During summer 2021, I attended a summer mentorship program called "Undergraduate Pipeline Network" at the University of New Mexico. The goal of the program is to provide emergence into the field of research, where I was paired up with my mentor based on my specific interests. The program was hosted by the University of New Mexico Health Science Center and funded by: IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence, Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences, UNM School of Medicine Research Education Office, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNM School of Engineering, UNM College of Pharmacy, C-STEPS, and American Cancer Society. My mentors Debra Mackenzie, Tamara Anderson, and Li Lou ushered me into the world of health related research, where the focus for the summer was centered around Navajo Birth Cohort Study (NBCS). NBCS focuses environmental contaminants such as mixed metal exposure from abandoned mines on Navajo Nation. Where the goal is to understand potential defects in development of children, and during pregnancy.

The following artifacts below are the results of my summer research, compounded into a poster displaying my work from the program and subsequently my research paper.

I took General Botany in Fall 2020 in which the overall goal of the class was to apply research methods to devise an experimental procedure working with fellow classmates. General Botany was my first experience in applying research methods which ultimately curated into individual research papers each member was to write on their own. A big aspect in the class was to work together with your fellow group members to discuss experimental questions, plan out experimental design, and perform treatments on a species of basil known as Ocimum basilicum.

The following artifact is my research paper I wrote following my participation in General Botany, and photos of the basil plant before defoliation and some following our defoliation treatment.