Please explain your reasons for wanting to participate in the Garcia Center Summer Scholar Program.
I really love science, especially biology. Growing up I have always been fascinated with the question of how something as complicated as a human being could come about. Later, after learning about many of our biological functions, biology only began to seem more incredible. It is astonishing that the intricate functions in living creatures all fit together and operate together so smoothly. Amongst these different biological systems, I have always found the communication systems such as the nervous and endocrine system really interesting, in particular the brain. Consciousness is one of the few things science cannot explain yet, but biology can
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account for a lot of our behavior, and behavioral studies and psychology have interested me for a long time. I also find cell communication on the molecular level fascinating. This year in AP Biology, I have done presentations on quorum sensing in relation multicellular communication cyclins and its role in controlling the cell cycle through activation of cyclin-dependent kinases. The first time I became interested in science was when I was in elementary school, when I heard the most bizarre thing ever: we are all made of cells. Today the fact seems almost bland, but I will never forget the incredulity and wonder I first experienced when I heard that. When my dad, a cell biologist at Wadsworth Center, first told me that him, me, and all people were made of hundreds of billions to tens of trillions of tiny invisible living things that worked together to make us up, it was the most peculiar thing I’ve ever heard. I didn’t even know who I was anymore if I was just a bunch of smaller living things, and it amazed me that these little things could make me feel like one person that acted in unison. After I thought over the implications, I began to wonder: What else did I not know? The first time you hear facts like this, it shakes up your view of the world. As fundamental as these facts are, they aren’t instinctual, and would not have come into the light if not for the quests of many past scientists for knowledge. Research is a wonderful thing: all the diseases that we can prevent and treat today; all the technology today that would have seemed science fiction to generations in past centuries; all of that started with research and science. Because of these implications and the fascinating aspects of science, I really want to get a feel for what research is like, and I really want to go into scientific research in the future because knowledge so crucial, and is especially important in today’s society. Research has the capability to help others in so many ways, and I believe that it is really important to care for others. This is why I’m in Student Senate and Peer Helpers, in addition to clubs like Science Academic Bowl and Science Olympiad. I would say that my best technical skill is leadership. And in the past two years I have been to three leadership seminars, including amongst them Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership program. I have learned a lot about what being a leader is about: it’s not about one person standing apart from the others and directing them, but rather it’s about knowing how to collaborate and inspire others. As John C. Maxwell said, “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life, influencing another.” I believe science and research can influence others in significant ways. “Anything that gets your blood rushing is probably worth doing.” I believe that it is important to do what you love. Biology is really interesting because it happening in everyday life. I love to get in a good hard workout and then just lie down and listen to blood circulate the body, to know all that goes on inside that allows for it to happen. I definitely want to go into science, either as a researcher and professor, or as a neurophysiologist.
I hope this summer program will help me get a better feel for what research outside of the classroom is like. I wish to do research in college and in the future, so I hope that this summer program will give me experience for my future research endeavors. Being able to learn new things that stretch my mind is my passion, and being able to do research at this summer program would really help me grow as a person. Please give me this chance experience a wonderful and educational summer.
List all previous research experience, including research-oriented courses you may have or are currently taking.
I do not have a lot of experience in formal research, but I have done research papers for AP Biology, and last year in social studies, I wrote a research paper on the origins and implications of the number zero. I have laboratory skills from research done in my AP Biology class and other science classes: I know how to titrate, pipette, and utilize other scientific instruments such as spectrometers, spectrophotometers, calorimeters, Bunsen burners, centrifuges, and respirometers; I can do data analysis with methods such chi square test and T test.
If you had the opportunity to do research in any area of engineering, what would you
do? I have always been interested in biomedical engineering, especially tissue regeneration and connections between machine and humans such as prosthetic limbs. It is amazing that we can make reconstructed zygotes and mice missing the protein p-53 can regenerate body parts, so perhaps someday soon tissue regeneration will be possible as well. I believe that biology has lots of interesting applications to engineering. Biomedical engineering can really help improve the healing capacity of hospitals for helping people who get hurt. It can help fix health problems that are still as of today, incurable. It is amazing that we have already been able to use genetic engineering to make different human hormones in bacteria such as human growth hormones and insulin. Although there may be controversy with genetic engineering, there is still a lot of potential in that field of research.
In Ap biology, we were handed a Campbell Textbook before the class began in order to complete the pre-modules. I consider the textbook to be the most beneficial resource that we had during this course, due to the amount of detail, examples, and images that it contained explaining each concepts in a reliable way. The power points that were made to summarize the main points from the textbook were helpful, however they were really long and made me miss what was actually important and take additional notes on filler information. Due to the long powerpoints, I felt implied to take long and details notes, which people struggled in this class, either taking too much or too less. After two units passed, we were taught how our notes should be, which will later help us in college. This strategy allowed me to understand the important information and identify the filler information, resulting in
...rt of my undergraduate preparation. I hope to make some substantial progress on my project with Dr. Pellegrini and have presentable data by the end of the program and contribute to the scientific community. I also look forward to networking with fellow SPUR-LABS students and faculty. In my time at UCLA, I have realized that research is all but a solo act. It is a cooperative endeavor, and being in the program will provide a collaborative and supportive environment for me to succeed. Ideally, I would like to have at least one paper published during my undergraduate career. C.S. Lewis once said, “Experience: the most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God, do you learn.” Such experiences, especially SPUR-LABS will hopefully aid my journey to graduate school and my pursuit of a Ph.D. and work in academia and work alongside of the professors and mentors I have today.
