DIY DIAGNOSTICS

Author: Nicholas Wong

  • Unique Research Experience!

    Unique Research Experience!

    Hey guys! My name is Sydney and I am a sophomore studying neuroscience. I picked DIY Diagnostics because my FIG professor recommended Dr. Riedel for being very open to letting students pursue their own interests, I knew that the lab is related to healthcare in some aspects, and it is interdisciplinary with biology, chemistry, and computer science. These points couldn’t describe the stream more perfectly. To give some context to my experience I want to explain the general lifecycle of being in FRI; In the spring you are placed in a lab and your research is driven by assignments designed to teach you various lab processes. In our lab, we learned qPCR, 3D printing, and even a bit of coding. We cultured samples of Waller Creek to detect a pollution source coming out of a pipe, and from that data alerted UHS and the city about a real public health problem. After your first semester you have the option to apply for a paid summer fellowship, which gives you a head start on the more independent project that you wouldn’t start working on until the fall of your sophomore year otherwise. For my project I chose to use wax-printing and a method of agglutination with CRP antibodies on paper-based diagnostics to detect a sample’s quantity of target protein by measuring the sample’s lateral flow distance, specifically looking at an inflammatory biomarker highly associated with heart failure called C-reactive protein. I had no idea what any of this meant when I first started, but that uncertainty is the most important part of FRI.

    During my fellowship with the lab this summer I learned all about the past relevant research, potential importance, and mechanisms of what I was working with, and as time went on became more confident with what I could do. It gets frustrating at times because working on a project without knowing what the outcome will be is intimidating, and on top of that you aren’t always sure what you’re looking for. This, though, is what pushed me to become a real researcher, and it will be what pushes you. Sometimes the most important thing you can do is to keep chugging along. It’s also the most rewarding thing ever when you realize you’ve become an expert at something! You may not have a Ph.D. yet, but you get to know your project inside and out, and that’s a truly valuable thing. Having the training to do something at a wet bench on your own or being able to control your computer instead of letting it control you are skills not found in many people our age, and if you market those skills right they can get you somewhere. Because of what I learned in DIY, I was able to pitch myself and my skills to a biotech company in Boston that is taking me on as their first intern this summer. People appreciate experience, so my best advice is to not take for granted what you have done.

    What you do at UT matters. You have experiences that set you apart that make your story interesting and unique to you. FRI is an opportunity unique to UT, and you’re already forming the right habits by taking advantage of it. This lab is one of my experiences that has taken me very far, made me a better problem solver, and a better scientist overall. I highly recommend coming by during the open house sessions to see what we’re all about- you won’t regret it!

  • Best of Luck, Cristian A. Cruz

    As a Public Health and Human Biology major, I am interested in studying infections diseases specially those transmitted by vectors. During the application process to UT, I read about how undergraduate students were developing do-it-yourself diagnostics for mosquitoes in the Freshman Research Initiative. After reading the article, I decided to apply to the FRI-DIY Diagnostics stream and was fortunately admitted. This fall 2018 semester I ambition to continue exploring the field of vector diagnostics with success by working on a device that can automatically count mosquitoes by listening for wing characteristics such as frequency. It is important to mention that I didn’t always have this ambition or confidence, like many of my fellow classmates I felt that I lacked the knowledge necessary to be a competent researcher. Being part of this research community gave me a sense of success because unlike other students, I was able to take a hands-on approach to what we learned in course lectures, and the stream itself provides the students with a variety of new skills that a regular student can only wish to have. To be honest, I didn’t find research interesting at first especially because it seemed too complicated, but Dr. Riedel and the mentors help any student make a smooth transition into the world of science. Dr. Riedel is truly an enthusiastic research educator, you can see it in his expression when you meet to discuss research projects, and as students, nothing makes us more motivated than having those who we look up to encourage us. This stream has definitely impacted the opinion I had about research, it has made me consider and search for medical school programs that place emphasis on research. The stream will help you create a strong research foundation that can be used for other undergraduate research opportunities, and in my opinion compared to other streams, DIY diagnostics offers more diversity in their skill developments such as learning to program mobile apps.

