Another Beginning: Summer 2012

Hey all!

Although this blog has been up and running for a while, I've never dedicated a blogpost to officially introducing myself.  I'm glad to be reminded to do so at the start of a new summer blog series that I've decided to entitle "Experimenting With the Life of a Scientist(a)." I'll be living the life of a researcher this summer, going to lab full-time, five, sometimes six days a week in search for potential mechanisms behind muscle aging. But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.  Let's start from the beginning. 

My name is Stephanie Wang. I am concentrating in Chemical and Physical Biology, which gives me ample space to explore all the hard sciences. I love walking barefoot in the grass, eating fruit, and playing frisbee (the simple things in life). Crazy to think, but I will be entering my senior year in a few months.  During the school year, I live in the best house on campus: Eliot House (affectionately called the "Domus").  Right now, as part of PRISE, a summer research program at Harvard, I'm living one house over, in Winthrop House.  My room has a river view, and I have a great roommate who also works in the same lab as I do.  

Bauer Laboratory (image from lifescience.fas.harvard.edu)

Speaking of lab, it's been a long journey, but the saying's true-- the third time was the charm.  The Wagers Lab is the third research group at Harvard that I've worked with, and I can finally say that I love what I do day-to-day at the bench.  I wrote a four-blog series a few months ago, detailing my decision to leave one lab and join another and highly encourage you to read it!  Choosing a lab, either as a first-time research experience or as a switch, is not easy, but it can pay off dividends if done the right way.  Now, I'm in the process of doing thesis research under the guidance of a graduate student, Julie Oh, in the Wagers Lab. 

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Currently, my project consists of working with both aged and transgenic mice to determine the role of two specific proteins in the aging of skeletal muscle.  Although much of the process of aging results from imbalances within the cell, these intracellular changes occur due to age-related alterations in the extracellular environment.  My hypothesis is that these extracellular alterations result in changed levels of an inflammatory marker, IL-6, and a heat shock protein, HSP72, that ultimately induce the process of aging in skeletal muscle (as shown in lowered abilities to regenerate injured muscle and reduced skeletal muscle stem cell differentiation). I can't wait to share more about the project in future blogposts as well as introduce you all to my mentor, Julie!

One last thing.  Sometime in the middle of sophomore year, I found myself declaring myself a premed. There are a ton of stereotypes that are attached to the term, most (if not all) negative, and so I usually like to keep that part of myself on the DL. However, for what it's worth, my interest in medicine walks hand-in-hand with my other interests in the hard sciences and even creative writing and art. I came to the choice in a nonconventional way (a story for another blogpost) and it is my hope that I continue to be nonconventional in the medical field, bringing something new to the meaning of physician. 

So, what to expect from this blog?  Stories about PRISE, a great, community-oriented summer research program, an inside look at an incredible stem cell and aging lab, led by a rising superstar in the field, some guidance on applying to medical school, the experience of a thesis researcher and writer in real-time, and maybe a poem here or there.  I'm excited to share this summer with you, and hope you'll join me along on the ride!