Hi everyone! My name is Janelle Mande, I am a rising senior from California State University Stanislaus, and a Biology major, minoring in Chemistry and Sociology :) This Summer, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dr. Jane Kim, investigating molecular mechanisms that are responsible for genetic instability, or a change of length in DNA, of long CCTG repeat regions using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or budding yeast, as our model organism. The reason why we’re so interested in these repeats is because they have the potential to cause human diseases, such as Huntington’s and Myotonic Dystrophy, yet little is known about tetranucleotide repeats in particular. My personal project involved investigating the role of transcription on CCTG DNA repeat large-scale contractions, and the most gratifying feeling I've experienced in the Kim lab is the fact that I'm actually applying what I've learned from previous semesters. My love for Biology has absolutely been reinforced with this lab, and I can’t wait to apply what I learned to future endeavors 😊 As we approach the end of the program, I realize that I have a lot to reflect on. Prior to this internship, I actually wasn’t aware that the REU program existed until the last application cycle ended. At the time, I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to pursue a PhD or not, but then I slowly settled on the idea of potentially pursuing one. The moment this application cycle approached, I was more than determined to apply for this Summer. Then lo and behold I got accepted into CSU San Marcos 😳 There was only ever one goal I had being a part of this program: to learn. Every day for the past 9 weeks, that’s all I’ve been doing- learning, and it amazes me that there’s still so much more I want to explore after this program ends. Research aside; however, I've done my fair share of exploring Southern California. Sprinkled across the weeks, I’ve tagged along and explored lots of places: the Salton Sea basked in heat, the cool Iron Mountain trail, and the luscious green Escondido Creek. During down time, I’ve visited Downtown San Diego, walked through the throngs of the Sunset Market at Oceanside, and explored Koreatown and Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. If you're not a local, and especially if you're not from California, I highly recommend taking the time to hang out with members of the cohort. Hanging out with folks from the cohort, if anything, has taught me how valuable it is making connections. ‘Connection’ was the staple theme I thought of when my wonderful lab partner, Maya Qaddourah, and I designed the logo for our REU sweaters. Integrated through our DNA, and in life itself, connections are important in molding who you are as a person. Needless to say, I’ll be taking a piece of everyone I’ve met in this program with me when the end comes. (And as for the folks who put effort into striking a conversation with me, you hold a special place in my heart ❤️) But alas, just as week nine draws to a close, the end feels bittersweet. It's so surreal weaving together the details of my research onto a single poster. It really puts into perspective how much hard work and effort I dedicated to the entirety of this program. I still recall the first week, and the parting words Dr. Read left us before we scattered to hunt our labs down. You really do blink, and ten weeks pass without you realizing it. To future REU cohorts, a few parting words: the hardest part is starting. Believe me, it can be tough at times. You'll naturally mess up procedures, forget to remind your PI you ran out of reagents, and the imposter syndrome will always linger. I hate to admit it, but there will even be times you feel viscerally lonely. Whether you make mistakes or feel unsatisfied with the results of your experiment, don't doubt that you're still a self-discovering scientist and learned something new. Just trust the process 🌱 Here’s my LinkedIn if you’d like to reach out to me: linkedin.com/in/jmande07
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Watch this space for weekly updates!Every week, one of our CSUSM NSF REU students will post their blurb, summarizing their week, and chronicling our program. AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
August 2023
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