July 9, 2019, Filed Under: 2019, cancer, learning, researchLectures at Dell Medical School LIVESTRONG Cancer Institute During one of our first meetings of the summer, we were asked by our program supervisor to explain the differences between school and work, and to decide which of the two this REU fell under. We get paid, which feels like work, but we are also here to learn, which almost makes it seem as if we never left college for summer vacation. This program cannot be constrained to either school or work entirely, and I don’t believe that any of our future careers will be so easily classified either. As researchers, it is in our job description to learn, and that is what this summer is about. A lecture on Cancer Imaging at the Health Discovery Building Auditorium at the Dell Medical School UT Austin is home to many summer research opportunities, one of which is the LIVESTRONG Cancer Institute Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) in the Dell Medical School, and runs nearly the same timeline as our own program. Over the past week and a half, we have attended three of their cancer lectures, where we have learned about experimental models, clinical trials, and cancer imaging. Each lecture, though early in the morning, was entertaining, interactive, and taught us something new about a different aspect of cancer. It is refreshing to see how these lecturers, all adults and well established in their field, are constantly trying to learn new things and see the world from different perspectives. Though the content itself is complex, each lecturer is able to explain their research in a professional, yet understandable fashion. Similarly, as each of us become more comfortable in our own lab, we are better able to explain our work to each other. Science is most useful when it can be shared, and I am hopeful that the communication skills we learn here, both by presenting to each other and listening to lectures, will enable us to make sure science is more readily accessible to all. -Maggie Cook, Arizona State University
June 10, 2019, Filed Under: 2019, austin, fun, learning, texas4000, ut austinFirst week at UT! This first week has been a busy one, with move-in on Monday, orientation activities through Thursday, and our first real day of lab on Friday. I was surprised by how quickly we all got to know each other. On Monday night, after settling into our rooms in San Jac, we all navigated the massive labyrinth that is Jester to unofficially meet up for the first time in J2, the closest dining hall. After dinner, we wandered around campus together and investigated the BME building, the UT tower, and the turtle pond. We finished off the evening with a card game in the San Jac lounge and went to bed after frantically skimming some of the papers we were supposed to read for our labs. Exploring campus on Monday. Note the capitol building in the background. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were dedicated to orientation; we met our grad student mentors, got our UT ID cards, and were given crash courses in wet lab techniques, scientific literature, data analysis, and microscopy. One cool thing about this program is that, for these 10 weeks, we have access to (almost) all of the resources that UT students have, so we can use the UT library databases or consult with UT statisticians. Friday was our first lab day! My lab studies glioblastomas and is located in Dell Medical School, which is fortunately only a ten-minute walk from San Jac. I got there at 9 a.m., did site-specific lab safety training with my mentor, and took a bus (free with my UT ID!) to the BME building to make it to our first 11 a.m. Friday seminar. At the seminar, we enjoyed a free lunch from Jason’s Deli, talked about the global and historical context of our research, and heard from a Texas 4000 rider, which was very cool. T4K riders bike from Austin to Alaska in order to engage underserved communities in the fight against cancer over the same 10-week period that we spend doing cancer research here at UT. After the seminar, I went back to my lab for a lab meeting and a brief demonstration of cell culture technique by my mentor. Friday also happened to be National Donut Day, so we went to Voodoo Donuts on 6th Street to celebrate. On Saturday, we tried to escape the Austin heat by going to Barton Springs, a natural spring-fed pool that’s about 68° year-round. Barton Springs is conveniently within walking distance of several food trucks, so we stopped by those when we were done swimming. Voodoo Donuts! (Photo credit: Angie) Barton Springs Pool! (Photo credit: Angie) Food trucks after Barton Springs, featuring Maggie, Jessica, and Michael. (Photo credit: Angie) It’s been a really busy week, but I’m excited to start my own research on Monday and continue getting to know everyone and exploring the UT campus! -Mia Haraguchi, Yale University
July 26, 2018, Filed Under: 2018, graduate school, learning, reflectionsGraduate School Hi, my name is Donovan Moses, a rising sophomore studying materials science and engineering at Penn State University. Participating in this research experience here at UT Austin has made me think about what I actually want to do in the future and graduate school is definitely an option on the list. My thoughts about graduate school and research started out as two very separate categories. I always thought that in graduate school I would have to take classes and it was just be an extension of what I’m doing in my undergraduate career. Research was just something extra that could be done on the side and maybe I didn’t even have to worry about it. This summer I learned how intertwined graduate school and research are and this made going to graduate school much more appealing to me. Photo of mouse brain vasculature; one of the challenges of the summer is to remove noisy data from the image through processing in MATLAB Over the summer I got to experience the everyday activities of a graduate student. I come in everyday and I might not have a set schedule for the day but there is a problem to solve and my job is to figure out how to solve it. I enjoy this type of work because it feels like I’m making a significant impact on difficult and relevant problems everyday. This REU has helped me realize that I want to go to graduate school so that I can change the world through my work. -Donovan Moses, Penn State University
