Summer Undergraduate Research Program - Fred Hutchinson ...

my students had never skied before, and some had never seen snow before coming to Emory. It
was extremely rewarding to watch them gain confidence and move from being nervous about
falling to having fun on skis. Developing lesson plans and thinking of ways to keep classes
interesting was a challenge, but at the end of the course, the majority of the students said that
they had really enjoyed the class and planned to continue skiing on their own. It was rewarding
to see that I had succeeded in helping others get excited about something that’s important to me.
I look forward to continuing my development as a teacher by serving as a TA in graduate school.
I hope to pursue a career in academia, which will allow me express my passion for science both
by conducting scientific research and by teaching others about the subject.
I would like to focus my graduate studies on the biology of infectious diseases and host-pathogen
interactions, and I believe that the Molecular and Cell Biology program at the University of
Washington is an ideal place for me to continue my education. The flexibility of the program
and the opportunity to work with faculty in numerous departments at both the University of
Washington and the FHCRC is very appealing to me and is something not found at other
schools. I hope to take advantage of the rotation system to experience a variety of research
topics. At this moment, I am most interested in parasitology, but I know that my interests may
change as I am exposed to areas of research that are new to me. I have had experience working
in both a parasitology and a bacteriology lab, and enjoyed both. Since I have not had any direct
experience in virology, I would like to rotate in a virology lab to broaden my perspective and
ensure that I make an informed decision when I choose a lab. There are many faculty members
affiliated with the MCB program whose research interests me, including Drs. XX, XX, XX, XX,
XX, and XX.
Another feature of the MCB program that I find appealing is the opportunity to earn a concurrent
MS in Epidemiology. Although it is important to study microbes in the lab to understand their
basic biology, it is equally important to remember that they exist outside this controlled
environment and often have devastating effects on real people and communities. I have always
been interested in the epidemiology and public health consequences of infectious diseases, and I
know that regardless of the lab I ultimately join, I will always keep these factors in mind. The
concurrent Epidemiology MS program would give me a perfect opportunity to integrate my
interests in basic research and public health issues.
My interest in infectious disease research has only grown as I have gained more experience and
spent increasing amounts of time in the lab throughout my undergraduate years and in my
current research position. The MCB program at the University of Washington would allow me to
continue my education through lab work, classes, and teaching experience, and would be ideal
preparation for my goal of a career in infectious disease research.
125