Sciencing from Home

Rudy is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying bioengineering at  UIC and concluding his undergraduate studies at the end of the Spring  2021 semester. Over the last three years, Rudy has developed his research skills through a variety of opportunities including in Dr. Esmailbeigi's Wearable Technology and Sensory Enhancement Laboratory and with Dr. Gentile. Rudy was not just a member of the L@s GANAS Research Fellowship, but also Medicinas Scholars. Rudy will begin working with The Clorox Company this summer to apply and expand his research skills in the Research & Development field.

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Catarina works in Dr. Donald Morrison's lab. She is a senior studying Biological Sciences. She is also an international student. In Dr. Morrison's laboratory she studies bacterial transformation and developed her project "Competence of Streptococcus pneumoniae Encapsulated within  Aqueous Micro-Droplets." She presented a poster at the 2020 SACNAS Conference. Catarina is also a Peer Leader for BIOS222. 

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Naomi is an aspiring veterinarian working with Dr. Mary Ashley on the CIM²AS project. They are investigating reasons for the decline of monarch butterflies by testing habitat utilization by monarch butterflies in the Chicago region. Research activities include experimental milkweed plantings and field sampling. CIM²AS aims to attract more Latinx students to science by weaving culturally relevant connections into science courses.

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Episode 18: Marissa is a member of Dr. Barbara McFarlin's laboratory where they study the microstructure of the cervix early in pregnancy in search of a methods to detect pre-term birth that provides enough time for improved interventions. Their research was not only shut down due to COVID-19's risk to lab members, but their research is clinically-based, meaning they needed access to patients. Marissa contributed to a published paper with Dr. McFarlin. Marissa's goals include attending naturopathic medical school, writing a book, and communicating her work to a wide audience. 

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Sciencing from Home episode 17 introduces us to Eddie, a member of Dr. Swetha Gowrishankar's lab. In Dr. Gowrishankar's lab he investigates lysosome formation using mice as the model. Lysosome function is associated with Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. Eddie graduated from UIC in Fall 2020 and will begin pharmacy school in Fall 2021. 

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Lillian Perez, PhD, worked in the Alfonso lab during graduate school and served as the teaching assistant for the L@s GANAS fellowship. Lillian and Veronica discuss how the professional development arm of the fellowship evolved under Lillian's leadership. She is currently a postdoc in the UIC Department of Pathology. 

Recent publication: The Conserved ASCL1/MASH-1 Ortholog HLH-3 Specifies Sex-Specific Ventral Cord Motor Neuron Fate in Caenorhabditis elegans.  

You can subscribe and listen to "Sciencing from Home" at

Episode 15 brings us the journey of Itzel who worked in the Dr. Laura Sanchez lab studying the microbes in cheese rinds. Itzel spent a summer in Dr. Paul Jensen's lab. 

As of the publication of this podcast Dr. Sanchez has moved her lab to UC Santa Cruz. 

You can subscribe and listen to "Sciencing from Home" at

https://anchor.fm/uiclasganas/

https://go.uic.edu/lasganaspodcast-apple

https://go.uic.edu/lasganaspodcast-spotify

Arianna is a member of Dr. Sangeetha Madhavan's Brain Plasticity Lab. She is per-physical therapy. In this episode she discusses her road to physical therapy and how while she wants to be a hands-on physical therapist, the draw to research is strong. 

Arianna is an author on a recent publication:

Brice T. Cleland, Arianna Perez-Ortiz, Sangeetha Madhavan, Walking test procedures influence speed measurements in individuals with chronic stroke, Clinical Biomechanics, Volume 80, 2020, 105197, ISSN 0268-0033,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2020.105197.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268003320303168)

Joanna and Jeanette work with Dr. Molina on increasing Latinas' awareness of breast cancer and breaking down myths on treatment. They found their research placement through the UIC Hispanic Center of Excellence program, Medicina Scholars. 

