Dania Rahal

Author: Dania Rahal | Major: Chemistry

My name is Dania Rahal. I am a senior in the J. William Fulbright College majoring in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration and minoring in biology, with plans to graduate next semester (Spring 2022). I have been funded through the Honors College Research Grant for the spring and fall of 2021. In previous semesters, I conducted research as an undergraduate member of Dr. Beyzavi’s lab in the chemistry department, supported by the Honors College Research Grant. Through my involvement in his lab, I was able to become a contributing author on the following published article: “Translation of HDAC6 PET imaging using [18F]EKZ-001 – cGMP production and measurement of HDAC6 target occupancy in NHPs.” This semester, I have worked under the guidance of Dr. Paul Adams to continue this line of research for the purpose of completing my honors thesis.

As a student who aspires to join the medical field, this research topic was of great interest to me. Having a chronic illness myself, I aspire to conduct research to improve current treatments and medications for long-term health management, as I understand the impact such progress can have on an individual level and on the entire field. I discovered Dr. Beyzavi’s lab through another student who was already involved, and I found my new mentor- Dr. Adams- through Dr. Beyzavi’s recommendation. While switching mentors before my senior year was quite difficult (and a bit stressful), both my old and new mentors helped make the transition as smooth as possible, and Dr. Adams has been a great help to me this semester as I have taken my first steps towards writing my thesis.

Unlike previous semesters, this semester’s research activities mostly took place online. Using my previous semesters’ worth of research and the published article I was listed as a contributing author on, I spent this semester learning the process of writing a thesis and researching articles for my literature review. I attended the “How to Start an Honors Thesis” event put on by the Honors College, where I learned how to further refine my research topic, how to navigate the literature review, and how to better approach my topic and provide a new angle/contribution while synthesizing existing research. This last part was the part I struggled the most with, as I have never done anything like that in the past for a chemistry research project. Due to the interruptions caused by the pandemic and switching mentors, my research has taken a different form than I originally expected.

Dr. Adams was integral in helping me re-evaluate how I would tackle my thesis project, and I have confidence going into the next semester that everything will work out well. Furthermore, my mentor has been excellent in guiding me through the research process and providing me with the opportunities to hone my research skills. As I hope to conduct research in medical school, I believe the experiences I have had that were funded by the Honors College Research Grant have better prepared me to do just that. Next semester, I hope to further refine my writing for my thesis- which I have already drafted- and prepare for my thesis defense. My grant funding has allowed me to purchase valuable technological tools that have been of great help in the research and writing process, a great help in completing my thesis for graduation next spring.