July 28, 2022
By: Piper Epstein
I'm typing this having just recently submitted my final poster draft for the research symposium, but I feel like I only just submitted my first blog post a few days ago. Reflecting on the past 8 weeks, I feel comfortable...
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July 27, 2022
By: Laura Scarpelli
From unsuccessful electroporation experiments to learning about the linear relationship between chocolate and Nobel prizes, this summer has been filled with meaningful experiences that I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to enjoy. Working in the Gerecht Lab under my...
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July 26, 2022
By: Amelia Cangialosi
All of the faculty seminars have been super insightful and Dr. Emily Bernhardt’s talk particularly stood out to me. She is an ecologist at Duke who studies how energy and elements move, specifically focusing on environmental issues that people care...
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By: Sid Ghanta
When Dr. Grunwald warned us the day before Dean Noor's faculty talk that he was one of the most frequent Yelp reviewers of taquerias in Durham, I had absolutely no idea what he was going to be like the next...
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July 25, 2022
By: Sam Shi
Through a series of unexpected events, a young doctor who had just graduated from med school found himself in a prestigious program designed to train physician scientists. Dr. Lefkowitz, who had never thought about doing research before, experienced failure for...
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By: David Bearden
With so many brilliant, accomplished, and passionate people speaking at the BSURF meetings, all of them were amazing and insightful; however, Dr. Lefkowitz's talk "A Tale of Two Callings" was especially enjoyable to listen to. In particular, it was extremely...
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By: Emma Sardy
When Dr. Charmaine Royal asked all of us what kind of research we would be doing this summer, I was excited to relate my work in a molecular genetics lab with her genetics research. Instead, she described an entirely different...
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July 24, 2022
By: Natalia Bojorquez
Having so many brilliant people come and talk to us about their current research, career paths, and anything in between has been an amazing part of the BSURF program. Although they were all very interesting and valuable in many ways,...
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By: Tochi Onuegbu
In the past few weeks, I’ve heard from distinguished faculty, ranging from those specializing in microbiome research to those studying evolutionary genetics. While their research may be drastically different, I observed that each seminar had a common theme: the idea...
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By: Lauren Sar
Last Tuesday, one of Duke’s Nobel Prize winners came to speak to BSURF, Dr. Lefkowitz. To my surprise, Dr. Lefkowitz spoke very briefly about the focus of his lab work. However, his talk very quickly became one of my favorites...
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By: Kyle Coaker
During the past semester and during the summer, I have had the amazing opportunity to work in Dr. Lefkowitz's lab at the Duke School of Medicine. Winning the Nobel Prize in 2012 in Chemistry, Dr. Lefkowitz inspired me in a...
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By: Laura Scarpelli
This past semester I had the honor to be taught by Dr. Gustavo Silva in his Bio201 class – hands down my favorite class last semester. However, in a lecture hall of 300 students, we never heard about Dr. Silva’s...
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July 23, 2022
By: Rena Ouyang
Dr. Charmaine Royal started off the BSURF program with our first faculty talk, and she really set the bar for the rest of the program. I have gained increasing interest in the intersection of biology and systemic racism since learning...
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By: Ariella Ruiz
I have enjoyed all the faculty talks that we’ve had during this program, but I’m going to reflect on Dr. Anne West’s talk. Her discussion about the MSTP program was especially interesting to me. Before this summer, I was sure...
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July 22, 2022
By: Piper Epstein
I enjoyed all of our faculty talks over the past few weeks, but Dr. Mohamed Noor's presentation in particular stood out to me. Two of my friends had actually worked in Dr. Noor's fly lab last semester. I also knew...
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July 21, 2022
By: Jordan Reaves
I’m choosing to reflect on Dr. West’s talk. Initially, I didn’t like her talk; it made me uneasy. I had previously been considered MSTP programs, decided they were not for me, and set my sights on an MD and a...
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By: Morayo Abbey-Bada
I truly enjoyed all the different faculty that came to speak this summer, and I am grateful that they took the time to speak to us about their science and journey. All the different stories were fascinating and opened my...
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By: Ashley Alcantar Magana
Although I enjoyed all of the faculty talks, Dr. West's in particular resonated with me. Before arriving at Duke, I didn't know what an MD-Phd dual degree was. Even after learning a bit about it last semester, I was still...
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