My research experience

From left: Mackenzie Lucero, Dr. Kurnik

From left: Mackenzie Lucero, Dr. Martin Kurnik

Research within the chemistry department has been invaluable because it has allowed me to connect the dots between learning and applying chemistry. In the lab I use chemical formulas to do things such as make solutions and calculate Gibbs free energy. I feel much more confident using these formulas because they are no longer complicated formulas on a page but rather tools to help me understand things, such as the stability of a protein. I will use this new appreciation and confidence to help me as I continue to study chemistry.

In the past month I have learned important laboratory skills, for example, I know how to overexpress and purify proteins using Nickel-NTA (nitrilotriacetic acid) chromatography columns and SDS Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. I have also learned, to a greater extent, what it means to conduct research. Conducting academic research here at UCSB has been really fun and in many ways an eye opening experience. Along the way my perspective has changed on a few things:

  • Initially I thought that a researcher worked alone, this is true to an extent, however research is also a group effort. Within the Plaxco group, we have meetings to discuss research updates where everyone can brainstorm to help each other if a problem has arrived. Also, since there is new research being published all of the time it is impossible to read it all, so we get together and share new scientific journal articles in order to be up to date with the latest research.
  • I was unaware of how long it takes to conduct research. I have been working on overexpressing and purify proteins and over the course of the last couple of weeks some challenges have arrived. When these challenges arrive the project schedule shifts a little. I now understand that these challenges are what research is all about! We are doing experiments and working with new biomolecules and techniques that have not been done before, so it’s perfectly fine for complications to arrive. Research is about learning and exploring all that we can about a new subject. Ultimately, we can publish and share our new knowledge for others to either replicate or have a start point for their own research.

I would definitely recommend for everyone to take part in academic research because it allows you to apply what you have learned in class as well as develop critical and analytical thinking skills. Research is challenging but also extremely rewarding, and I am so thankful to God for the opportunity I was given to do research this summer within the chemistry department in the Plaxco group.

Pictured above from left: Dr. Hui Li, Dr. Martin Kurnik, Mackenzie Lucero

My methods for getting involved in research

Watkins et al.(2012) J AM Chem Soc 134(4):2120

Watkins et al.(2012) J AM Chem Soc 134(4):2120

From the beginning of the school year, I was very interested in what it meant to conduct research. Since I attend UCSB, which is ranked #2 in the nation in 2013 for its research impact according to the Leiden ranking, I knew that getting involved in research here would be a fantastic idea! However, I was a little intimidated as to how to get into a research lab. After all, I had barely completed my first quarter of general chemistry and had absolutely no experience doing research. Then one evening during fall quarter, I received a very interesting email from my chemistry lab professor, it read:

Research Internship:  If you are interested in participating in research, applications are now being accepted for the Early Undergraduate Research and Knowledge Acquisition (EUREKA) internship for first year undergraduate students.

Method #1: Pay close attention to emails regarding research opportunities

The part of the email that encouraged me to apply was that it was designed for first year students. Suddenly a window of opportunity was open, since the internship was looking for freshman, I knew that they would not expect us to have a lot of research experience.

Method #2: Apply! Don’t be intimidated

After I applied and I was notified that I had been chosen for the internship, I began my search for a lab to join over the summer. This part of the process tested my perseverance, since finding a lab that would mentor me for such a short time period was quite a challenge.

Method #3: Find a lab that interests you

My advice for finding a lab would be:

  • Look up the professor whose research is most interesting to you and in the department that you have a passion for.
  • After finding some professors who interest you, send them an email. If after 2 days the professor still has not replied, feel free to send another If you still hear no reply you might want to figure out where their office is located and ask to schedule an appointment to meet with them.
  • Communicate with your program coordinator since they will offer you invaluable advice.

This part of the process can become a time of nervously waiting for a response. I was very blessed to have a fabulous program coordinator who was very supportive and advised me on how to proceed. In fact, my program coordinator Arica Lubin, recommended that I email the Plaxco group within the chemistry department. As it turns out, I ended up joining the Plaxco group under the mentorship of two amazing post docs, Dr. Kurnik and Dr. Arroyo.

Method #4: Start your research!

Since the start of the summer research I have been blown away by the passion that my lab mentors have for their research. I am learning a lot and it is and will continue to be a life changing experience.

My research project is looking at how artificial surfaces can affect proteins and nucleic acids. In the body, biomolecules such as proteins come into contact with surfaces such as the cell membrane without losing their 3D structure or function. However, this is not the case for many artificial surfaces; contact with artificial surfaces (e.g. a surgical implant or an electrode in a biosensor) oftentimes causes proteins to irreversibly unfold and adhere to the surface. Over time this build up on the artificial surface can create problems. The goal of the project is to understand the physics behind the biomolecular surface interactions so we can minimize this type of biomolecular mis-folding.