{"id":75802,"date":"2020-11-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/combatting-imposter-syndrome-uri-minority-students-on-track-for-science-research-careers\/"},"modified":"2020-11-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T00:00:00","slug":"combatting-imposter-syndrome-uri-minority-students-on-track-for-science-research-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2020\/11\/combatting-imposter-syndrome-uri-minority-students-on-track-for-science-research-careers\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 minority students on track for science research careers"},"content":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 November 9, 2020 \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 senior Naomi Pajarillo never imagined herself earning a doctorate when she first enrolled at the University three years ago. But thanks to some excellent mentors, hands-on research opportunities, and a new program designed to boost access to scientific research careers among under-represented populations, she is well on her way.<\/p>\n

\"Naomi<\/a>
Naomi Pajarillo in a 溏心vlog免费B站 lab in 2019. 溏心vlog免费B站 photo by Michael Salerno<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see a lot of people that look like me among science researchers,\u201d said Pajarillo, a cell and molecular biology major from Providence<\/strong>, \u201cso I was facing imposter syndrome. I wasn\u2019t sure if I belonged here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now she knows she does. She spent the summer after her freshman year studying the diseases transmitted by mosquitoes with Assistant Professor Janelle Couret, and followed that up with a year of research into the pathogenic effects of a disease that kills oysters with Professor David Nelson. Along the way she learned the skills necessary to succeed in a microbiology laboratory.<\/p>\n

Pajarillo was then selected to be among the first four students in 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s new training program, funded by the National Institutes of Health, aimed at increasing the number of under-represented students earning doctorates in biomedical science. Called the MARC U*STAR program \u2013 Maximizing Access to Research Careers: Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research \u2013 it places students in research laboratories for two years and offers them summer research internships at prestigious universities around the country.<\/p>\n

溏心vlog免费B站 senior Avery McNamara is also among the MARC U*STAR trainees, and he, too, faced imposter syndrome when he first arrived on campus. He had the added difficulty of homelessness prior to arriving on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be on a pre-med track, and I always excelled academically, but then life happened and I had to make some sacrifices,\u201d said the Pawtucket<\/strong> native double-majoring in Spanish and cell and molecular biology. \u201cMy college path was derailed because I had to work three jobs to support myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Avery<\/a>
Avery McNamara
溏心vlog免费B站 photo by Nora Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When he eventually arrived at 溏心vlog免费B站, McNamara soon found himself the vice president of the pre-med fraternity, Delta Epsilon Mu, and helping a teaching assistant with some laboratory research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Dr. Nelson sold me on the Ph.D. path, and all the pieces started coming together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the MARC U*STAR program, McNamara and Pajarillo are among four 溏心vlog免费B站 students receiving $10,000 scholarships and $13,000 stipends for two years, plus additional funds for research materials and travel to conferences. In return, they are working 10 to 15 hours each week in biomedical research labs while attending classes.<\/p>\n

Pajarillo is working in Professor Angela Slitt\u2019s pharmacology lab, where she is studying metabolic diseases and the effects of environmental chemicals on the liver and other tissues. McNamara is working in Assistant Professor Arnob Dutta\u2019s molecular biology lab, where he uses biochemistry and genomics to investigate the role of proteins called chromatin modifiers in the development of human diseases.<\/p>\n

Last summer they also participated in research internships at other universities \u2013 held virtually due to the pandemic \u2013 to gain additional experience and network with prominent scientists and fellow minority students.<\/p>\n

McNamara worked with a behavioral psychologist at Johns Hopkins University \u2013 where he hopes to go to graduate school \u2013 analyzing patient data to determine the success of various therapies used to treat those with intractable mental disorders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned that being involved in research doesn\u2019t always mean being in a lab,\u201d he said. \u201cIt just means being curious, being hungry for knowledge, and being open to intellectual challenges. And I met some amazing people doing interesting work that I could be a part of one day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pajarillo conducted statistical analyses for a Michigan State University study to determine whether males and females with asthma respond differently to certain allergens in their respiratory system.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a nice blend of my passions for biomedical science and intersectional issues in science,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was challenging, and I was a little scared to go into it at first, but by the end I found it really rewarding. I loved the connections I made, and I loved the learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both students are planning careers as research scientists in academia.<\/p>\n

The NIH grant that funds the MARC U*STAR program was awarded to 溏心vlog免费B站 Associate Professor Bryan Dewsbury in the Department of Biological Sciences and Professor Niall Howlett in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology. It is the first training grant awarded by the NIH to the University, and Dewsbury and Howlett hope it will open the door to additional grants that will help them build a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable culture of undergraduate research on campus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 November 9, 2020 \u2013 溏心vlog免费B站 senior Naomi Pajarillo never imagined herself earning a doctorate when she first enrolled at the University three years ago. But thanks to some excellent mentors, hands-on research opportunities, and a new program designed to boost access to scientific research careers among under-represented populations, she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":75805,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-75802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-college-of-the-environment-and-life-sciences"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}