Sandra works on C. elegans as a member of the Dr. Peter Okkema lab. She will be presenting her research findings at the 2020 SACNAS conference. 

Don't forget to turn in your census and explore UIC Vote. 

In this episode you meet Evelyn, a L@s GANAS Research Fellow, who shares her experience working on the Phat Life project to address mental health challenges in HIV prevention.  

If you are a UIC student and need help accessing sexual health resources, please reach out to the UIC Wellness Center. 

Brianna currently works in the Peñalver Bernabé lab where they are studying the role of microbiomes in depression during pregnancy. She also discusses the role her minor in Latin American and Latino Studies plays in her work in the lab. 

Meet Freddy, L@s GANAS alum, former staff member, and new medical school student! He worked in Dr. Aixa Alfonso's lab on C. elegans as a student and during his gap years. 

Lici is a recent graduate who majored in Biological Sciences with plans to enter the UIC College of Nursing in fall of 2020. She shares her experiences with investigating the science of over-the-counter women's supplements in Dr. Brian Murphy's lab. 

The episode starts with a short break to breathe.  If you need additional support with self care, please reach out to the UIC Wellness Center or the UIC Counseling Center. 

Jailene joins us to discuss her emerging work in the Mohamed lab where she will be investigating the importance of bone health.  

Kimberly was a member of the Dr. Joanna Burdette lab and worked on projects related to the origins of ovarian cancer. She also discusses the learning curve of being a new member of a research lab. 

Kimberly's citations: 

Ren, Y., Ribas, H. T., Heath, K., Wu,  S., Ren, J., Shriwas, P., & Kinghorn, A. D. (2020).  Na+/K+-ATPase-Targeted Cytotoxicity of (+)-Digoxin and Several  Semisynthetic Derivatives. Journal of Natural Products, 83(3), 638-648. [link]

Hardy, L. R., Pergande, M. R.,  Esparza, K., Heath, K. N., Önyüksel, H., Cologna, S. M., & Burdette,  J. E. (2019). Proteomic analysis reveals a role for PAX8 in peritoneal  colonization of high grade serous ovarian cancer that can be targeted  with micelle encapsulated thiostrepton. Oncogene, 38(32), 6003-6016. [link]

Ren, Y., Tan, Q., Heath, K., Wu, S.,  Wilson, J. R., Ren, J., ... & Chen, X. (2020). Cytotoxic and  non-cytotoxic cardiac glycosides isolated from the combined flowers,  leaves, and twigs of Streblus asper. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 115301. [link]

Sciencing from Home returns after a short break due to pandemic + finals with our third episode! Listen as Research Fellow Natalia talks to us about her work with Dr. J. Andrew Dykens on cultural norms & cervical cancer and her first publication.

This podcast is a project of the Latin@s Gaining Access to Networks for Advancement in Science (L@S GANAS) Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

References made in the podcast

Natalia's publication: Role of gender in perspectives of discrimination, stigma, and attitudes relative to cervical cancer in rural Sénégal 

The mission of the UIC Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) is: To improve the medical care of Latinos in Illinois by providing programs  that strengthen the pipeline and increase the number of Latino  applicants pursuing health careers; enrich the education of Latino  students, with an emphasis on producing linguistically and  culturally-competent health practitioners; and build partnerships with  others that share the same vision.

Learn more about the intersection of COVID-19 and intimate partner violence:

If you need assistance please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline [en espanol] at 1-800-799-7233 | 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). You can also text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474. 

'For the second episode of Sciencing From Home, we are joined by third-year student, Jaime, as he discusses his research project with Dr. Katie Burkhouse on reducing depression in the children of depressed parents. 

This podcast is a project of the Latin@s Gaining Access to Networks for Advancement in Science (L@S GANAS) Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Click here to reach the UIC Science Librarian and view STEM-related research guides.

You can find UIC L@s GANAS at:

HSI.uic.edu 

HSISTEM@uic.edu 

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