Thesis Thursday

Greetings! I am a 3rd year PhD student at the UA in Biomedical Engineering. My lab focuses on Biosensors, and I specifically work on low-cost diagnostic methods using paper-based microfluidics. Research is amazing but is also definitely guaranteed to hurt your brain.

I 100% recommend the BME field to anyone who is (1) interested in STEM, programming, writing, arts, etc., and (2) wants to learn how to translate science and tech to real-world applications. There is so much out here waiting to confuse you and teach you. Join us!!

Hello! My name is Danielle Philo and I am a junior at the University of Arizona majoring in Microbiology with minors in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Public Health. I have been a part of the Bhattacharya lab since March 2020 where we study various parts of B cells from metabolism to gene regulation. My project focuses on the antibodies produced after infection with SARS-CoV-2. Following graduation, I am hoping to explore my passions including public health, science communication, and education. Outside of lab, I love yoga, cooking, and of course my cat Lyra.

Hello! My name is Kayleigh Paddock and I am a junior at the University of Arizona studying Physiology & Medical Sciences with a minor in Biochemistry. I grew up in a small town called Tuba City, Arizona, which is located on the Navajo reservation. I have lived there my entire life, and I draw a lot of my motivation and inspiration from my community and people. With this in mind, I aspire to become a pediatrician or family doctor and enter rural medicine with the intention of serving Native people and more underrepresented and underserved populations.

In my free time, I love to cook and try new foods around Tucson! My favorite restaurant is Mi Nidito and I love grabbing coffee/tea at small cafe shops with friends. I have two support cats whom I love very much and a pug I adopted last year. Some of my hobbies include weightlifting and running.

William Borkan (he/they) a Master’s student in Soil, Water and Environmental Science and part of the 2020-2021 NSF Indige-FEWSS Traineeship. At the University of Arizona, he works in the contaminant transport lab, studying the transport and fate of uranium in groundwater bodies. This summer he will participate in an internship with the Navajo Nation EPA to assist in site inventories and remedial investigations of abandoned uranium mines.

My name is Bassam Mitri and I am a senior at the UA majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I work in the Capaldi lab, mainly focused on understanding the interactions underlying the PKA protein and its substrates.

I lived overseas in Lebanon for the majority of my life and hope to continue my journey in the US. I enjoy all kinds of sports and just recently got more involved in Jiu-Jitsu. A great sport for working both the body and mind!

Kiah is a senior at the University of Arizona, majoring in Biochemistry and French with a minor in Mathematics. She is currently working as an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Joyce Wu’s immunology lab where she is studying the intercellular relationships between T and B cells in autoimmune arthritic mice in the presence of the gut commensal Segmented Filamentous Bacteria. Outside of the lab, Kiah enjoys picnics in the park with her friends, coaching a Special Olympics swim team and doing arts and crafts. After graduation, she plans on attending graduate school and hopes to acquire a PhD before continuing a career in academic research.

This week we are talking with Jennifer Cubeta.

Jennifer is a University of Arizona and UBRP alumna who graduated from UA in 2000 with Bachelor’s degrees in biology and science education. She has been involved in science education ever since. After teaching life science at the middle school level for three years and serving as an academic advisor for UA’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology for ten years, Jennifer became the Assistant Director of UBRP in 2013 and then the Director of UBRP in January 2018, where she continues to enjoy helping college students learn science through research. In her spare time, Jennifer loves to spend time with her family, cook, travel, and serve as a musician at her church.

About UBRP: The University of Arizona’s Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP) is an educational program designed to teach students science by involving them in biologically-related research. Students are paid for their time in the lab or field, where they develop an understanding of the scientific method, receive a realistic view of biological research, and are mentored by faculty.  They also acquire the tools necessary to be successful in post-graduate studies in biology should they choose careers related to biology or research. Students begin UBRP with a full-time summer research apprenticeship, and then have the option to continue in UBRP on a part-time basis during the academic year, to accommodate classes.

For more information about the UBRP Conference:

https://ubrp.arizona.edu/conference/33rd-annual-conference

Nhat Nguyen

 

My name is Nhat Nguyen, and I am a senior at the University of Arizona majoring in Physiology. Since my freshman year of college, I have been a research assistant in Dr. Lalitha Madhavan’s lab in the Department of Neurology. Currently, I am investigating the role of a  molecule called Nrf2 in the development of Parkinson’s disease through various methods such as cell counting, cell staining, and protein identification. In my free time, I like to play tennis, soccer and watch movies with my friends.

Arisbeth Ibarra Nieblas grew up in Sonora, Mexico, where she learned first-hand about water being a finite and vulnerable resource which catapulted her pursuit of water issues-related work and graduate studies. She is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Environmental Engineering Program at the University of Arizona, and her graduate research involves persevering water delivery infrastructure by developing a corrosion monitoring system. Also, Arisbeth is a fourth-year Sustainable Bioeconomy for Arid Regions (SBAR) Fellow, where she works developing and teaching science lessons and experiments to middle school students. For additional details, please refer to the article from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

This program is also available in Spanish.

This program was hosted By Monica Ramirez Andreotta

Edited by Elva De la Torre

Recorded and Produced by Bridgitte Thum

Music from Crowander “Your Eyes” find more at Crowander.com

My name is Carly and I am a senior here at the University of Arizona majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Spanish and Biochemistry! I am an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Daniela Zarnescu’s lab where we study the neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) using fly models. Our research looks at various celular and genetic mechanisms in the disease and also potential treatments for ALS.

Some other things I do outside of lab includes being a Science and Spanish tutor and I am the co-president of a premedical club on campus. My hobbies include knitting, working out, and cooking (specifically Middle Eastern and Mexican food).