I am proud of what I was able to accomplish this summer. At times it was stressful, and I was tired and just wanted to go sleep, but I pushed through and because of that I’ve grown as a researcher and as a person because of it.

You will only be successful if you are willing to put in work and makes sacrifices, and in the end, it makes everything you have accomplished that much sweeter.

This summer I also learned how creative research can be. There is no set solution that we must use in order to solve any one problem, instead the best solutions may actually be completely different than what is being used today. This was the case for my project as we were able to utilize an already present cellular mechanism to deliver chemotherapeutics, and our solution has the potential to be more efficient than current drug delivery systems used to treat cancer. While it is still being studied, the possibility of my project improving current cancer treatment excites me and inspires me to continue with research in hopes of being able to make a difference in the world. My ten weeks in Austin have taught me that research has no boundaries and as long as we continue to pursue it, no problem cannot be solved.

Research was fun, but to be honest the thing I will miss the most from this summer will be the people I got to meet. My Hawaiian shirt will hang proudly in my closet, holding the many memories we have made over these ten weeks. From the first night playing cards together as a group of twelve to the weekly Bachelorette watch parties, I enjoyed coming back from long hours in lab to relax with the other students in the program. From the first weekend trip scootering to Barton Springs to watching fireworks at Zilker Park on the 4^th of July to all the food adventures throughout Austin, I would not have explored Austin with another group of people (though nothing beats Los Angeles in terms of food). With all the laughing at stupid jokes and shouting at the TV when watching Hannah B. at the rose ceremony, this summer has been anything but boring. This group of people was something truly special and I expect we will all go on to do great things in the future. Leaving will be hard, but I believe this isn’t the final goodbye. To BMES we go, but Philadelphia will not be the last time we will meet.

Here is a glimpse of what we did this summer…