From the start of my academic career, I have been certain of my fascination with pharmaceutical research. Medically relevant subjects have certainly been introduced in my courses; however, I have always taken it upon myself to further my knowledge through my own reading and research. I have made it a priority to stay current with the advancements in my field.
Francisella is a bacteria is linked with several diseases, which can be alleviated given the adequate knowledge of its structure and function. My interest has primarily driven to a focus in a multi-disciplinary research project in chemistry and microbiology. This type of research directly relates to what I hope to convey as a pharmaceutical researcher.
My real experience as a researcher through the OSCAR program first started with an email I sent to Dr. van Hoek explaining how much I am interested in research and would like to work with her on a project that involves both microbiology and chemistry (my favorite class). I was more than happy when our project got accepted, and that I was given the chance to do research for the first time.
During the first few weeks of the semester I spent my time reading articles about Francisella and autoinducers to get a better understanding and more information about the topic. The next step was performing different experiments in lab to grow bacteria, purify the sample, and isolate autoinducer 3.
One thing I have learned lately is that research does not go as planned. However, it is always necessary to have some plan before doing an experiment. I also discovered that negative results are ok as long as I understand why I got them and how to use them to prevent more mistakes. Negative results can be used to change the original procedure and try new plans.
