Standing next to my research poster after presenting at WCBSURC
Author: Elizabeth Ford | Major: Chemistry | Semester: Spring 2023
My name is Elizabeth Ford, and I will graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and a minor in accounting. I have been conducting research for my undergraduate honors thesis under the supervision of Dr. Suresh Thallapuranam in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for the past two years. My project has primarily involved the expression, purification, and characterization of fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19). This protein demonstrates great therapeutic potential for the treatment of numerous diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, hypercholesteremia, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, it is an extremely unstable molecule and therefore its pharmaceutical application cannot yet be realized. I have been working to isolate and characterize wild-type FGF19, thereby creating a foundation for the design of hyper-stable mutants in the future.
I traveled to Los Angeles, California to attend the 46th annual West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference (WCBSURC) at Loyola Marymount University. WCBSURC is one of the largest and oldest intercollegiate conferences dedicated to undergraduate research in the fields of biology, biochemistry, and biophysics. It has attracted students and faculty from more than 200 institutions in 40 states over the past 45 years. 500+ students registered for the conference this year, but I was the only one from Arkansas in attendance. I was proud to be the sole representative of the Natural State!
The day began with a plenary talk from Dr. Victoria Sork, a distinguished professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. She spoke about the effects of climate change on the size of acorn crops and on the mechanisms of seed dispersal by predators. She then explained Native uses of acorns and their roles in sustaining oak ecosystems in California and elsewhere. I had never thought acorns were very significant, but after hearing about their roles in the food chain and the ecological ripple effects from their diminishment, I learned they are actually incredibly important!
I attended two oral sessions and one poster session throughout the day, and my peers are conducting some truly fascinating research. I learned about the impact of maternal cannabis use on neuronal development in early embryos, correlations between autism spectrum disorder and the gut microbiome, the various neural pathways involved in effort-based decision-making, and the roles of bacteria in chronic wound healing in diabetic patients (just to name a few of the topics!). It was neat to see my peers using many of the same concepts and techniques that I use in my own lab, which allowed me to understand their work in greater depth and better appreciate its significance.
I met students from all over the country from colleges including Duke University, the University of Connecticut, Brown University, Oregon State University, and multiple schools in the University of California system. It was great to talk about our research, our hobbies and interests outside of school, and our plans after graduation. I finished my trip by visiting the Santa Monica pier with some of these new friends I made at the conference! I also had the opportunity to network with faculty members. I had a great conversation with the director of the Center for Urban Resilience in California, who invited me to reach out if I am interested in a career in biological research. I also spoke with professors from UCLA, Arizona State University, the University of Virginia, and Creighton University, all of whom were very encouraging and seemed genuinely interested to hear about my project.
I had never presented my research on such a large stage before, so I was somewhat nervous for my poster session, but it turned out to be a great experience. I reminded myself I am the expert on my project, and my confidence improved with each interaction and with each question I answered. I found I wasn’t just worried about knowing all the facts but actually enjoyed explaining my work to others. I had a lot of meaningful exchanges, one in particular with a professor who offered a very constructive critique of my work: I had been comparing the stability of my protein to metformin, which demonstrates a similar therapeutic potential but is different type of molecule; she suggested I compare FGF19 to another protein instead. Many others offered valuable contributions and ideas to expand upon my current work that I am excited to share with my lab.
I would encourage all students to go to a conference if they can! It is a great hands-on learning experience that will expand your knowledge, communication skills, and professional network. I hope I have the opportunity to do so again in the future.