Research Training Program Student Reports

Ideate. Prototype. Debug. Repeat. These four words effectively summarize my perception of science research before diving into it, first at my school and then at SCAS RTP -- although admittedly in a manner far, far more robust, refined, and encapsulating than my 13-year-old self could have divined. In some respects, I congratulate my younger self for having the foresight...

My research was aimed at determining temperatures in the Ross Sea during the early-mid Miocene using clumped isotope analysis of carbonates from the ANDRILL project. Climate change is an increasingly urgent threat and its effects and projections are yet to be substantially understood. The middle-Miocene is the most...

My research this past year examined the effects of different parameters on the rate of flow of calcium ions at neuronal synapses in dendritic spines. I focused on two ionotropic receptor proteins, NMDA and AMPA, which regulated the flow of calcium ions in the postsynaptic terminal. I created a mathematical model using a series...

My research was conducted from April to October of 2020, amidst the pandemic. While many field projects were hindered or halted by the crisis, my work actually became more feasible. Due to my relaxed school schedule, I was able to conduct 200 hours of turtle surveys. The wilderness park I worked at, in Orange County California, had enough space to allow for proper social...

In my project, I developed an unsupervised algorithm to detect dense regions on mammograms and predict breast density accurately. Breast density is a strong indicator of breast cancer, as women with extremely dense breasts have a sixfold greater risk of developing breast cancer. Breast density volumetric ratios...