Summer Undergraduate Research Program - Fred Hutchinson ...

Extra Personal Statement #12
While 'gutting' the remnants of a flooded home in New Orleans during the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina, I exposed the yellow agar of a small Petri dish to sample the spore-ridden
air of a child's moldy bedroom. After an improvised collaboration at Louisiana State
University, ninety plates and a light microscope were used to identify over twenty-five
different species of mold in homes across the city–some of them pathogenic to humans. It was
this occasion that helped me build upon my prior research experiences to establish an
interminable curiosity in pathogens and how they inflict harm in humans.
When I was an undergraduate studying Biology at Oregon State University, I began to develop a
deep-seated interest in infectious disease and the mechanisms by which immunity evades or
destroys the agent responsible for infection. In a liberal arts environment, my appreciation for
host-pathogen interactions was gleaned from multiple faculty members with different biological
specialties. In place of classes dealing exclusively with the fields of virology, bacteriology, or
immunology, my highly integrated courses were taught by a close-knit department that harbored
the value of independent learning. The result was a well-rounded approach that encouraged
scholarship through self discovery. This methodology initially inspired me to delve further into
scientific understanding. I often looked for ways to independently increase my breadth of
knowledge in subspecialties as I gained a general understanding of them from in-class activities.
It is this personal attribute which I believe most closely justifies my interest in pursuing a career
in biomedical research.
My first independent research experience was oriented in the field of developmental biology. I
studied the inhibitory effects of an herbicide on the oocytes of Xenopus laevis, elucidating the
targeted components of the signal transduction pathway leading to maturation. This 10-week
experience was very rewarding in that it highlighted the importance of an interdisciplinary
approach to laboratory investigation, combining the concepts of organismal development with
procedures akin to cell biology and environmental toxicology. The project instilled patience,
open-mindedness, and perseverance into my repertoire of scientific abilities. As an
introduction to full-time laboratory work, the experience served as a sound foundation to
support my subsequent research endeavors. Once I was exposed to microbiology and
evolutionary biology as an upperclassman, I was moved to search for a post-baccalaureate
program in the field of infectious diseases and immunology.
As a recipient of the intramural Research Training Award at the National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda, Maryland, I worked in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation headed by Dr. Steven
Cooper, director of the NIAID. During my one year fellowship, my research project focused on
the characterization of virus-specific CD8+ T cell responses in the context of chronic HIV
infection. In particular, I studied cellular immune responses in a rare group of HIV-positive
patients called long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs). In an effort to elucidate the mechanism
responsible for the immune-mediated control of HIV replication exhibited by LTNPs, I helped
develop and optimize a novel in vitro flow cytometric assay to measure cell-mediated
cytotoxicity. I also carried out proliferation assays to further investigate the differential
proliferative capacities of cells derived from LTNPs and patients with progressive disease. As a
result, I have become proficient in tissue culture techniques, cell staining with fluorescentlyconjugated
monoclonal antibodies, and analysis by polychromatic flow cytometry. The NIH
fellowship was critical to my scientific development because I gained insight into the
fundamentals of immunology in a hands-on environment designed to develop (and test) my
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