Biomedical Research and Mentoring Program (RaMP) -- Summer 2019
Conditioned Fear Schematic
Throughout this past summer, I continued to work in the Vorhees/Williams Lab as a part of UHP’s Biomedical Research and Mentoring Program. Rather than running wet lab experiments such as Western Blots, I switched gears and spent my time running behavior tests and assisted with the various behavior studies conducted by the lab. These studies assess potential deficits to learning and memory in various parts of the brain in rats and mice. Treatments for these animals include proton therapy, a knockout gene (in which a certain gene is “knocked-out” of
this busy work precedes the critical thinking and decision-making that moves research forward. Furthermore, disinterest in one topic does not spell disinterest in all others; if anything, it is beneficial to find a niche in research that you wish to occupy and explore.
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As I worked full-time throughout the summer, I set a goal to quickly become accustomed to my research environment. One question I constantly asked myself in new situations was: “should I solve this on my own, or should I ask someone for help?” Often times I resorted to the latter option, but as I became more familiar with my work and saw how others responded to similar situations, I became more and more proficient at identifying and solving problems; these ranged anywhere from computer issues to flooding cages (which happened more likely than you’d think). As a result, I was able to foster my personal sense of independence in my role as a research assistant. Independence is a skill I feel is crucial to the field of research; if you constantly have to run to others for assistance with your project, how can you yourself make a meaningful contribution to this lab? The skills and experience I had working over the summer will hopefully aid me in my future research career.
Morris Water Maze Schematic
the genome) indicative of ADHD, and overexposure to manganese. Some of the learning and memory tests I ran include the Morris Water Maze, which reflects the hippocampus, and Conditioned Fear, which reflects the amygdala. Additionally, I assisted with maintaining the rat colonies, which included weighing and weaning the animals.
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Often times, I thought that learning about these tests is quite interesting, but physically running them – not so much. Although I want to pursue research as a career, I’m not exactly sure what I want to focus on in the future. This experience helped me realize that working for a large-scale behavior core such as this is not the career path for me. Upon realizing this, I became worried about why I chose research as a career focus in the first place; if I am only interested about learning about specific research topics, how would I continue in such a broad field?
Thankfully, my fears were alleviated when talking to other lab members and reflecting on my thoughts. Research can often times be a monotonous process, and it is important to realize that
Moving forward, I am continuing in this lab in the fall semester. I will be moving from my position as a behavior assistant and heading my own wet lab project; this project focuses on discerning the level of Caspase-3 enzyme (which mediates cell apoptosis) in rats across different time points in their development. I also hope to apply to the SURF program next summer, and I believe that my newfound clarity in my career path and independence will support me in these endeavors.