Two weeks ago, the USC Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Mentorship Program invited Dr. Sarah Mojarad to speak on improving our online presence and creating a professional persona through social media! Because I am always on the lookout to improve my online profile and strengthen my network, I stopped by to see how I could extend my research and … Read More
Teaching High Schoolers About Centrifuges
Every semester, the Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering (LLSE) hosts lab tours for juniors and seniors from the Orthopaedic Medical Magnet High School. Supplementing their biology, chemistry, and physics classes, this Annual Medical Device Field Trip includes an introduction into tissue engineering and drug screening by Dr. Megan McCain, a full lab tour, and examples of equipment in use. For … Read More
Celebrating the Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering
Last week, the Laboratory for Living Systems Engineering (LLSE) celebrated a huge win for our faculty member, Dr. Megan McCain – the landing of an R01 grant! Known officially as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant Program, an R01 supports health-related research and development with federal funding. The NIH provides $31B to 300,000+ researchers at 2,500+ institutions … Read More
Presenting at a Science Open Mic Night!
In preparation for my qualifying exam (which I passed on March 1st!!), I signed up for every single opportunity available to me to present in front of a live audience. In the 10 presentations I gave in the month of February, my favorite by far was the one where I engaged with students from other STEM departments – Science Open … Read More
Visit to Museum of Tomorrow in Brazil
One of the fun places I visited during my time there was the Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) – a science museum designed by neofuturistic architect Santiago Calatrava – and built next to the Guanabara Bay at Pier Maua. The museum was part of the city’s port area renewal for the 2016 Summer Olympics and was the first museum in … Read More
Donating Muscle for Science!!
Every time my collaborator presents our joint research in skeletal and cardiac tissue engineering, he shows a clip of a muscle biopsy to show the audience how he obtains patient samples. As part of a collective that studies muscular dystrophy, he processes these muscle samples in multiple ways: a simple stain to observe native tissue structure, genetic analysis to investigate … Read More
2nd Annual Science Policy Symposium
Ever since joining Graduate Student Government (GSG) and advocating to Californian Senators and Representatives in Washington, D.C. (four times!) on behalf of all USC graduate students, I have become increasingly interested in national policy and how it relates to science and research. I attended a couple of USC Science Policy Group’s meetings and decided to head to the 2nd Annual … Read More
A visit to Griffith Observatory
What a great way to take a break from the hectic graduate life at USC than to make a trip to the iconic Griffith Observatory. Named after Colonel Griffith Jenkins Griffith’s – whose vision was to make astronomy accessible to all – the Observatory was constructed for the public and donated to the City of Los Angeles in 1935. It has … Read More
ARCS Foundation Luncheon 2017
Posted: November 29, 2017, 10:23pm This year, the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation Los Angeles Founder Chapter hosted the 2017-2018 Scholar Recognition Luncheon at the beautiful Bel-Air Country Club. Having been an ARCS Scholar the year prior, I had the chance to see some of the other students and donors I had met before and reconnect with them. … Read More