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Kylie Heering, Weeks 3-4

These past two weeks have been amazing (and hectic)!

My Time in the Lab:

I am beyond grateful for everyone in my lab—they are all so helpful and it is truly a blessing to have so many great mentors! This first month in the lab has been an eye-opening experience for me on so many different levels. Immersing myself into the “real world” of science through research has not only confirmed my passion for cellular biology but has also furthered it. I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in exciting and ground-breaking cancer and metabolism research!

In my third week, I gave my first lab presentation in front of Dr. Goldstein, Preston, Johnny, Blake, and Ana. I was a little nervous because I didn’t want to present any of Preston’s and my results incorrectly, but I felt that discussing our work with everyone made me more confident in my role in the lab and honed my presentation skills. Dr. Goldstein emphasizes the importance of being a strong presenter in research. He genuinely cares about everyone here and takes it upon himself to ensure that this is a learning experience for not only me, but all the students in my lab. He comes into the lab everyday to check in on everyone, he critiques our presentations to help us always improve ourselves, and he even helps demonstrate some techniques. Blake is specializing in immunohistochemistry (IHC) this summer, and I’ve watched Dr. Goldstein help her through the process himself. During Blake’s presentation, in which she included some images from a recent staining, Dr. Goldstein remarked that her image looked similar to an image in one of his publications—so of course he pulled it off of his shelf and explained it to all of us. I love the excitement, passion, and energy in this lab! The amount of dedication toward making this an amazing learning experience for me is unparalleled to any other out-of-school academic experience I’ve had.

Right now, Preston and I are interested in analyzing the relationship between methylation and basal to luminal cell differentiation. Preston often sits me down to discuss the “what,” “why,” and “how” of everything we are doing. Last weekend we read a paper analyzing a metabolite in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and human pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This research connected with our interest in methylation and prostate cell differentiation, so Preston saw it fitting that we looked into it. Preston has really helped shape my mindset when it comes to thinking about science. Thanks to his help and support, I have become more inquisitive and analytical and can better connect topics and research. These skills are not only crucial to scientific research, but also useful in any field of study/work and life in general.

This upcoming week Ann, a med student, will be leaving us:(. She adds a lot of personality to the lab and has provided Blake and me with some honest advice. She will be missed!

Dr. Peretz came down to UCLA to check in. I got to go out to dinner with Dr. Peretz and two alums, Jenny and Dominique. It was awesome to get to know them and hear about their lives post-Peddie. Thank you, Dr. Peretz, for coming to visit me!




Outside of the Lab:

I have been living in the UCLA dorms for half my time here. My roommates are sweet—one even brought me a gift from China! I live in a triple, very tight space. As a day student, I finally get a little feel of the boarder life: no air conditioning, waiting to do laundry, limited hours to get food from the dining hall. I have to stay on top of everything to make sure that I don’t forget to eat dinner and that I have pants to wear to lab. This is good prep for when I leave home.

Also, my parents went to Napa Valley for vacation so they came down to visit me. We went to Montecito for the Fourth of July because my aunt and uncle have a house there. It’s such a cute town with a beautiful view; its cushioned between an astonishing mountain landscape and the ocean. A couple of months ago the town was ravaged by mudslides. I got to see some of the damage from that—it’s crazy.

On July 4th my parents and I watched the town’s parade. Very festive. At night, my dad took me to see fireworks in Santa Barbara. My mom didn’t want to stay, so she took her first Uber back. My dad and I went to check on it. It seemed like the Uber was a little off-route:

 

Anyway, the firework show was amazing. Thousands of people gathered on the beach to see them. Even parrots:

 

On the way back to LA we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway, my favorite thing to do when I go to California. Miles of endless sea—so breathtaking!
 

I got to hit Malibu, the Third St Promenade, and Venice Beach so far. I love SoCal!


Oh almost forgot...I saw Ellen Degeneres the other day. Casual celebrity spotting out here in LA. 

LOTS OF VEGAN FOOD:


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