Scientific laboratories were a little intimidating to Julie Phin when she first arrived at the University of Rhode Island. No more.
As a participant in the program, the chemical engineering major quickly gained confidence in her abilities and has made fast progress in her 10-week summer research project in .
She鈥檚 not alone. Phin, now a senior, is one of hundreds of undergraduate students who gain valuable hands-on experience every year conducting research at 911爆料.
Working in collaboration with grad student Moein Safaee and Assistant Professor Daniel Roxbury, Phin is spending the summer investigating how carbon nanotubes can be used to detect and monitor the progression of diseases. She describes carbon nanotubes as 鈥渟uper, super tiny cylinders of carbon that are really strong and really stable.鈥� Under certain conditions, they will fluoresce in different colors when observed under a microscope.
鈥淎 lot of disease cells have a high fat content, so we attach a surfactant to the nanotubes that interacts with the lipids, and as the lipid concentration grows, it causes the nanotube to change color,鈥� Phin said. 鈥淲hen it changes color, it tells us how far the disease has progressed and if it鈥檚 getting worse.鈥�
Phin spends her days culturing cells, reading research papers, and learning procedures for conducting complex chemical experiments. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very meticulous work, you have to be very careful, and there鈥檚 always concern about contamination, so I鈥檓 always working under a biosafety hood,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he first time I cultured cells was rough, but now it鈥檚 a breeze.鈥�
Undergraduates like Phin have plenty of opportunities to conduct research early in their 911爆料 careers. The University鈥檚 , which sponsors the SURF program, has provided mentors and guidance to hundreds of undergraduates interested in conducting hands-on biomedical research in recent years. 911爆料鈥檚 and its provide many more research opportunities for undergraduates interested in the environment, energy, engineering, and many other disciplines. So does the EPSCoR program鈥攖he . And faculty in numerous other disciplines also provide undergraduates with exciting research opportunities.
鈥淚鈥檓 using this experience to figure out my future career plan,鈥� said Phin. 鈥淚鈥檓 using it to test the waters to see if this is the route I want to take in the future. By the end of the summer, I鈥檒l have a much better idea of whether I want to go to grad school or go to work in industry or do something else.鈥