The Conquest of Cancer

Through Research

 

December 2021 eNews

Michael Sundahl, a Wood Hudson UREP student from summer 2021 and recent December graduate of Mount St. Joseph University, has been accepted into a prestigious program, the Tumor Biology Master's Degree Program at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.  We know Michael will do great things as he continues his education.

 

Here is Michael's evaluation of the summer UREP:

"I found the Undergraduate Research Education Program to be a fantastic learning experience. During my first three years of undergrad, cancer is a topic that has only been briefly discussed in certain classes. I was intrigued by the opportunity to look at the details of cancer biology. Throughout this summer I have increased my knowledge of cancer biology, as well as my overall science knowledge. I really enjoyed being able to hear from many speakers with years of experience in the field of cancer research. It is not often that you are able to learn from so many people that have experience like our speakers have. One of my favorite parts of the summer was the journal club. In college I have not had a lot of experience with reading scientific papers and this summer helped immensely. By the end of the summer, with the knowledge I learned I was able to understand much more of these papers, and I was able to see these concepts I have learned about for years be applied in the real world. Overall, this has been an amazing experience and I would recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity."

Jason Triplett, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Neuroscience Research at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.  He participated in UREP starting in the year 2000.

 

"As an undergraduate at Xavier University, I was in the Natural Sciences program, which was essentially pre-med. My career goals were to go to medical school and become a physician. As a student from a working-class background, this was the route I thought anyone that had an intense interest in science takes. As a junior, I got a chance to participate in the UREP at Wood Hudson under the tutelage of Dr. Taiping Chen, who was investigating the role of TGF-beta receptors in ovarian and breast cancers. My exposure to laboratory experiments changed my perspective dramatically! I recall long conversations with Dr. Chen about signaling pathways and the unknown mechanisms that his studies were trying to address. In addition, I was exposed to true experimental science, and I was hooked. I loved thinking about the incredible processes going on inside the cell and the creativity involved in testing hypotheses. Directly due to this experience, I decided to change course and attend graduate school to learn how to do science. Since then, I have followed my curiosity to test how bone cells detect mechanical forces at a cellular level as a graduate student, and then investigate how neurons in the brain are guided to make precise connections during development as a post-doc. I now run my own lab at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC where I am continuing the work I started as a post-doc. Really, though, I’m continuing to follow my love of curiosity-driven science that was sparked at Wood Hudson."

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from all of us at Wood Hudson!  We express our sincere appreciation for your confidence and loyalty.  We are deeply thankful and extend to you our best wishes for a happy and healthy Holiday Season.  May the good things of life be yours in abundance, not only now but throughout the coming year.

 

--The Trustees, Staff and Students of Wood Hudson Cancer Research Laboratory

The Conquest of Cancer Through Research