    Something particularly fun that happened during the semester was when I plunged off into E Coli. Infested Waller Creek, I had to walk home soaking wet (Just kidding!). The whole experience itself is very enjoyable, you meet many new people who are just as eager to learn and who want to make the best out of this opportunity. Now for my favorite quote with a twist: remember not everyone can become a great scientist, but a great scientist can come from anywhere.

    Best of Luck,

    Cristian A. Cruz

  • Enthusiasm and Community!

    Coming into college, I always knew that I wanted to be a part of something greater than myself. After learning about the Freshman Research Initiative during a University tour, I was hooked on the idea of undergraduate research, and wanted to challenge myself in the hope that I would not only become a better student, but also benefit lives around me through community service and hands on learning in a comfortable environment. I decided to apply for FRI, and ended up changing my life in a way that I never expected. My first semester consisted of a UGS class and intro to research assigned lab time. It was a long semester watching micropipetting tutorials, and learning about famous scientists, but I could not be more grateful for the experiences that I had, eventually landing a spot on the DIY Diagnostics research team.

    As the semester came to an end, I was set on joining DIY Diagnostics. The research team seemed enthusiastic about their work, and the sense of community was screaming my name! At first, I was overwhelmed by the fact that I was just a young college student who didn’t really know the first thing about research. I asked myself “where would I start? Or what did I plan on accomplishing?” Looking back now, I can guarantee that everyone was feeling the same way. I found myself feeling unsure in my decision to join FRI, and most of all, I was insecure in he idea that my peers were better trained than I was.

    As spring approached, and my research team was in full swing, I was developing new research skills and growing in confidence through weekly skill developments and meetings. These meeting consisted of a range of topics. From the logistics of MTEC plates, to presenting data from our Waller Creek project at a scientific fair, to understanding complicated computer software programs, I found myself engaged and empowered in the fact that science, and especially the DIY Diagnostics stream, were working towards a greater good. On top of this, the weekly wet- lab assignments were tedious and often times difficult, but our handpicked team of lab mentors was there to help through it all. Not only did I learn how to take water samples and analyze contamination levels at local sites on campus, but i also learned how to code my very own diagnostic app, and create a 3d masterpiece key chain with the 3D printer. DIY Diagnostics allowed for me to express my creativity and personal interests in a way that I had never experienced.

    My favorite part of DIY diagnostics thus far was learning how to code. At the time, this was a very stressful task for me as I had no prior experience in HTML and Javascript (coding languages). Although this was a setback, my fellow researchers in DIY were very supportive and encouraging, and I eventually decided to base my last semester project on a diagnostic app and an image analysis program, to decipher between potentially cancerous and benign moles. The first year of college on such a large campus can be scary, but staying humble in the fact that DIY Diagnostics was always there for me, and others just made the transition that much easier.

  • Not Just Books and Computers

    I chose the DIY Diagnostics team because I knew that it would have me working in the realm of the medical field. I knew that working in this stream would help open my eyes to the world of medical research, and to become inspired to create simple, at-home diagnostic tests for people to use.

    I am extremely excited to see my current project come to life. This project is a continuation of a previous idea, which is to create a test to determine whether an athlete is doping (using testosterone) to better their performance.

    Programming an app was pretty difficult at first. The minute details that go into an app can become frustrating, but the experience of working with app creation was able to push my knowledge of technology even further than it was before.

    A very fun moment while working in the stream was when we started to use the 3D printers. Seeing something you created on your laptop come out and become something you can hold is a very good feeling.

    At first, I didn’t know how I would feel about doing research. There is a stigma and idea that you will just be stuck behind books and a computer for hours on end, but that is not the case at all. Doing field research is a huge component in this stream. Seeing real life samples and test results brought forward a new idea of how exactly a research stream at UT works.

    This stream has taught me how to incorporate your favorite hobbies into your research, making the environment of the research lab much more enjoyable than you thought.