Marco Arias
Originally from Bolivia, currently living in Annandale, Va.;
now a sophomore at Howard University College of Medicine
Spent summer in the Immunoregulation Unit of NIAMS's Autoimmunity
Branch
Poster Day Presentation: Stable Knockdown
of microRNA 181a in Human CD4+ T Cells Using a Lentivirus-based "Sponge" Technique
On NIH internship experience: "What
I most enjoyed about working at NIH was the people. I feel
that people there were unlike those I met anywhere else and
I've was able to learn many lessons from them that I'll never
forget. I also feel that NIH is a place where you can meet
some of the smartest people in this country."
Jakita Baldwin
Originally from Chicago, currently is a junior biology major
pursuing the pre-med route at Hampton
Spent summer working in the Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology,
NIA
Poster Day Presentation: Base Excision Repair
Proteins' Function and Intracellular Localization
On NIH internship experience: "One of
the best parts about working with the NIH was being exposed
to some of the newest technology used in research. Also, I
was able to see first-hand the scientific process in action,
and how designing experiments, testing out hypotheses, and
retesting things can be challenging, even frustrating at times,
but well worth it and enjoyable once a goal has been reached."
Sean Chester
New Mexico Tech, junior
Spent summer working in the Laboratory of clinical Investigation,
NIA
Poster Day Presentation: Microarray Analysis
of the Genes Affected by the Histamine H4 Receptor in the Astrocytoma
Cell Line
Intends to go to medical school
On NIH internship experience: "There
were many things I liked about working at the NIH, the people,
the facilities, etc., but the thing I liked most was that the
research wasn't just about getting results. There was a big
focus on learning how to interpret the data and relate it to
the bigger picture (previous findings, other labs' data). This
helped me understand what I was doing better and helped improve
my critical thinking skills."
Kamila Clark
California, baccalaureate UC-Santa Barbara, currently pursuing
a degree in biology
Spent summer in the Lymphocyte Cell Biology Section of NIAMS's
Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch
Poster Day Presentation: IL-17 Production
by T Cell Subsets
On NIH internship experience: "I was
most fortunate to work in a shared laboratory with such a dynamic
group of scientists who allowed me to share in their passions
for immunological research while helping me to develop the
techniques that enable me to answer my own questions related
to immunostimulatory and immunosuppressive responses."
Kim Golden
Michigan. Rising second-year medical student at Howard University
College of Medicine.
What were you doing when you learned you were coming
to NIH and what was your first reaction?
I was dissecting in the gross anatomy lab. My first reaction
was one of gratitude for the opportunity to come to the NIH.
What are your hopes for what you will learn this summer?
I hope to learn about fields/areas of medicine that I never
considered before coming to the NIH.
Any first impressions of NIH, the lab, the scientists,
the research you are part of?
I thought the research that was going on was exciting and cutting
edge.
What are your long term career goals? Where do y you
see yourself in five years?
My long term career goals are to become a practicing physician
in a medically underserved area. In five years I will hopefully
complete my second year of residency.
What stimulated your first interest in science?
Participating in the extramural research program for high school
students stimulated my first interest in science.
What is the most interesting experience you have had
so far this summer in the lab?
Learning the different ways that MRI can be manipulated for
dynamic imagining was the most interesting experience I have
had in the lab.
Dani Gonzalez
Originally from Miami, now a sophomore at Howard University
College of Medicine
Spent summer in Clinical Center Department of Laboratory Medicine
Poster Day Presentation: FISH Analysis of
the 1p36 chromosomal deletion in B-cell lymphoma cell lines
On NIH internship experience: "What
I enjoyed best about working at NIH,was that I was able to
learn about all the opportunities available there. I would
have never imagined that there were so many different ways
one could be involved at the NIH, and at so many different
levels in their career. It was an overall great experience.
I learned a lot, met many great people, and formed numerous
networking connections, which are always beneficial."
Eileen Hu-Wang
Maryland, Walt Whitman High School senior
Spent summer working in the Section on Molecular Morphogenesis
of NICHD's Program in Cellular Regulation and Metabolism
Poster Day Presentation: Identifying Tissue-specific
Direct Response Genes of Thyroid Hormone in Developing Xenopus
laevis Tadpole
On NIH internship experience: "I enjoyed
getting full-time exposure to lab science and being able to
observe and learn techniques that I cannot in any course in
high school. I also valued the experience of writing and presenting
a formal poster for Poster Day, because through this process
I learned more about my project, I began to recognize the bigger
picture and significance of my project, and I began to think
about future experiments. Moreover, I enjoyed the lab environment,
with different members very willing to help me with my experiments
and patiently explaining any background information that I
did not understand."
Rhonda McClure
North Carolina college graduate
What are your hopes for what you will learn this summer?
I hope that I will learn more techniques, become independent
in conducting actual research, and gain experiences that
set me apart from other applicants when applying to schools.
What are your long term career goals? Where do you
see yourself in five years?
I want to obtain my M.D./Ph.D., in 5 years I see myself still
in school hopefully at John Hopkins or UNC Chapel Hill for
an M.D./Ph.D., or my dream school if those don't work out the
reason why I'm here training—Carnegie Mellon for Ph.D.
What is the most interesting experience you have had
so far this summer in the lab?
When my western Blot finally worked at the end of the summer!
Lawrence Uradu
Originally from Nigeria, now living in Maryland, currently
in second-year at Marshall University School of Medicine, W.
Va.
Spent summer working in the Department of Laboratory Medicine,
Clinical Center
Poster Day Presentation: Detection of somatic
Mutations in FAS by Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) mediated PCR
Clamping
On NIH internship experience: "The thing
I enjoyed most about working at the NIH was the opportunity
to work with great minds like my boss, Dr. Joao Olivieria.
I hope to be at that level someday so it gave me great pleasure
to observe him operate daily."
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Department of Health
