Undergraduate Researcher
University of Maryland, College Park
Kaya Weiner, Junior Undergraduate at the University of Maryland.
I have spent 4 semesters in the FIRE Fertility Science Stream at the University of Maryland learning about the basics of sperm biology and metabolism. In the first two semesters, I wrote and carried out a team research proposal on the effect of antioxidants on sperm. I learned everything there was to know about both biology labs and the niche elements of fertility labs. We performed 3 trials of an experiment on Astaxanthin on Bovine Sperm. While the results were insignificant, the protocol and research remained promising. I began a third semester in the fertility lab as a Peer Research Mentor, where I played an active role in helping incoming students gain similar experiences I had as a freshman. I helped students to learn what I had learned from my supervisor including basic laboratory techniques, sperm morphologies, and the development of their own research papers. The mentors and I presented and published the research we had begun a year ago at the University of Maryland.
I was then offered the opportunity to work in the FIRE program’s Summer Immersive Research Internship Experience (IRIE) and assist new students in the lab over the summer. I had several similar responsibilities as when I had mentored previously but the time was now much shorter. While also helping 3 groups of students to work on and publish their own research, I performed 6 new trials of the AXA experiment, gaining conclusive results from my blinded data. While the lab work has had a large impact on me and my scientific perspective, my experience as a mentor has influenced me far more. Relating to students from my own experience has helped me gain leadership skills and confidence. The relationships I have formed with my mentors and with the students I have helped are invaluable to me. The connection I formed with my supervisor helped me to love the research and truly understand its significance. I was also able to work with that supervisor to publish the research that I have presented at the University of Pennsylvania.