caitlyn ulmer

ABOUT THE RESEARCHER:

1. Who are you doing research with this summer, and what kind of research project are you doing?

This summer, I am doing research with Dr. Isabelle Mercier and Jennifer Nguyen. I am working alongside Jennifer’s research studying the efficacy of FDA-approved antipsychotics in inhibiting a cellular pathway mechanism for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC). My project investigates this classification of FDA-approved drugs by focusing on the arrest of cells during specific cell cycle phases with drug treatment.

2. What do you find fascinating in the research you’re doing?

Investigating a large-scale disease affecting many people's lives and families is fascinating. By doing this research, I can learn more about the mechanisms that develop advanced stages and metastasized breast cancer. It is also intriguing that this investigation focuses on drug repurposing, a now more popular idea amongst drug discoveries and development, and a more targeted approach to treating a more aggressive disease while saving money and time to help more patients on a larger scale.

3. What skills are you learning through the USURF experience?

This experience has allowed me to develop more lab technical skills that will further my education and career experience. I have learned more about cellular pathways, Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) mechanisms, cell biology, and cell culture. It has also helped me continue developing my skills as a research scientist in communication, problem-solving, literature research, project management, and time management.

 4. What are the challenges you’re encountering in your research?

Some challenges I have encountered in my research have been finding reliable literature papers that coincide with the purposes of my research. Finding a protocol/literature paper that could be used for cell arrest drug treatment took a bit of time. Another challenge I have encountered is the variability of results when running multiple trials. This challenge lost a couple of days of project advancement since I decided to rerun the trial. Even though there have been challenges during this investigation, they were essential in teaching me that quality is better than quantity and helped prepare me for my future career as a scientist.

5. How is your USURF experience impacting the way you view your field?

The USURF experience has further enhanced my desire to participate in this field. The skills of a research scientist in this field and their ability to communicate to a wide range of audiences, run trials, interpret data, and improve their investigations for future studies have intrigued and gravitated me towards this field. This experience has made me appreciate a research scientist's hard work, dedication, and patience. It has also made me realize that this field prepares you and is a gateway to many healthcare and science fields. I am excited to continue to learn more about the many career pathways that this field has to offer.

 6. Tell us something interesting about yourself.

I am musically trained on two instruments and like to hang out with friends and family in my free time.