For the past 5 years, I have gained experience working in laboratory settings. On a biotechnology conference held in Puerto Rico, I met Dr. Joseph Bonaventura originally from Duke University currently doing research at the University of Puerto Rico. He amazed me with his passion for science and gave me the opportunity of working with him in the development of an experimental procedure on a project related to ethno-botany inspired by the herbal remedies. These remedies are commonly used in our culture. We intended to investigate for antimicrobial agents in the plantain sap. This experience was the first one to challenge my independent critical thinking as a scientist. During my second year in college I heard about summer research opportunities for undergraduate students in the United States. I was admitted to the REU-Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry program held at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. During this summer, I collaborated with Dr. Mark P. Forster on a project seeking to understanding the biochemistry of the archaeal ribonuclease P through NMR spectroscopy. During this experience I was exposed to a different science field and I had my first exposure to a real laboratory environment. This was my first insight on how graduate research would be like. This experience made me even more excited onto pursuing a doctoral degree in science.
I was not yet ready, however to pick a specific field because I had experienced many different topics but wasn’t passionate about anything concrete yet. I took an extracurricular course on Microbial Ecology to see if I was really interested in microbiology. The course made me extremely curious about knowing which microbes are present in different environments and why they there. I just couldn’t get enough from it because I wanted to know more about the unknown. It piqued my curiosity knowing that scientists have discovered just a small percentage of all the possible microbial species. Many may have potential to biotechnological applications that we have not yet even imagined. I joined the laboratory of my microbiology professor, Dr. Arturo A. Massol-Deya with whom I had collaborated with in high school. He trusted me with a new project that had not yet been attempted in Puerto Rico. I had to develop the experimental design. I performed techniques such as 16s rDNA TRFLP to analyze molecular samples from the surface of tree leaves in tropical rainforests. I realized through this research experience that I want to study microbes in the environment. Working with Dr. Massol has given me the opportunity of taking extracurricular courses during spring breaks. One of the courses was on Advances in Environmental Restoration with lecturers Dr. Terry Hazen and Dr. Eoin Brodie from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The other course was on Advances in Microbial Ecology taught by Dr. Larry Forney from the University of Idaho. These courses have enhanced my knowledge on bioremediation and microbial ecology and have challenged me present research proposals on bioremediation and microbial ecology.
This past summer I had the wonderful opportunity to be an Amgen Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. I must say that this was a life changing experience. I had the opportunity of collaborating with Dr. John D. Coates on developing a spectrophotometric assay that will be used as the primary assay for identifying genes involved in anaerobic bacterial metal biooxidation. I presented this research at Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and my poster was awarded for an outstanding poster presentation in the microbiological sciences category. This experience in the Coates Laboratory opened my eyes to the wide metabolic diversity of microorganisms in the environment, and the incredible potential to develop biotechnological applications such as bioremediation or even harvesting energy.
Together, these many experiences have made me passionate about scientific research and environmental microbiology. I want to research and develop techniques that use the metabolisms that microbes offer for remediating the environment and for creating alternative greener sources of energy. On our way to developing these applications we could learn so much about the beginnings of life, microbial relationships and understanding microbial niches in any type of environment. These techniques could contribute to making the world a better place for our future generations. It is here where my personal satisfaction lies. I want to give back to my society and in addition to developing practical means of cleaning the environment or creating alternative energy; I believe that the best way to do this is by contributing to the reeducation of my community in science. To most of them it is an obscure and unknown world. I want to teach so others may use this knowledge to their advantage and pursue the collective well being of our society.
