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

Now accepting applications for Summer 2019

STEPS participants hiking the Red River Gorge

Our applications site is now available for our Summer 2019 program-https://pharmns.med.uky.edu/pharmns-summer-research-fellowships-internships

Overview

Our summer undergraduate research pro-grams are designed to provide 17 highly motivated students with research experience and to help them develop their ca-reer plans. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program emphasizes different areas of pharmacology. The Summer Undergraduate Research in Environmental Sciences (SURES) focuses on environmental health sciences.

The 10-week programs run from May 28th until August 2nd. Students receive a stipend and must be available for the entire 10-week period. After participating in an orientation session, students will then engage in hands-on research in a faculty member's laboratory. SURF and SURES participants will meet for weekly discussions on research, other topics of interest and career development. In addition, students will participate in weekly field trips. The programs will culminate in a poster session.  More information is available here.



Who Should Apply?

Undergraduate students who are rising juniors or above and are currently enrolled at a university in the United States are eligible to apply. Student participants will be selected based on their academic standing, career interests and faculty recommendations. Eligible students should be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Prior research experience is preferred. Successful applicants will have demonstrated a commitment to research and interest in biomedical careers.



End of 2018 Program-Poster Session

On August 10, our 2018 participants shared their work at our poster session and reception.  The work was outstanding, the audience was impressed and the session was lively.  It was hard to say goodbye after such an action-packed summer.  Thanks to all who participated in assisted in making this summer a success!

Alltech Tour

    

 

 

We had a terrific tour of Alltech based in Nicolassville, Kentucky.  We learned how the founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons started the company with an idea and $10, 000.  It is now an international company involved in addressing agricultural-related problems.  Alltech has a very active research program; their scientists often collaborate with universities and involve student interns.  In addition, Alltech is a strong supporter of the central Kentucky community.

The first week of August

      The first week of August found the SURF students meeting with Dr. Eric Blalock, an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences.  Dr. Blalock discussed his training and in pharmacology and the steps that he had taken to secure his faculty position.  He also told us about his experiences working with applicants for the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program and gave us tips on how to write a good personal statement.   He also discussed his research interests that focuses on the influence of stress and sleep on aging brain function-https://pharmns.med.uky.edu/users/emblal#profileTab4.  In his work, he utilizes a number of approaches that rely on rodent models, electrophysiology, molecular analyses and bioinformatics analyses of large data sets.

         The SURF and SURES students then met with Dr. Brian Jackson, a Professor in the Department of Physiology and the Dean of the Graduate School (https://physiology.med.uky.edu/users/jackson).  Dr. Jackson described his training in the United Kingdom, the events that led to his decision to do research in the United States and the problems that he was addressing in his work on kidney function.  He also talked to us about graduate school and the changes that will be incorporated into graduate training in the future.

The last two weeks of July

     During our last two weeks of July, the SURF students met with Ms. Marion Coe, a senior graduate student in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences.  Ms. Coe discussed her research on drugs of abuse and the rewards and challenges associated with doing behavioral pharmacology and clinical trials.  She also discussed her experience as a fellow in the Office of Technology Commercialization (https://www.research.uky.edu/office-technology-commercialization/staff/marion-coe) and her career plans.

     The SURES students met with Dr. Erin Jackson, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences.  Ms. Jackson discussed her career journey (which included getting a teaching certificate) and the important role that mentors have played in her career success.  She also talked about  her research in drug metabolism and studying the impact of environmental contaminants in obesity and the next steps in her  career.

     The SURES students also met with Dr. Kevin Pearson.  Dr. Pearson described key steps in his career decisions and the important in work/life balance.  He also talked about how he found a research topic that he is passionate about—improving maternal health such that it improves the health of the offspring.  See the video describing “Why Kevin Loves Medical Research” here.

ImproviSCIation by Brittany Rice (Near-Peer Mentor)

 

Lights, camera, acting? Science - a production? Make way as the SURES participants prepare to take the center stage! When you mix science with theater, you get more than the series titled “The Big Bang Theory.” You actually get a BIG BANG of CREATIVITY. Who would have ever thought the quest of knowledge through experimentation and research was akin to the theater? Like theatrics, science thrives on creativity.

On July 26, 2018, SURES students stepped out of their lab coats and goggles, and stepped into the stage lights. Students performed a host of mirroring, charades, dialogue challenges, abstract human sculpture building, and de-stressing exercises. Imagine the difficulty of releasing your constraints and flowing freely in front of others… for some of the activity participants this was not an issue. However, for others it was challenging to enter the ‘stage’ and exude confidence. Remarkably, by the end of the workshop everyone’s inner thespian had been unleashed. SURES participants’ creativity and confidence overflowed and filled the room. We had an improvingly fun time! The quote by Joe Namath sums up our collective experience of the Improvisation Workshop and reads as follows, “When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.” I for one cannot wait to see the fun and amazing things the students will do with their research and while presenting it during the final research presentations on August 10, 2018!