Lauren DRAKE '16, PhD Candidate
2020年在宾夕法尼亚大学(University of Pennsylvania)完成生物工程本科学位后, Lauren DRAKE ’16 chose to continue her studies and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Vanderbilt University. During her time at Penn, Lauren worked as an undergraduate researcher in the Shorter Lab, 研究神经退行性疾病的生化机制，参与多个项目和论文. In addition to these pursuits, 她完成了创意写作和澳门官方老葡京学的辅修课程，并因其创意论文获得了英语优等生. As a member of the Lippmann Lab at Vanderbilt, Lauren提高了脑类器官作为生理相关神经退行性疾病模型的复杂性. 她最近获得了美国国立卫生研究院T32阿尔茨海默病培训补助金. 她也是范德比尔特大学多样性和科学系列讲座的执行委员会成员.
Years at Ellis: | Grade 5 to Grade 12 |
Education: | BSE Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania; currently pursuing PhD Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University |
Location: | Nashville, TN |
Occupation: | PhD Student |
Why did you decide to pursue biomedical engineering?
作为未来城市团队的一员，我在澳门新葡新京官方大学七年级时开始对组织工程研究感兴趣, 所以我在大学主修生物工程，专注于研究. 本科期间主要从事生物化学和神经退行性疾病的研究, 并且有机会在一个夏天通过维克森林再生医学研究所的国家科学基金会本科生研究经验参与组织工程研究, so for my Ph.D., 我选择了一个专门研究组织工程3D脑模型的实验室，用于研究神经退行性疾病.
作为未来城市团队的一员，我在澳门新葡新京官方大学七年级时开始对组织工程研究感兴趣, 所以我在大学主修生物工程，专注于研究. 本科期间主要从事生物化学和神经退行性疾病的研究, 并且有机会在一个夏天通过维克森林再生医学研究所的国家科学基金会本科生研究经验参与组织工程研究, so for my Ph.D., 我选择了一个专门研究组织工程3D脑模型的实验室，用于研究神经退行性疾病.
在你的职业生涯中，有没有一个项目或成就是你认为最重要的?
我是一篇国际合作论文的合著者，该论文评估了在诊断为多系统蛋白病的患者中发现的几种新突变的生化机制, an inherited condition with many neurodegenerative symptoms. 我的工作是把病人特有的突变引入基因DNA, express the mutated protein, 然后观察与未突变的对照蛋白相比，它是如何聚集和改变毒性的. 我们观察到可能影响每种疾病状态的几种不同机制, 这表明相应的治疗也可能需要针对机制或突变.
我是一篇国际合作论文的合著者，该论文评估了在诊断为多系统蛋白病的患者中发现的几种新突变的生化机制, an inherited condition with many neurodegenerative symptoms. 我的工作是把病人特有的突变引入基因DNA, express the mutated protein, 然后观察与未突变的对照蛋白相比，它是如何聚集和改变毒性的. 我们观察到可能影响每种疾病状态的几种不同机制, 这表明相应的治疗也可能需要针对机制或突变.
How has your career path changed over time? Did you always know you wanted to do what you’re doing now?
When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a veterinarian. I changed my mind when I was twelve. I was on the Future City team at Ellis, 那年我们的论文作业是关于未来医学的进步. 我们想到了一个用于肢体再生的便携式生物反应器套筒. 我觉得这是有史以来最酷的想法，我决定成为一名组织工程师. 11年后的今天，我在研究神经组织工程的进展.
When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a veterinarian. I changed my mind when I was twelve. I was on the Future City team at Ellis, 那年我们的论文作业是关于未来医学的进步. 我们想到了一个用于肢体再生的便携式生物反应器套筒. 我觉得这是有史以来最酷的想法，我决定成为一名组织工程师. 11年后的今天，我在研究神经组织工程的进展.
What lessons has your research experience taught you?
Write everything down. Leave no detail unremembered. If you make a mistake, learn from it—don’t keep banging your head up against the wall, trying the same thing over and over without changing what you’re doing.
Write everything down. Leave no detail unremembered. If you make a mistake, learn from it—don’t keep banging your head up against the wall, trying the same thing over and over without changing what you’re doing.
What is your best memory of Ellis?
我非常享受我的大四Raku和烧柴以及所有其他艺术机会. While my career is focused on engineering now, 我真的很享受我所拥有的参与视觉艺术的所有机会, literary, and performing.
我非常享受我的大四Raku和烧柴以及所有其他艺术机会. While my career is focused on engineering now, 我真的很享受我所拥有的参与视觉艺术的所有机会, literary, and performing.
我们经常谈论女孩们在澳门新葡新京官方发展她们的声音，这对你来说意味着什么? How do you use your voice?
