A quick update on my first week... I'm writing a small update on my status so far here at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston proper. Although the weather has been a little less than perfect, my visit has been nothing short of surreal. The week flew by, and it's already Sunday night (here in the East, at least). I have 9 other people in my cohort (STARS is a new program, so, we're guinea pigs, though they got about a thousand applicants xD). Although the hours at work are long, I've been able to enjoy Boston and the company of my cohort. I've even got a chance to meet up with Michelle! They're all very interesting and different people. Most, if not all, of them are pursuing (or already in) an M.D. program. I'm different from them in that I am pursuing an M.D./Ph.D., and it kinda shows, hehe. I am in Vijay Kuchroo's lab, working under Nicole Joller Ph.D. Although a little edgy at times, both of them seem to be excellent mentors insofar. My project is characterizing the regulatory abilities of two proteins in T cell activation. Although the proteins themselves are not novel, the preliminary research indicates that one may be an inhibitor (Vsig9) and the other, a stimulator (CD226). My background in immunology prior to just a couple of weeks ago (Finals week and the 4 days I had off) was quite limited, although I definitely read up as much as I could. When I arrived in lab, though, I realized I was definitely behind, hehe! Anyhoo, to characterize I am performing FACS analysis for the first time, and I will be harvesting organs from EAE (Multiple Sclerosis model mice--it's weird watching a mouse drag itself around, by the way, haha). The first week went all into planning this enormous multi-level project, which my mentor Nicole was sure would take me at least 2 weeks ^^. So, next week, I will be performing the experiments. As for life outside of lab, I have to pinch myself a little to make sure it's not just a dream. The architecture and vibe in Boston are just incredible. Not to mention, my program, STARS, is making this so doable and making it so much more fun. This turned out to be a little longer than I imagined, but I will keep you all updated on my visit here in Boston!
Need to get a good picture of myself, haha; I don't have one with me in it yet, for some odd reason.
~Richard Rodriguez
