Blog Post #3

Reflection

      This project has taught me a lot about what it truly means to do research. It is not always glamorous and fun, and sometimes you just have to put your head down and power through. While working in the lab was fun, and at sometimes very interesting and technical, there were also times were the lab became very tedious and time consuming. When working on a project this size, on my own, it was very difficult to get my data as I had to take my cell counts in all one sitting. In addition, the cell count process became very tedious especially by myself. I learned a lot about what it means to work by yourself, and the discipline it takes to complete a project of this size independently. I learned that I need small goals to work towards so that things seem more attainable and rewards when I reach those goals to keep myself going.

     In addition, this research has taught me a lot about Triple-Negative Breast cancer and the complex processes of cancer. Because all cancer types of different pathways and behave differently, there is no catch all, ultimate cure. This research drove my further understanding of how cancer behaves and the importance of further research on all cancer types but especially TNBC cells because of its ability to metastasize and its inability to respond to traditional cancer therapies. In the future, research could investigate how Onametostat behaves in other TNBC cell lines to further support its use in TNBC. In addition, Onametostat could be investigated in earlier stages of TNBC to tests its effectiveness for early intervention. Future steps could also be taken to investigate the mechanism of inhibition of Onametstat on PRMT5 and how it can be replicated safely in vivo.

      From my presentation, oral defense and research paper I learned a lot about what it means to communicate my findings. With some very complex processes I needed to figure out how to include pictures and a chronological order to work through everything so it became easily understandable to any audience. In addition, I tend to be a very nervous public speaker, however, this final presentation helped me feel more comfortable talking in front of an audience because I am so passionate about my topic. The confidence that I gained from the presentation and the overall communication in my writing will continue to help me in future presentations. In addition, the academic writing style and editing that I practiced throughout this process will help me in future academic writings as well as keeping myself on track to have a well written paper even with time constraints. 

      I have learned that I am able to work very efficiently when I have small more achievable goals set. When looking at the grand scheme of everything I needed to get done, or even how much lab work I had in a single day became very overwhelming very fast. However, if I broke it up into smaller sections and rewarded myself at the end of each goal everything felt much more obtainable. This process of small goals and small rewards also kept me on track, and even a little ahead of schedule and kept me from getting as burned out. In addition, the perseverance I gained from so many long lab days and so many cell counts is irreplaceable in my future perseverance whether it is lab work, a paper or any homework assignment. Because this process was year long, it taught me so much about time management and staying onto of my work and planning ahead. If I knew I had a really busy week coming up, I would get ahead in my research so I didn't have to worry about it as much during that week. These time management skills will be very important in college and the professional world.  

Acknowledgments 

      I would like to say a huge thank you to Jared Williams who is a cellular biology PhD student at CU Anschutz. He was my expert advisor and donated my E0771 cells. He was my biggest support at the start of my project with narrowing down my drug and ensuring that all my cell processes were correct. He was also a valuable resource for troubleshooting any problems along the way! I would also like to say a huge thank you to Ms. Petri who allowed me to work in her lab with a BSC. She allowed me to use lots of her equipment and was there on all of my very long lab days. Without her unwavering support, none of my trials would have been possible. As my biotechnology teacher for the last three years, Ms. Petri has encouraged me to pursue my passions in research and has given me the skills and resources to grow beyond what I thought I would be able to accomplish. Thank you to Mr. Burridge for helping me with my statistical tests and the visualization of my data. This was a integral part of my research that proved statistical significance of my results. As my AP Statistics teacher and statistics mentor, Mr. Burridge has helped grow my understanding of statistics and helped me understand it all in a way that made it easier to express the importance of the statistics in both my presentation and research paper. Finally I would like to say a big thank you to Ms. Dobos and Mr. McBride! As my AP Research teachers they helped me through every step of the process. From my data collection, to writing my paper, to presenting my findings, they supported me through it all while also pushing me to step outside my comfort zone and work hard. 

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog and supported me throughout this whole research process!