๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ?
The Seifert Scholars program drew my interest since it allowed me the unique opportunity to continue working on a project that I was already passionate about. Over the summer, I was able to completely focus on my research without the undergraduate course load, allowing me to make great progress on my project.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก?
My research involves the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans, which is the leading cause of fungal meningitis and accounts for almost half of all invasive fungal infections. My goal is to better understand the role of C. neoformansโ acetate and carnitine metabolic pathways during infection by performing single, double, and triple gene knockouts in these pathways. C. neoformans is a very adaptable pathogenic fungal species, and developing a better understanding of its metabolism can lead to the development of more effective antifungal treatments, which is becoming increasingly important due to growing antifungal resistance.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ?
As a Seifert Scholar, I have had the opportunity to immerse myself in my research project, allowing me to learn new laboratory techniques and develop a greater confidence in my abilities as a researcher. I have also gained a better understanding of the complex metabolic pathways present in eukaryotic pathogens and a greater appreciation for the research process as a whole.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฉ ๐จ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง?
While I still have three years left until graduation, I plan to pursue a PhD with the goal of becoming a scientific researcher in the field of biomedicine. This program allowed me to confirm my love of research and served to solidify my decision to attend graduate school.