A passion for physics led to opportunities and a path for graduate school

I have always been curious about how research works. Growing up, I had many family members get diagnosed with various kinds of cancer and Roswell Park Cancer Institute always had a new experimental way to treat it or alleviate symptoms. The idea of figuring things out from scratch using just your brain and lab equipment has fascinated me forever. I wanted to learn the ropes during undergrad to make sure this is what I wanted to do with my life.

I browsed the Physics department faculty page and read about various professor research interests. The work of Andrea Markelz, professor in the Department of Physics, really intrigued me, so I sent a cold email to see if there was any way for me to contribute.

Markelz's lab uses terahertz radiation to probe proteins and other materials. This type of radiation gives us unique insight into how proteins vibrate and move, which is important for understanding how they function in the body. When I first joined, I spent a lot of time observing. I followed the PhD students around the lab, watched everything they did and wrote it all down. One of the graduate students, Pooja, taught me how to grow lysozyme crystals from scratch. After observing the process several times, I was able to try it on my own. Once I gained the confidence to make mistakes, I started tweaking the process for efficiency and better results.

To understand the bigger picture of our research, I read many of Markelz's publications and PhD thesis projects from her students. When the graduate students were assigned papers to read, I read them too and asked a lot of questions. This helped me understand not just what we do in the lab, but why we do it!

Now, I contribute to the lab in multiple ways. I developed a novel protein-ligand co-crystallization technique, growing lysozyme crystals with a molecule called Safranin-O. These crystals have been sent for x-ray diffraction analysis, which will give us the first structural confirmation of where the ligand binds, which is something that's never been done before for this system. I also work on the computational side, writing code in Igor Pro to remove signal artifacts from our data so we can extract the measurements we actually care about. I spend roughly ten hours a week on research during the semester: time in the lab, group meetings, coding and reading papers. I plan to continue these projects and hope to publish some of my findings!

I learned that proteins in our bodies communicate with other parts of the body and perform their functions by vibrating! It completely changed how I think about the molecular machinery inside us.

I developed a novel co-crystallization technique (a way to grow crystals of a protein and another molecule together) that will provide the first structural confirmation (visual proof of how they fit together) of ligand (the molecule that attaches to the protein) binding in this protein system. On a personal level, I proved to myself that I am capable of doing research and that pursuing a PhD in physics is the right path for me. I have also been able to connect with many physicists and graduate students, which has deepened my understanding of the field as a whole.

I am working toward publishing my analysis, "Lysozyme Bound to Safranin-O" with the goal of being first author. I also anticipate being listed on publications that result from the samples I have created for the lab and the code I have written. I hope to have more by the time I graduate!

The skills I have developed and the connections I have made will strengthen my applications to graduate school. The research experience and publications I am working toward will help demonstrate that I am a capable candidate for a PhD program.

College is the time to put yourself out there. Emailing and talking to experts in your field can be daunting, but you are capable of more than you think. Attending a research institution is a privilege and building the courage to take advantage of the resources available to you will bring valuable learning opportunities, even if that means learning how to handle rejection.

Smile at people in the hallways and spend time in central areas. Everyone else is just like you: unsure, nervous, tired, stressed, excited and curious. Try your best at everything you do and trust in yourself. You got yourself this far, to a great research institution. You are more capable than you realize.

Growing up here, I had always heard that UB is a great research institution with a strong physics program. I was accepted as a student and it has been better than I could have imagined!

The students here are serious about their studies. Being surrounded by driven people is inspiring, especially when things get difficult. I have also found that, especially after visiting friends at other schools, the students and culture at UB are genuinely friendly.

I was the kid who questioned pretty much everything. Most adults couldn’t give me answers to my endless questions, but I knew the answers had to exist somewhere. Eventually, I figured out that physics had all of the answers I was looking for. When it came time to choose a major, I thought to myself: "I have the opportunity to learn everything I could ever want to know about the universe." So many people, especially women, have dreamt of an opportunity like this. It would be a disservice to myself and my curiosity not to take it. It sounds corny, but that is genuinely what went through my head at 17 when I had to decide what to do with the rest of my life.

My dad is an accountant and my mom is a mammography technician. None of my friends or family were interested in physics or math and no one had any idea how higher education in these fields worked or how to help me. I paved my own path and created the opportunities I have without guidance or advice. No one knew what I was getting myself into, including me, but taking a risk based on my curiosity got me to where I am today.