Summer Research 2021

Participation in the Washington University Summer Engineering Fellowship (WUSEF) program will significantly help to advance my research and presentation skills, which will assist me in my future career goals.  Although many of the program’s research opportunities are appealing, I am most interested in Quantifying Sensitivity and Gait with Intervertebral Disc Injury. There are millions of Americans who experience chronic back pain, and I would like to learn more about the mechanisms that contribute to pain caused by injury to the disc. The program will also allow me to utilize and hone my acquired research skills. My research at ASU is entitled “Comparison of Factors that Lead to the Development of Cardiovascular Disease in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas,” and I presented my findings at the ASU Center for Undergraduate Research Symposium during the spring 2019 semester. I was awarded first-place in the STEM Research Category. My research helped me to appreciate that health disparities are not only a national problem, but also an international one. 

I plan to pursue a master’s and a PhD at Washington University in St. Louis and later serve as the Scientific Director of the Hampton University Skin of Color Research Institute. My research would allow me to target and advance effective therapies for minority patients who suffer from skin disorders. Participation in the Washington University Summer Engineering Fellowship (WUSEF) program will significantly help to advance that goal as well as allow me to hone my research skills and broaden my knowledge regarding biomedical engineering. 

When I graduate from ASU, I plan to pursue a PhD in Biology at UCLA. The Evolutionary Medicine Program at UCLA will help me to pursue my career goal.  Once I participate in the 2021 Evolutionary Medicine Summer Program and graduate from ASU, I will receive a free-ride scholarship for the graduate program at UCLA as well as a yearly $29,000 stipend—provided I am accepted into the graduate program.  Hence, I was very excited when I discovered that I was accepted.  As a result of my participation, UCLA will provide the finances needed to obtain my master’s and PhD degrees!  Once I receive a doctorate degree, I will become a microbiologist for the United States Department of Agriculture.

Since I have previously conducted research concerning microbes in both high school and at my university, I especially look forward to participating in the Evolutionary Medicine Program’s Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance Project. I will appreciate learning more about the pertinence of antibiotic development and the intensity behind developing drugs to properly address bacterial evolution. The experiences that could be gained from participating in this project can be applied to my future career as I interact with microorganisms within the food and agricultural industries. As a microbiologist, I need to be aware of the general patterns of bacteria and how to produce antibiotics necessary to eliminate a particular pathogen during agricultural crises such as crop infections. This is a prevalent issue and I want to be able to effectively and efficiently address the problem.

The Evolutionary Medicine Research Program is the gift that keeps on giving.  It will provide me the opportunity to sharpen my research skills, allow me to develop new techniques in a state-of-the-art laboratory, fund my future graduate study and allow me to hone skills needed to become a microbiologist.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) offers several advantages that will help to launch my career goal. SURP will give me the opportunity to learn at the prestigious NYU School of Medicine and NYU Langone Medical Center. I also look forward to conducting hands-on research with an assigned faculty mentor and participating in the NYU Summer Undergraduate Research Program LinkedIn group, which will allow me to establish on-going communication with my mentor after the conclusion of SURP. Moreover, participants can present their accumulated research and utilize presentation skills at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium. I am also attracted to the fact that SURP will give me the chance to engage in weekly “Conversations with a Scientist/Physician” and permit me to inquire about the individual’s academic journey and seek advice regarding mine.

Finally, participation in the program’s state-of-the-art biomedical imaging lab will serve as a catalyst for my future career plans. I aspire to become an obstetrician/ gynecologist, and biomedical imaging plays a major role in mammograms, x-rays, bone density tests, and 4D ultrasound—just to name a few. As a physician, I look forward to keeping abreast of current biomedical research in order to improve the health and progress of my patients.