Author: James Perez

By  Farbod Mahmoudinobar   As a kid I didn’t like to ask many questions. I was told that scientists by nature like to ask a lot of questions. Yet, I liked science. Just because I didn’t like to ask many questions didn’t mean I wasn’t curious. Instead, I enjoyed problem solving independently. Asking questions is… Continue reading 3 degrees, 3 fields

By Dustin Britton What do you want to do after you graduate? “I want to be a beach bum.” Although that wasn’t my long-term goal, it was still my best plan after completing both undergraduate and master’s degrees. I owe much of my current research drive to an unexpected 12 weeks that evolved my perspective… Continue reading I want to be a beach bum

 By Stanley Chu Being the first to accomplish something, especially in STEM, is an achievement. Pioneers are lauded for their contributions to the field and remembered for their triumphs. But what’s  often forgotten is the loneliness, insecurity, and oftentimes guilt associated with that journey. First-generation students, those that are the first in their family to… Continue reading The New Vanguard: First-Generation Students

By Xiaole Wang In one of my undergraduate biochemistry labs, I was introduced to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). This is a process by which proteins are separated based on size from a protein sample with various kinds of protein. Running these experiments sparked my interest in biology research. After this experience, I joined… Continue reading My Interest in Protein Engineering Research

By Jordyn Pierre-Raphael Most little girls like to play dress-up with their dolls, but when I was younger I always treated my dolls as “patients,” who needed my help with a fever or a stuffy nose. I remember that I would wear a lab coat and use my plastic stethoscope to listen to my patients’… Continue reading Breaking the Gender Stereotypes in STEM

By Shengbo Guo Edited by Eliza Neidhart Having graduated two months ago, I am situated at a point of transition. I cannot be counted as a student technically, yet I continue to work in the lab and interact with the world just as any other student. We students stay up late, wake up early, and… Continue reading What I’ve Learned to Live My Best Life as a Maker in the Lab

By Yifei Wang When my mom last visited me from China she saw my daily tasks in the Montclare lab. Upon returning home, she confided that she now understood why clinical treatments are so expensive. She saw the high cost of bioengineering research, including both physical materials and dollars. Inspired by the discussion with my… Continue reading Materials I Consume in a Single Bioengineering Experiment

By Joseph Thomas   As the static of the TV crackled, I heard my mom call from the kitchen. She couldn’t understand why I would just sit on the floor and stare into the screen set to a channel with no video signal. As the specks of gray and black flashed in front of me… Continue reading The Stars In My Television

By: Yao Wang My connection to science starts early. By early, I mean really early. My mom always tells me the story about my one-year-old catch, which is an ancient Chinese tradition for determining the child’s talent at his/her first birthday. In China, we believe everybody is gifted in something and this magical divination is… Continue reading My Early Connection to Science