2016 CIRM SPARK Blogs
Adriana Millan – Lifeline Education Charter School, Compton, CA As children, we all grew up with the companionship of our favorite television shows. We enjoyed sitcoms and other animations throughout our childhood and even as adults, there’s no shame. The goofy and spontaneous skits we enjoyed a laugh over, yet we did not pay much attention to the lessons they attempted to teach us. As a child, these shows play crucial roles in our educational endeavors. We are immediately hooked and tune in for every episode. They spark curiosity, as they allow our imaginations to run wild. For me, that is exactly where my curiosity stemmed and grew for science over the years. A delusional young girl, who had no idea what the reality of science was like. You expect to enter a lab and run a full day of experimentations. Accidentally mix the wrong chemicals and discover the cure for cancer. Okay, maybe not mix the incorrect chemicals together, I learned that in my safety training class. The reality is that working in a lab was far from what I expected — eye opening. Working alongside my mentor Sarah Frail was one of the best ways I have spent a summer. It was not my ideal summer of sleeping in until noon, but it was worthwhile. My experience is something that is a part of me now. I talk about it every chance I get, “Mom, can you believe I passaged cells today!” It changed the way I viewed the principles of science. Science is one of the most valuable concepts on this planet, it’s responsible for everything and that’s what I have taken and construed from my mentor. She shared her passion for science with me and that completed my experience. Before when I looked at cells, I did not know exactly what I was supposed to observe. What am I looking at? What is that pink stuff you are adding to the plate? However, now I feel accomplished. It was a bit of a roller coaster ride, with complications along the way, but I can say that I’m leaving this experience with a new passion. I am not just saying this to please the audience, but to express my gratitude. I would have never even looked into Huntington’s Disease. When I first arrived I was discombobulated. Huntington’s Disease? Now I can proudly say I have a grasp on the complexity of the disease and not embarrass my mentor my calling human cells bacteria – quite embarrassing in fact. I’m a professional pipette handler, I work well in the hood, I can operate a microscope – not so impressive, I have made possibly hundreds of gels, I have run PCRs, and my cells love me, what else can I ask for. If you are questioning what career path you are to take and even if it is the slightest chance it may be a course in science, I suggest volunteering in a lab. You will leave with your questioned answered. Is science for me? This is what I am leaving my experience with. Science is for me. Adriana was a recipient of the 2016 CIRM SPARK best blog award. Juleny Dueñez – Animo Leadership Charter High School, Inglewood, CA This internship has been a great and wonderful experience throughout. I am very fortunate enough to have received this opportunity and I am glad to have taken advantage of it. Being able to learn at this level of research under many great people with different experiences has been a highlight of my summer. What I loved the most about my internship at the California Institute of Technology was that I was able to learn very hands on with many great scientist. I was not only focused on one aspect or idea but I got to see a wide spectrum of work from many innovative and influential people. I really enjoyed learning under all of my mentors and being able to learn about innovative work that goes on daily and could change many people’s lives. Being in a lab where I was not limited to learning under one person was extraordinary. It was truly a privilege to work with all of the amazing researches and astounding postdocs and listen to what they were working on and take their advice. I got a true sense of what life as a true researcher consist of. Learning during lectures and then putting my knowledge to use was also something I looked forward to daily. I enjoyed learning different concepts and techniques like transfection and differentiation and then being able to practice how to complete these ideas. With my mentor by my side teaching and helping me to do things step by step with protocols made me feel confident and helped me learn much better. I built many trusting and good relationships not only with my mentor but many others that helped me gain experience not only with stem cells but making solutions and even viewing others work and progress. From this experience I learned many things about careers in research. I learned that being a researcher is a lot of dedication and perseverance. Being a researcher is difficult work and that can involve days of uncertain results or even failed experiments. A researcher’s schedule almost never goes as planned and can take a huge turn of events. Although sometimes frustrating to many of the researchers in the lab it was really inspiring to watch them never give up and continue to diligently work very hard for their goal. This experience overall has made me consider becoming a researcher. Although I am more interested in pursuing a career in the medical field, it has broadened my views over scientific work and has made me consider research overall. I enjoyed this program throughout its entirety, it was a helpful experience for me and my career choices but also for giving me the experience and preparing me for college/university which my parents and sister can