Adventures in Dentistry

Research Assistant

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, NASHVILLE, TN, JUNE-AUGUST 2023 (FULLTIME)

Research Assistant

High-Throughput Screening (HTS) facility

Assay Development and High-Throughput Screening

The assay development and HTS team is a group of expert staff responsible for developing and automating biological assays and conducting biochemical and cell-based high-throughput screens to identify new lead compounds that benefit mechanistic studies and drug discovery/development. Working closely with research investigators, the HTS team strives to provide rapid, cost-effective assay development and chemical library screening. The team aids in instrument training/assistance, assay optimization, pilot screening, automation, data capture and analysis, compound distribution, full library screening, and screen validation.

Thanks to Joshua Bauer, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, and Debbie Mi, Ph.D., Drug Discovery Scientist, for supporting me.

Dental Surgery

SOUTHERN ORAL AND FACIAL SURGERY, FRANKLIN, TN (MAY 2023)

Job Shadowing

Dental Assistant

I participated in wisdom teeth removal surgery at Southern Oral and Facial Surgery. The experience motivated me to become a Certified Dental Assistant. I will continue to job shadow later in Summer 2023. My goal is to work part time while studying. Also, I am thinking about applying for Dental School later. Thank you to Southern Oral and Facial Surgery for supporting me.

Alzheimer Research

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, NASHVILLE, TN, JUNE-AUGUST 2022 (FULLTIME)

Research Intern

Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism

I supported Fiona Harrison, PhD. during the summer before Senior High School year. Dr. Harrison’s research interests focus on using mouse models to understand how specific nutritional factors can impact the development of Alzheimer’s disease. I have independently worked on two main projects. The first project concentrated on how higher or lower manganese diets can worsen motor functions, which is a key signal for brain damage and a sign of Alzheimer’s. I observed Alzheimer’s and wild-type mice with high and low Mn diets suspended by their tails and gave them a score from 0 to 3 based on their movements. I then wrote an abstract, which consisted of a small explanation about my process and how I scored them, and I will be included as a contributor in the final publication “Motor function deficits in the 12-month-old female 5xFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease”. The second project focused on the same mice, but this time I studied the Mn concentration in different parts of the brain and the liver post-mortem by completing protein analysis. The lab will use these findings to analyze the exact concentration of Mn to see if it has a significant impact on brain function.

Intro to Organic Chemistry MSON

The Malone Schools Online Network (MSON)

Student

MSON provides upper-level students at registered Malone Schools with a variety of superior online courses that enhance each member school’s existing curriculum. These courses promote the values of the Malone Family Foundation and are conducted by teaching professionals who are experts in their fields, have experience with independent school education, and share a commitment to excellence, small class sizes, and personal relationships. Course offerings target the most talented high school students who demonstrate sufficient independence and commitment to succeed in a virtual discussion seminar setting.

This semester course provided useful background information in organic chemistry by covering topics not typically found in high school chemistry courses. The course provided insight into the importance of the chemistry of carbon compounds to our daily lives. Topics covered included organic nomenclature, structural formulas, stereochemistry, bonding, reaction mechanisms, and chemical transformations of functional groups. Taking this course has helped me become more confident in my chemical background as I look forward to college biology or chemistry courses.