SURF – Sophia Chiaia
SOPHIA CHIAIA, SURF 2023
Mentor: Dr. Jianjun Sun (UConn)
Because I was part of the REU program in the UCONN PNB (Physiology & Neurobiology) department, I attended many workshops regarding graduate school, developing a professional social media presence, and scientific communication. From these workshops, I learned valuable information and felt more prepared for my future in science. My research at UCONN allowed me to learn many integral lab skills, such as immunofluorescence, dissection, antibody staining, and mounting slides.
A lot of faculty from WCSU and UCONN made my research experience great! From WCSU, Dr. Monette was really able to support me! She helped me with my dorm situation and any confusion I had during the program. As a whole, I am very thankful for the WCSU Surf committee for offering me this opportunity and I really appreciate all biology faculty. From UCONN, Dr. Sun was my advisor and gave me great guidance and advice for my project. He really aided me and showed me the process of scientific research and communication. I am also extremely thankful for Rene Rovozzo who led me each step of the way and trained me in all aspects of my experiments. I could not have done it without her! The entire Sun lab had a great impact on me as everyone was so willing to help, I truly appreciate each and everyone.
This experience gave me a great glimpse into life inside a research lab. I was able to understand how it felt to do hands on research and use analytical techniques. It made me very excited for my future in science!