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Texas REU: BME CUReS Cancer

texas4000

, Filed Under: 2019, cancer, research, texas4000

Letter to Texas 4000 Rider: Diana Zhang (Rockies Route)

Dear Diana,

My name is Jubin George, and I am currently a rising sophomore from the University of Arizona. Currently, I am at the University of Texas at Austin for the summer researching tumor spheroids and ways to image them. While looking through the profiles of the different riders, I was able to relate to something that you mentioned in yours. Fortunately, just like you, I have never had to deal with any of my immediate family members getting affected by cancer. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that I have been totally immune to the effects of cancer. During my senior year, my English teacher was also diagnosed with breast cancer. A friend of mine lost her mother to lung cancer about 6 years age. Seeing her and her sister having to deal with their mom’s death was heartbreaking.

I still remember thinking what I can do to help. Cancer appears to be such huge obstacle and even today, it sometimes makes me think if I could even make a difference. This is where you and Texas 4000 come in.

Knowing that I am not alone in this fight against cancer gives me hope.

It makes me realize that we are all in this together. And for that, I thank you.

2-photon microscope
Ultima IV 2-Photon Microscope, the microscope I’m using to image spheroids

Right now, it looks like you are in Smithers, British Columbia. I wish you good luck for the rest of your journey and hope that you finish strong and safely. And again, I want to say thank you for making me and numerous others realize that we are not alone in this fight.

-Jubin George, University of Arizona

Diana Zhang is a 2019 Texas 4000 rider currently rider from Austin to Anchorage with the Rockies Team

, Filed Under: 2019, cancer, texas4000

Letter to Texas4000 Rider: Ivanna Sofia English (Ozarks Route)

hand made cards for bike riders in texas 4000
Cards made on June 14 for Texas 4000 2019 riders by the BME Summer Scholars

Dear Ivanna,

My name is Joel Mudloff and I am currently a rising junior from the University of Texas at El Paso. I wanted to write this letter to let you know how truly inspiring your ride is. As I was going through the different riders’ profiles, yours caught my eye, primarily because of your relationship with school and Mrs. Knoll. First and foremost, I wanted to give my condolences for the loss of someone you admired. I too am a son of teachers and grew to have a close relationship with one of my own teachers, Mrs. Taylor. I also felt a close friendship with her as we had our inside jokes and would even go to Chipotle for each other’s birthdays and although she is still with me, I could not begin to imagine the pain I would feel if I were to lose her. After learning about the Texas4000 ride, I genuinely felt honored to get the opportunity to be researching cancer and furthering society’s understanding of such a terrible affliction.

I also wanted to let you know that what you and all the other riders are doing is, for lack of a better word, inspiring to everyone who’s been directly or indirectly affected by cancer.

Everyone has a part in this war against cancer whether it’s raising awareness to the general public or working in the lab to understand and find treatments.

I am proud to be part of the same fight as you and all the other riders as we battle against cancer. I hope you have a safe ride and finish strong!

Sincerely,

Joel Mudloff, The University of Texas at El Paso

 

Ivanna Sofia English is a 2019 Texas4000 rider currently on the Ozarks route from Austin, TX, to Anchorage, AK. Fighting cancer every mile.

, Filed Under: 2019, austin, fun, learning, texas4000, ut austin

First 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.

students walking on ut campus with capitol building in background
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.

students at voodoo donuts waiting in line
Voodoo Donuts! (Photo credit: Angie)

 

Students at barton springs pool
Barton Springs Pool! (Photo credit: Angie)

 

students eating food at food truck park
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