Juan biomedical course
- 1. University of Puerto Rico - Cayey Department of Natural Sciences New Year, New People Juan Enrique Maldonado Weng RISE Program Prof. Diaz & Prof. Gonzalez
- 2. This past semester I had the opportunity to have a course in biomedical techniques thanks to the RISE program. This course would, sadly, be the last course I take with RISE because of the new incoming students for next year. Although I might be slightly jealous, I will never forget the wonderful experience I have had during the year. During this course, I had the pleasure of meeting more professors and students from different universities which helped me establish relationships. The seminars that were offered were also interesting and very enjoyable. In the near end of the year, I also had the opportunity to work with a great student mentor, Dr. Héctor Maldonado, who taught me valuable skills for In Sillico Research. This semester was long, demanding, and tough. The semester is finally over and summer is round the corner but I will not forget what I have learned during this semester nor will I forget those who have helped me. Similarly to the fall semester, this course was every Friday at 2:00 to 6:00 which is very rough for students but it was part of the new challenge. Even for some days, a workshop demanded a Saturday to be able to complete it which was even harder. Although these complications made it difficult, I will never regret participating because the time was used valuably for learning. During one workshop, I was able to meet two graduate students that were helping us understand DNA and proteins in more helpful simple ways. They were great because they showed what their university would offer for new graduate students. It was a great opportunity to see what they are doing and how the university plays a role. They were good people and fun to meet. I also had a great time when I meet the people for the Neuroscience workshop. This was incredibly fun because it is one of my favorite subjects in science. I hope to one day meet them as a professional in a similar field of science. They brought new and complex concepts in a very
- 3. simple and easy to understand steps. I was also excited when, as a group, assigned to form a human-sized neuron which was entertaining and cool. They also helped us understand many different conditions that affect the human brain which was very interesting. Another great moment I had this semester was working with Dr. Maldonado because he is in charge of the In Sillico team. His team explores biological problems through computer simulations. As an observer, I saw his technique confronting viruses and trying to find a way to inhibit them with different compounds. If the compound had a stronger attraction than the necessary components for the virus, then the necessary component would not have space to occupy. His research was incredible and in result, a compound was found for the Dengue Virus. This made for an excellent project and it was all thanks to the In Sillico team. In conclusion, this semester has been fun, exciting, tiring and demanding, but worth the effort. I experienced many fun workshops and met many wonderful people. I hope to stay in contact and see them again next year.Thanks to this course, I was able to meet a great mentor and learn about new ways to confront medical problems. I also hope to become a member of this team so I can dive in this exciting field of research and become a better student in the process. I’m glad I was a part of the RISE program because of all my wonderful experiences including this one.