I don’t think voices have to be screaming to be impactful. 我从来不是房间里声音最大的人，但我确实学会了使用我的声音. 我主要考虑的是我的声音是如何在我的社区中被使用和支持的. When I started college, 我很担心自己在面对持续的精神疾病时能否得到支持, 所以我在我的校园里共同创立了一个名为Let’s Erase the Stigma(让我们抹去耻辱)的分会，作为一个支持和倡导团体，为有精神疾病经历的学生提供支持. 我参加了会议，并与巴泽隆精神卫生法中心合作，修改现有政策, but mainly, I sought to be a source of support for anyone who was struggling. 我们的小组每月举行一次支持晚宴，在那里我们讨论我们当前面临的挑战, 我帮助学生主动要求住宿，并试图成为一个可以依靠的人.
I don’t think voices have to be screaming to be impactful. 我从来不是房间里声音最大的人，但我确实学会了使用我的声音. 我主要考虑的是我的声音是如何在我的社区中被使用和支持的. When I started college, 我很担心自己在面对持续的精神疾病时能否得到支持, 所以我在我的校园里共同创立了一个名为Let’s Erase the Stigma(让我们抹去耻辱)的分会，作为一个支持和倡导团体，为有精神疾病经历的学生提供支持. 我参加了会议，并与巴泽隆精神卫生法中心合作，修改现有政策, but mainly, I sought to be a source of support for anyone who was struggling. 我们的小组每月举行一次支持晚宴，在那里我们讨论我们当前面临的挑战, 我帮助学生主动要求住宿，并试图成为一个可以依靠的人.
How did Ellis stimulate your intellectual curiosity and creativity?
我深深地感激他们给了我这么大的空间去探索我感兴趣的东西. I was clearly on a very science-heavy track, but I still had so much flexibility to take art classes, write poetry, perform in musicals, and work on things that mattered to me, even if they didn’t necessarily adhere to my primary career plans. 在我的工作之外从事我所重视和喜欢的实践是很有用的, like fiction writing, and learning more about relevant issues like racism, law, and climate change. Even though my main area of study is neurodegeneration, I’m still engaged in learning based on what concerns and interests me.
我深深地感激他们给了我这么大的空间去探索我感兴趣的东西. I was clearly on a very science-heavy track, but I still had so much flexibility to take art classes, write poetry, perform in musicals, and work on things that mattered to me, even if they didn’t necessarily adhere to my primary career plans. 在我的工作之外从事我所重视和喜欢的实践是很有用的, like fiction writing, and learning more about relevant issues like racism, law, and climate change. Even though my main area of study is neurodegeneration, I’m still engaged in learning based on what concerns and interests me.
What is the most important lesson you learned at Ellis?
This is something relatively simple, but honestly so useful in my career. When we were working on Future City in middle school, 我们给研究人员发邮件，告诉他们他们的工作，试图了解更多，这并不可耻. Some people wouldn’t be too helpful, but I remember for our green energy essay when I was in eighth grade, we were looking into “artificial photosynthesis,当时瑞士的这个实验室正在进行与此相关的研究. 我们最终与这些科学家保持了电子邮件通信，他们周到地回答了我们所有的问题，并帮助我们确保我们的项目想法在科学上是准确的. That meant so much to us as kids, but even as I started my research career, 我发现，如果一篇科学论文中的某些内容你看不懂, or you have questions about their technique, it never hurts to ask! 问问题对我来说很难，但这是我学会的最重要的技能.
This is something relatively simple, but honestly so useful in my career. When we were working on Future City in middle school, 我们给研究人员发邮件，告诉他们他们的工作，试图了解更多，这并不可耻. Some people wouldn’t be too helpful, but I remember for our green energy essay when I was in eighth grade, we were looking into “artificial photosynthesis,当时瑞士的这个实验室正在进行与此相关的研究. 我们最终与这些科学家保持了电子邮件通信，他们周到地回答了我们所有的问题，并帮助我们确保我们的项目想法在科学上是准确的. That meant so much to us as kids, but even as I started my research career, 我发现，如果一篇科学论文中的某些内容你看不懂, or you have questions about their technique, it never hurts to ask! 问问题对我来说很难，但这是我学会的最重要的技能.
How do you spend your free time?
I like to read, both fiction and non-fiction. 我喜欢在做饭或开车去某地的时候听澳门官方老葡京和科学播客. 我织毛衣和毯子，我花时间和我可爱的猫在一起，我努力跟上写作的步伐. 我男朋友和我喜欢徒步旅行，玩弹球博物馆和老式拱廊. 我还买了一艘皮划艇，所以周末早上，我在湖边划桨.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Punk cat mom.
I like to read, both fiction and non-fiction. 我喜欢在做饭或开车去某地的时候听澳门官方老葡京和科学播客. 我织毛衣和毯子，我花时间和我可爱的猫在一起，我努力跟上写作的步伐. 我男朋友和我喜欢徒步旅行，玩弹球博物馆和老式拱廊. 我还买了一艘皮划艇，所以周末早上，我在湖边划桨.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
Punk cat mom.
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