Friday, October 18, 2019

STIP Student Giovanni Flores Researches Antibiotics with Chemistry using a Spectrofluorometer


What got you interested in this project?

I fell in love with chemistry my junior year of college. With that being said I never considered research an option for me. It wasn’t until my old organic chemistry lab professor Carol Ajjan reached out to me to help with her own research that I saw myself doing anything chemistry related. Once I started helping her, I got really sucked into the project and I wanted to start doing some experimenting on my own. I talked to her and Dr. Abul Hussam, and they motivated me to pursue my own research and to do it through OSCAR.

How do you see it being related to your long-term goals?

Lab work is definitely something that I need more experience in. This opportunity was a great way for me to be introduced to this type of work and to make me comfortable working with professionals. I am studying to be a dentist. Not only has my summer research allowed me to work more with my hands but I also see it as a good way to help me stand out when applying for dental school.

What do you actually do on a weekly basis?

I went into the lab about three days out of the week. I spent anywhere from 4-7 hours in lab per day. In lab I would measure out different reagents and create the solutions needed for the day. I got familiar with using a spectrofluorometer and controlling a computer which had the program we used to perform our experiment. When I was not in lab, I was doing my own research to learn more of the theory behind what I was actually doing. While I definitely stayed busy this summer, I thoroughly my enjoyed summer research.

What is one thing you discovered this term?

Apart from my own discoveries about the way antibiotics behave and react when in different conditions, I learned what it was like to perform my own work, write my own findings and to really take pride in what I have accomplished. There was a lot of work behind this poster I just created, when I sit back and reflect on it, I remember how exciting and fun the whole experience was.