Featured SACNISTA

Working in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Lawson at the University of California, San Diego over my 11th and 12th grade summers helped me develop into a scientist. As an intern through the Consortium of High Schools/Undergraduate and Medical Schools (CHUM) program I was able to conduct research that was important to me. I studied lead poisoning; often found in the paint of houses built before 1978, because many families in low-income areas are at a higher risk of exposure. As part of science fair project I tested houses in my community and found that some were indeed contaminated! These findings reinforced my scientific thinking and encouraged me to continue.
 
My research has a lot to do with my experiences. The stories my father told me about working in the fields while being sprayed with pesticides encouraged me to look at worker’s health issues. It was hard for me to understand why there was no mandatory testing to determine the effects of pesticides on reproduction before approving their use. I developed a project, with Dr. Lawson’s help, to determine whether lead and two pesticides had an effect on the expression of the gonadotropin-eleasing hormone (GnRH). I was also interested in testing whether two widely used pesticides had an effect on GnRH expression.
 
I had my “Eureka!” moment years later when Dr. Lawson informed me that another group had addressed the same questions and had similar findings. I realized that I was thinking like a scientist and recognized the importance of diversity in the science. People with different backgrounds and experiences are interested in pursuing different scientific questions. These realizations helped me envision actually becoming a scientist. Dr. Lawson and Dr. Park Trefts from the CHUM program helped transform me into a scientist by teaching me research skills and then allowing me to pursue my scientific curiosity. Now I want to help others undergo that transformation.
 
Angelica Riestra is a second-year graduate student in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles (http://www.mimg.ucla.edu/), and serves as an officer in the UCLA SACNAS Chapter. She works in Patricia Johnson’s laboratory studying the mechanisms of pathogenesis in the sexually transmitted parasite Trichomonas vaginalis.