Ibtisam M.

Hi, my name is Ibtisam and I am a rising sophomore at University Prep! I am so glad to have had the opportunity to attend the Fred Hutch Explorers program. It has been an amazing experience, and being able to participate has opened my eyes to a multitude of career possibilities and has taught me the vast array of disciplines that work together to allow Fred Hutch to function efficiently.

  Almost every day of the program, our cohort was able to hear informational lectures given by professionals who work at the Hutch. My favorite of them was Dr. Barry Stoddard’s protein crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy talk. I had never known the detail and precision needed to map a protein's structure, or even the means by which scientists were able to. The engaging, informational lecture drew me in from the start, and the tertiary structure of proteins is now an interest of mine I hope to continue to explore later on.

The X-Ray machine used by scientists like Dr. Barry Stoddard to investigate the tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins.

In addition to the informational lectures, we also got the chance to be in the lab almost every single day. We performed experiments of our own, such as our DNA extraction of a strawberry, ran multiple gel electrophoresis analyses, PCR experiments, and a Bradford assay. Being in the lab was a very fun component of the program and one I was most excited for at the beginning! Learning lab procedures from Kat, Ariana, and Dustin (our TAs) and the do’s and don’ts of working in a lab has made me even more excited about pursuing a future in biomedical research in a way that I wouldn’t have known before being an Explorer.

Me attempting to extract DNA from a strawberry with my lab partner, Trisha, and our TA, Ariana.

Before the last two weeks, I had limited knowledge of the specifics of cancer, and thankfully, I was able to learn a lot more with the help of Dr. Goode and other professionals who work at Fred Hutch. In two weeks, we learned about the hallmarks of cancer, the use of proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressors in cell cycle regulation, and multiple different types of cancer and their route of progression throughout the body. We were also taught about laboratory machines such as the flow cytometer, and were able to visit the Flow Cytometry Lab in the Steam Plant Building.

Something I found really interesting in my time here was the CRISPR Cas9 lab. Before coming, I had little prior knowledge and only knew the very basics of the lab technique and its discovery. However, through the Explorers program, we were able to learn the intricacies of the technique, how it was developed, and the biological way the process occurs – we even performed an interpretive dance to showcase our learning at the end of the lesson!

Explorers session 2 group lab picture!

All in all, I had a very fun experience and am so glad I decided to participate. My knowledge of biomedical science grew thoroughly in my time at Fred Hutch and I learned so much that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t had the opportunity to. I want to thank my cohort for making my time here so fun, Eden for being an amazing mentor, our TAs for sharing their time with us, and most importantly, Dr. Goode for leading and making this entire, amazing program possible!