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“Presenting was the best part of the conference for me. I had never been a part of anything like that before and was very nervous about it. However, after seeing people show interest in my project and respond well to my presentation I felt so proud that my project and research was important and interesting. I did not make as many contacts that applied directly to the research I am currently doing, however, I made many contacts that are going to be important for my future education pursuits”, said Rachel Alexander (above), a current BLaST Undergraduate Research Experience (URE) student, after attending this year’s Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Phoenix, AZ November 1 - 4 2017.
Other BLaST participants who attended ABRCMS included past BLaST URE Agnero Niagne, Scholars Jonilee Polanco, Mark Anthony Velasco, Tandi Marth, and Ana Fiore Carrasco, and two BLaST Laboratory Research and Teaching Technicians (LRTTs), Theresa Vertigan and Natalia Podlutskaya.
Jonilee Polance, a first-year BLaST Scholar shares about the BLaST program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, “Walking into the BLaST office feels like walking into a safe -space. I tell everyone I know that I love BLaST, I feel very appreciated and welcome to be a part of this community of people.”
BLaST Laboratory Research and Teaching Technician Natalia Podlutskaya with BLaST Scholar Jonilee Polanco, showing off their tattoos (fake) at ABRCMS 2017.
Tandi Marth (not pictured), a third-year BLaST Scholar also shares, “I am very happy to be a part of this program; it has opened doors to me in research that I would have otherwise not been offered, or even knew existed. Because of BLaST, I will be pursuing a graduate degree upon completion of my Baccalaureate. The experiences I have gained by performing my own research, running data analysis to interpret results, presenting those datasets in conferences, and interacting in a peer-mentorship environment have influenced me greatly, and I am hoping to continue my career as a successful researcher.”
Undergraduate researcher of University of Alaska Fairbanks Omar Niagne with BLaST Scholars Anna Carresco and Jonilee Polanco enjoy their time at ABRCMS 2017.
