The Calcutt lab is a pathology lab at UCSD and I have the pleasure to work under Corinne Jolivalt for the summer. My project concentrates on several components of diabetes. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, a rate that is only higher in Mexico, where diabetes is the leading cause of death. I also have a personal connection to my project. My grandfather had diabetes and my mother had gestational diabetes. A major component of diabetes is nerve degeneration, or diabetic neuropathy – a symptom which I witnessed firsthand in my grandfather. He had his foot amputated after his foot developed gangrene from a cut. One of the interesting parts of my job is using a corneal confocal microscopy (or CCM) to take pictures of the bowman and stromal nerves in the cornea of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic mice. Prior methods of tracking nerve degeneration in diabetic patients required taking skin biopsies – however, making wounds in diabetic patients for the reasons listed above (infections are
common in diabetics) isn’t desirable. Corneal confocal microscopy was developed to non-invasively track nerve degeneration in the cornea – a technique that is well suited for determining diabetic neuropathy. I will get into the nitty-gritty of this equipment later. Diabetic neuropathy in animal models can also be determined through behavioral tests – which have their amusing incidences like having mice pee and feces rain down on you (that is also another story for later). My projects are continuing to evolve so I look forward to bringing forth new aspects of my work as the summer progresses. As you can see I am amazingly enthusiastic about the project that I am working on but I am equally enthusiastic about the lab group with which I am working with. I am in a unique position – while most females in labs feel vastly outnumbered by their male lab members I am in the complete opposite situation. My lab is 80% female! I work with brilliant, wonderful people and I can’t wait to share some of the great things we are both working on. So a roadmap for what this summer blog will bring – I will reveal my triumphs, failures, humorous stories, discoveries (hopefully) and personal realizations. As a rising sophomore I have decided that this summer is going to be an opportunity for me to explore my passions, learn something more about science and learn a little bit more about myself. I came in last year planning on concentrating (or majoring) in Neurobiology; alas, after a years worth of college I wasn’t able to take any classes in the field and I have no real idea of what concentrating in Neurobio would actually be like. So perhaps this summer lab experience will help me to understand the field a little better? Just like another Scientista blogger, Stephanie Wang (whose blog you should really check out since it is brilliant), I am a secret pre-med, which I know to some people has a negative connotations. But Medicine and research go hand in hand. To me, the idea that my research may one day help people is the most rewarding aspect of my job. I may not see the final therapeutic benefit gleaned from our work in my lifetime (or at least not in this decade) but I know that at some point someone somewhere will can benefit. Anyways, I digress. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you! P.S. If you have any questions, comments, concerns feel free to post your comments and I’ll get back to you!
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The Lab JournalWelcome to the summer internship series of 2012! Follow 9 Scientista bloggers through their summer internships to catch a glimpse of what it is like to be a scientista^TM. By Title- India Presents: A "New World Symphony"
- Through The Lens: The Intricacies Of Diabetes - Do Nanoparticles Glow? - Using Unusual Animals to Study Human Disease - Using the Hubble Telescope - You Think What You Eat - Experimenting With the Life of a Scientist(a) - 18.085: My Summer at MIT - Science Heals: A Summer of Global Health Research By BloggerRabeea Ahmed
Riana Balahadia Shaira Bhanji Nzuekoh Nchinda Amy Beth Prager Natalie Punt Juliet Snyder Pin-Wen Wang Stephanie Wang Archives |
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The Scientista Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) -- Donate!