Kayaking with friends at the Rackham event last month and trying not to drop my phone while taking panoramic photos.
Hello! I’m Amy and I’m a second year Ph.D. student in the Immunology program in the Program in Biomedical Sciences. Before Michigan, I’ve only ever lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I graduated from UC Berkeley (I seem to gravitate toward blue and gold…) with degrees in Molecular & Cell Biology and Genetics & Plant Biology and ultimately decided to go to graduate school to study human biology.
I decided graduate school was what I wanted after my first research experience in sophomore year. I discovered I love doing experiments; getting one step closer to understanding a topic of my choice is ridiculously satisfying and makes up for the fact that most of the time, I realize I understand even less than I thought.
My first research experience was studying the evolution of the grasses family. I then went on to study angiogenesis in prostate cancer and then stress responses in nematodes. I’ve now joined a lab studying the role of the gut microbiota and immune system in colon cancer. My past research interests are broad, but I was able to narrow down my interests by trying a variety of topics and learned about the different fields and atmospheres in scientific research. I would encourage anyone interested in research to explore as much as possible.
Outside of school and labwork, I do typical graduate student things to unwind. I listen to music, attempt not to fall over while doing Pilates/yoga, hang out with other graduate students, cook/bake/eat and explore the area. In another life, I like to think I would have been a television or movie reviewer. I love watching different television shows and always have recommendations for anyone who asks.
This past year has been full of new experiences both exciting (e.g., moving to a different part of the country, making new friends, finding my lab home) and not-so-fun (e.g., months of snow/negative temperatures/lack of sun?!) and this fall, I’m excited to share more about my experiences as a graduate student preparing for prelims, about lab life and life in general.
Brand New at Meadow Brook Music Festival. I finally got to see my favorite band perform!