Improvising while being a scientist

 The highlight of our week was our Thursday afternoon activity that was facilitated by Dr. Marianne Phelps 

who is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Theatre Department (https://finearts.uky.edu/theatre-

dance/faculty-staff/marianne-phelps).  This workshop was inspired by a book written by the actor, Alan Alda 

(“If I Understood You Would I Have This Look On My Face?”).  We worked on  a variety of  how to use theatre 

improvisation techniques and discussed how they would be useful for improving our ability to communicate 

with others.

On Monday, the SURF participants met with Dr. Harry LeVine, Associate Professor, Dept of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.  Dr. LeVine has a very interesting career journey and works on approaches for improving diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.  You may learn more about Dr. LeVine here.

On Tuesday, the SURES participants met with Dr. Kevin Pearson, Associate Professor, Dept. Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences.  Dr. Pearson is very interested in understanding how maternal exposures to environmental contaminants may impact the health of their offspring and whether  maternal exercise can be an effective intervention.  More information about his work is here.

The Marathon Begins!

       On your mark, get set, pipet! Students participating in the 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience in Environmental Health Sciences (SURES) Program have been in their respective labs for about a little over a week to date. Jeez! Time is flying! To commemorate the students for embarking on their summer-long marathon to research independence and environmental health awareness, the University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research sponsored an undergraduate research kick-off. SURES students had plenty of fun and won a bunch of prizes! During the discussions at the lunch hour, SURES students and near-peer mentors were overheard discussing strategies to efficiently and successfully complete the ‘marathon’. The seasoned vets (near-peer mentors) lead discussions on self-care, summer fun in Lexington, lab etiquette, and scientific confidence amongst a host of other things. Support, encouragement, and engagement filled the air as chatter buzzed.  At the completion of the event, students appeared super-charged! Stay tuned for more updates as the marathon continues!

Post by Brittany Rice, M.S.

Nutritional Sciences Ph.D. Candidate

SURES Near Peer Mentor