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Contents
A Note from the Collaborative Director
Undergraduate Research: Adjusting to Life at a Liberal Arts College
2012-2013 McNair Scholars
Fall-Summer Collaborative Grants
Convention Spotlight
NCUR
AACR
- Kaela Gedda
- Jens Paasen
- Gretchen Panzer
- Hannah Schmitt
- Luanne Spence
- Sarah Titus
Collaborative Research Stories
Important Dates
May 4, 2012 Student Academic Travel Grant and Attendee Grant applications due
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American Association for Cancer Research Reflection
Nicole Nelson
Biomedical Concentration Major, Chemistry & Psychology Minors
It was such an incredible
experience to participate in this year’s American Association of Cancer
Research meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
This was the first time I have ever attended an academic conference and
it blew my mind how much of a production it was. I was able to explore so many different
aspects of cancer research that I was not even aware of.
To say this was a learning
experience would be an understatement. I
was submerged in some of the most current and controversial research being done
all around the nation! Vendors were a
large part of this meeting. It was so
fun to see all of the new technology that is available, and our lab even saw a
cell counter that we may be interested in in the near future. A handless, blotless Western blotter that
would make our jobs in the lab a lot easier since we take about 4 hours per
blot we run amazed me.
The talks and presentations at the
AACR conference were so interesting. Dr.
Robert Weinberg, the author of the textbook we use in the Biology of Cancer course,
presented at the conference along with Nobel prize winner Dr. Elizabeth
Blackburn. It was an honor to be in the
same room as these people, but the experience was amplified by hearing about
all of the knowledge they had pertaining to the field.
The most rewarding aspect of this
conference to me was the poster presentation, though. This was the first time I have presented and
it was a new aspect of the research that I had to delve into. Each of us, as presenters, covered our poster
in intervals so we were prompted by questions from other labs and
researchers. I really felt as though I
grew as a speaker and excelled during the presentation, so much in fact Dr.
Feirer thinks I need to get into pharmaceutical sales since I’m so comfortable
in front of a group of strangers. It was
also very interesting to walk around to see the other posters to learn what
others are working on. This is helpful
to us because we can better perfect our techniques based off of other
researchers work. I am so grateful to
have been given the opportunity to further my knowledge and questions in the
cancer research field, and I look forward to going to present in Washington
D.C. next year!
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Russ Feirer
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