The year is 2200 and the world has been officially declared as being devoid of all insect life. A combination of extreme climate change, chemical warfare and general environmental degradation has resulted in a mass die out of the entire insect population. Unsurprisingly this has had a major effect on all other forms of life ranging from aquatic to terrestrial. Some species have experienced a significant decline in population size and others have had to completely adapt new behaviors to survive. However, there are some that have largely benefitted from this insect free world.
Please describe, in detail, any scientific research projects or other relevant scholarly work in which you have been involved. Include the names and affiliations of your research mentor and others with whom you have worked. List any publications, abstracts, or presentations that resulted from your work.
Research skills is something which I need to improve on as I am able to find effective research on the internet, however I do not find a wide variety of sources. In a health and social care setting I would need to be able to research different illness or symptoms so that it would help benefit the patients as they would receive the best
The experience of the APEC Youth Science festival was incredible. It has had an enormous impact on me in many ways, changing the way I look at the world and connecting me with people and events far beyond my formerly limited experience. I am extremely glad to have had this opportunity. It was a wonderful experience on multiple levels. It challenged me and expanded me intellectually and socially. I feel that this experience has had an immense impact on me.
I am currently doing research in the area of Cognitive Psychology with Dr. Jack Yates, Professor of Cognitive Psychology, University of Northern Iowa. This research is related to how people conceptualize concrete and abstract terms, but my research interests vary widely. Other research interests include gender differences in the workplace and how socialization affects stereotypic gender roles among the sexes.
I would like to be a part of the trip to Mayo Clinic. I think it would be fun and enjoyable. I’m interested in learning about how the information we are discussing in class is used in the real world of science. I have been interested in going into a science profession once I leave high school but I'm not sure if it's something I would enjoy. I think this trip to Mayo Clinic could help me decide if this is the type of career I want to pursue in the future. I find science interesting and would like to learn more about the work and the different fields of science
The one instant I can pinpoint as the genesis of my interest in biomedical science was the winter of sixth grade, when I picked up a book on creativity and the brain. I found it fascinating, but what really struck me was that here was a several hundred page book that mostly talked about how little we knew about its topic. It made me think. This was supposed to be a book about how much we’ve learned, and what it’s saying is that the progress we’ve made is only in finding out how little we know. This didn’t upset me; it made me curious. Because, of all the things that we should know about, surely our own minds and our own bodies are paramount among them, and yet we still have so much to learn. I’ve since learned that this phenomenon is not restricted to the biological – gravity is one of the most important things in our lives, yet we do not know its cause. But the biomedical questions continue to fascinate me, perhaps because the answers are so vital. Sure, cosmology is intriguing, but what about a cure for cancer, or even the common cold? What about a way of repairing or bypass...
Research represents my favorite topic discussed during the honors colloquium, and because of this I chose it to be the topic of my capstone project. Prior to becoming an FSU student, I had absolutely no experience with research. I possessed only a nebulous idea of what constituted research and the ability of undergraduate students to involve themselves in it. On my first day of class of last semester (my first day as an FSU student!), I overheard my psychology professor discussing DIS opportunities with a student and immediately knew this was something I should participate in.
Whenever asked what my favourite subject is, Biology has been, and will always be, my only answer. It was bewildering to compare my body to a machine working harmoniously. The digestive system, the respiratory system and the circulatory system are coordinating with each other right underneath my skin. Realising that the 'blue lines' visible beneath the flesh of my hands are actually veins carrying deoxygenated blood fueled my desire to know more about how my body functions. To me, it has always been about getting to know my self better.
My aspiration for the future is to become a scientific researcher and the UTMB Summer Research Program is the perfect opportunity for me to gain experience and insight into research. At this program, I can spend my summer pursuing my passion and learning from my instructors and peers. I love working in the lab and look forward to learning new science concepts that I am able to apply in the lab and real life. The chance to participate in a real lab environment doing research into uncertain fields is a rare one and I am excited to have this opportunity. If I am accepted, my goal will be to learn what it means to be a researcher from this experience and use that knowledge to work hard and apply myself.
Next year at the University of Missouri-Columbia I plan to major in chemistry and minor in biology. Since I was little it has been my long time goal and dream of becoming a pediatrician and starting my own practice called "Ross & Sage Pediatrics" (named after my nieces). Originally I was going to major in biology, but many people in the medical field told me that in order to really do good on the MCAT I should take up more chemistry than biology, so I made the decision to major in chemistry and minor in biology. I hope to use my education and profession in the medical field to make a difference by starting non-profit organizations similar to Doctors Without Borders, an organization that helps people in developing countries obtain adequate
After finishing Honors Biology with Mrs. Gupte sophomore year, I was not entirely convinced that a major or career in biology would be fitting for me. However, after my experiences in your class and Bio lab with Ms. Holm Anderson, I found a much greater interest in the field of biology and will consider it as a possible career or major pursuit. Over the summer, I hope to extend my interest in biology by being a part of a regenerative medicine program over the summer and numerous job shadowings, hopefully at a hospital and in a formal lab. Although many of the topics we covered in AP biology were similar to what was previously covered in other classes, I felt we went more in depth which allowed me to better understand what the field of biology truly is. I also enjoyed all the labs we did, especially at the end of the year, glowing bacteria and the gel electrophoresis.
Civil Engineering program is in need of a thorough research in the undergraduate study. Research plays a major role in the field of engineering, especially in the field of civil.