TrUE Scholars
The best moment I have had so far is getting to work on a pig project where we measure their duration of inactivity in normal conditions as well as when they are under other conditions such as inebriation. Getting to compare the results among 5 different pigs was interesting to see how they were affected. It was also interesting to see how the pig's metabolism rates compared to the human rates, as they were very similar in regards to metabolizing alcohol. The biggest challenge so far has been managing time due to the amount of dedication the project requires since inputting time differences and details on a spreadsheet can become very time consuming. Especially over the summer, I had been the only undergraduate assistant going to the lab in person, which made for a heavy workload on top of the summer courses I was taking. However, once the school year began, the rest of the undergraduate assistants returned and we were able to split the roles equally and help each other out whenever needed. We have been able to narrow the focus of our research since currently there are several projects under the same umbrella of using an altered antibiotic as a new drug for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. The sector I have put most work towards is finding out which animal model would be best to run the medication trials on. I have worked with both pigs and mice since they each have their own results that benefit how the treatment might affect humans. I have mostly been in charge of monitoring the inactivity levels of the pigs meanwhile they are going through possible withdrawals from alcohol, or while actively inebriated. The animals definitely made for the best resource so far to use for the study due to the similar characteristics they share with humans. Overall, my experience so far has been nothing but positive and delightful. I have gotten to work with several of the PhD candidates in the lab who are very encouraging and inspiring. One connection I made between the research and my field of interest is the goal for providing treatment. The research is all benefiting being able to treat patients with alcohol use disorder and offering treatment and course of action is what I hope to do in the future as a physician.